John Tothill is an actor and comedian. In 2022 he won the 2Northdown’s New Act Competition in 2022. He has performed at The Upright Citizen’s Brigade in New York and Second City Chicago. He is bringing his debut Fringe show, ‘The Last Living Libertine’ to the Fringe. We spoke to John about the show, historical party animals, and the most moving this he has ever seen.
Can you tell us about ‘The Last Living Libertine’?
‘The Last Living Libertine’ is my attempt to give you a one-hour history of the theory of pleasure. That said, I get distracted pretty easily on stage, so the show takes in a few other subjects on the way. My hope is not that you might learn something but rather that, for just one hour, you might forget everything.
As the title suggests, your show is a celebration of pleasure and various Epicurean pursuits. What’s the most lavish, decadent thing you’ve ever done, or witnessed someone else do?
First of all, thank you for using the word ‘Epicurean’. In a sanitised, bureaucratised and fundamentally godless modernity, all we really have left is the gentle reach for slightly adventurous vocabulary.
As far as pleasure-seeking goes, there’s of course a place in my heart for the debauched four-day bender, but I think the stuff that really brings a tear to my eye is the small act of rebellion in the face of pointless rules. At a theatre bar, I once saw an older lady order a glass of white wine, which was served to her in a horrible plastic cup, since we humans (who once fought in wars and built skyscrapers and conquered space) can no longer be trusted with real glass. Out of this lady’s handbag came a dazzling crystal flute that she had clearly brought from home in anticipation. Before the hapless sight of the bar manager, she decanted the wine straight into it, plonked the plastic back onto the bar and wandered into the stalls. It remains the most moving thing I have ever seen. That was the real show that night.
You’ve drawn on your degree in history for the show? Which historical figures would you most like to party with and why?
John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester, was famous in his day for being a pretty lousy poet and the biggest raver of his generation. In fact, he spent a few months in the Tower of London, but was released because the King missed getting drunk with him. Imagine being at the very first party after the English Puritans had banned public entertainment for a decade. It would be like the end of lockdown times a thousand.
But also, fuck it, I’d love to see Florence Nightingale let her hair down for once.
‘The Last Living Libertine’ is your debut hour. What are your hopes and expectations for the month?
At the risk of sounding pretentious (and you are speaking to a man who just told you he would like to have partied with the second Earl of Rochester, so my tolerance for pretension is fairly high), my biggest hope is just that the show finds its audience. I’ve really enjoyed making it, and it’s got quite a lot of me in it, but right now I’m sort of standing in the kitchen, desperately jamming cheese and cocktail sausages onto little wooden sticks, hoping that my guests turn up. The dream would just be that they do.
Beside ‘The Last Living Libertine’, can we expect to see you performing elsewhere during August?
I’ll be doing a few spots on other people’s bills. I’ll be guesting at Drag Queen Wine Tasting, knowing very little about drag and wine but generally enthusiastic about both. I’ll also be doing Mudfish’s comedy night at the Bedlam Theatre.
Apart from your show, what else are you looking forward to (or even perhaps dreading) about the Fringe?
I’m looking forward to pushing my body to the limits as I refuse to feed it anything other than halloumi fries served out of a van for 28 days. As much as it will beg me, as much as my stomach will writhe around in agony, pleading for a bowl of fruit or a single stem of broccoli, I will show it no mercy.
Are there any other acts at the Fringe that you would recommend audiences see?
Yes! Loads. My big discovery of the year has been Lorna Rose Treen’s deliciously silly show ‘Skin Pigeon’. You should see it. Also Adam Flood, arguably the funniest man on earth, is doing a stand-up show called ‘Remoulded’, which is stunning. I also advise repeat attendance of my own show.
‘The Last Living Libertine’ runs from Wed 2 Aug to Tue 15 Aug 2023 at Pleasance Courtyard – Below at 20:30