Kathy Maniura is a character comedian, actor, and writer. She was a finalist of So You Think You’re Funny? in 2021 and has performed at the Fringe previously as part of absurdist character duo Horseplay. August sees her return to the Fringe with her debut solo show ‘Objectified’. We chatted to Kathy about her show, her ’embarassing’ near-death experience, and ‘magical… brutal’ Edinburgh.
Can you tell us about ‘Objectified’?
Objectified is my debut solo show and it’s an absurd character comedy show where I bring to life a variety of everyday objects – by which I mean, if objects were people, what would they be like? I’m asking the big questions – will a regularly discarded e-scooter ever be loved? Can anyone resist the appeal of a slutty little airpod? What’s a wine bottle hiding? And much more… It’s good-natured, silly, and I hope might inspire people to look at the world around them a little differently.
‘Objectified’ sprung from a nasty near-death experience you suffered during lockdown. Can you tell us about that, and how did it come to inspire a playful hour of character comedy?
Oh boy – yup, I got tonsillitis so badly I nearly died (how embarassing, it’s a disease for children!!). Essentially I got an abscess behind one of my tonsils and it drained puss into my chest cavity, which I must say I don’t recommend. The wonderful NHS got all that puss out of me and pumped me full of antibiotics and I’m all good now, but I was recovering for nearly two months and had a lot of time to think… It was after that experience that I started pretending to be objects. Frankly, I’m not totally sure why, but I think a big part of it was being grateful to be alive, and taking real joy in noticing the silliness in everyday things. Either that or I completely lost my mind in hospital.
What drew you to performing in general, and comedy specifically?
I’ve always loved performing, and in particular making people laugh – I remember a particularly rousing rendition of ‘We Three Kings’ that I performed at my school talent contest in Year four. I really milked the ‘sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying’ line (and won, thank you very much). Through my teens I did lots of theatre – I was always being cast in comedy bit parts, and eventually someone suggested I just cut out the middleman and do comedy. So I joined my uni sketch group and the rest is history – I met my comedy partner Derek Mitchell and we formed Horseplay, writing lots of very absurd character-driven stuff. Since 2019 I’ve been gigging solo too, and it’s really exciting to be sharing with everyone my first solo show that’s pure, unfiltered Kathy. Turns out that means pretending to be objects, who knew?
‘Objectified’ is your debut hour. What are your hopes and expectations for the month?
I’ve been to the Fringe a few times before as part of sketch duo Horseplay so I’m grateful to have a sense of what to expect – how magical and simultaneously brutal Edinburgh can be. I’m trying to keep my expectations in check. I just want to get through it without having a breakdown, find new funny bits in the show with different audiences, become a better comedian and meet some cool new people. But obviously I secretly hope that a big shot producer sits in the front row smoking a cigar and stands up and shouts YOU’RE GOING TO HOLLYWOOD SWEETIE and I become a beloved household name.
You’re no stranger to the Fringe, having performed as part of Horseplay. What for you are the best and worst things about the Fringe?
Best: the city being taken over by performers, stumbling upon amazing shows at any time of the day or night, bumping into comedy pals constantly, seeing things that inspire you that you’d never see anywhere else, chips available everywhere 24/7.
Worst: lack of sleep, flyering in the rain, never feeling like you’re doing enough, trying so damn hard to not compare yourself to other people, sometimes feeling like you’re throwing thousands of pounds in a bin, chips available everywhere 24/7.
Beside ‘Objectified’, can we expect to see you performing elsewhere during August?
I’ll be doing lots of spots on mixed bills in Edinburgh throughout the Fringe like the Fast Fringe, Late’n’Live, ACMS and many more… and you’ll see me performing being full of enthusiasm and energy handing out flyers in various street corners which will be arguably the hardest gig of all.
Are there any other acts at the Fringe that you would recommend audiences see?
So many! Lorna Rose Treen’s show ‘Skin Pigeon’ (also very silly character comedy), Lachlan Werner (ventriloquist and cultural icon), Jodie Mitchell (as drag king John Travulva), Adam Flood (stand up with a brave haircut)… one of the great joys of the Fringe is taking a punt on things you’d never otherwise see, so I say just explore! You haven’t done the Fringe until you’ve seen something mind-blowingly good, something awful, and something completely baffling.
‘Objectified’ runs from Wed 2 to Mon 28 Aug 2023 (except Mon 14) at Gilded Balloon Teviot – Wee Room at 16:40