Black Sheep


 Eddie Mullarkey and Mag’s McHugh have teamed up
The result is emerald, comedy emerald!

Mags: I was born Watford England. Irish parents from Co Mayo. Irish upbringing. So Irish Dancing (Not Riverdance standard) Holidays in Ireland . Never felt English whatever that is. Just wanted to marry Elton John. He married Renarta, I was devastated. In my 50’s now. I moved to Ireland to care for parents. My Dad loved comedy and lent me his chair. I still live in Dublin and for now it’s home.
Eddie: I’m from Galway in the rainy west of Ireland. I’m based in sunny Dublin.

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When did you first realise you could make people laugh?
Mags: People laugh at me when I’m acting normal. I’m bewildered really as I think a bit differently… I did stand-up as a wee break from minding my parents. I knew I could talk to people as I work in recovery and with groups. Comedy was a challenge.

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When did you first develop a passion for comedy?
Eddie: Hmmm… my family always make fun of each other, I’ve three older sisters that used to call me ‘Edwina’ when I was a young boy. They tried to convince me I was a lesbian girl, so comedy and jokes were necessary to get through that sibling rivalry. And we watched all the Marx brothers repeatedly on VHS tape, watching Groucho Marx try to scam self entitled people probably developed my passion for comedy.

Mags: The first time I did a real gig there was laughter. I was so shocked I came off stage early. They loved my psychic set. Comedy is a vehicle for change for me. It’s a place to play.

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You’re Washed up on a Desert island with an all-in-one solar powered DVD/TV combo. What three movies would you bring?
Eddie: I hope there’s buttered popcorn on this island. The Sound of Music – and the sequel ‘Ex nuns vs Nazis.’ Marx brothers – A Night at The Opera. Coen Brothers – No Country For Old Men

Last year a reviewer saved your life, what’s the backstory?
Mags: A reviewer said ‘Mags is funny and quirky as a chipmunk’ bit intriguing it made me look up chipmunk as I wanted to see what one looked like. Mainly Fat cheeks! He was right very fat. Next day I was busy trying to see myself in a window reflection without looking at the road. (It made sense in my head) I got hit by a white van. I didn’t see it at all. Long story short. I had gone blind in my left eye and was in heart failure. 2 ops on eye and heart and I’m grand now.

Where and when did you two meet?
Eddie: We met a little after Brexit, I cant remember what comedy gig, she made me laugh and then she helped me organise a few gigs and we’ve been laughing since. She’s a very cheeky lady.

Last year you came runner up at the Irish competition ‘Show me the funny’, how was that experience?
Eddie: It was a really fun gig, I hadn’t been doing comedy too long so I was ecstatic afterwards. My sisters kept my ego in check by saying Mags was robbed.

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You’re performing at this years Edinburgh Fringe. What are you guys bringing to the table?
Eddie: We’re going to bring some levity to the mental health discussion, laughing at yourself is the best therapy as Freud said. Together the two of us are bringing two very different life stories, Mags is in her 50’s and grew up a devout catholic. I’m in my 20’s and grew up with porn on a mobile phone. Different realities. Different struggles, different anxieties. It’s a very fun show.

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What are you looking forward to the most about returning to the Fringe?
Mags: Oh looking forward to getting accessibility and domestic abuse into comedy arena. Making people laugh. Throw in Fat,OCD and the madness of making same mistakes repeatedly and working with Eddie of course coz he is class. He’s funny and clever.

You’ve got 20 seconds to sell the show to someone on the streets of Edinburgh, what would you say?
Eddie: Mags grew up as a black sheep, she claims to have an award winning vagina. Eddie is trying to stay woke. Mags just wants a nap. Different generations with the same guilt. Join us for a laugh.

Black Sheep

Sofi’s Southside

Aug 1-25 (12:00)

Black Sheep

An Interview with Konstantin Kisin


The Russians DO have a wicked sense of humour…
Konstantin Kisin is living proof


When did you first realise you were funny?

How did you get into stand-up?



Can you tell us about Kilkenomics & your role?



What are the ingredients that make your show special?


Orwell That Ends Well

Gilded Balloon Teviot

Aug 1-26 (19:00)


An Interview with Chris Brannick




What for you makes a good piece of theatre?
I want to think, but not to think I’m thinking. Not to be told to think. I want the author and the actors to slide in bits of thinking under my consciousness without me realising it.
I go to the theatre to be entertained, really.


head 2

Can you tell us about Two Foolish Productions & your role?








How are you finding working with Karen Kirkup?


Why are you using the songs of Annie Lennox and Eurythmics?


What will you be doing for the rest of 2019?

Remind Me Again Why I Need A Man

Sweet Novotel

Aug 19-25 (13:30)


Oleg Denisov : Russian Troll


The quintessence of satirical stand-up is Russia’s Oleg Denisov

Hello Oleg, first things first, where are you from & where are you at, geographically speaking?
Hi, I’m hailing from Moscow, Russia.

When did you first realise you could make people laugh?
It was early, age 7 or 8, and at the time it was mostly what I was busy with. Then I tried a few times to have a normal life, but failed and came back to the roots.


How did you get into stand-up?
I’ve been writing comedy since school, putting on little plays and sketches, then did the same at University (In Russian Unis comedy sketches and improve form a competitive team sport called KVN – “Club of funny and inventive”, however it’s been neither of those things for the last 10-15 years). Then after a few low-paid and disrespected jobs (like teacher, film critic, data analyst etc) I got a job as a screenwriter, writing additional material for sitcoms and advertising. And after getting fired from there, I decided to take back creative control. So here we are.

You are a graduate in philosophy, has that in any way helped your comedy?
It has I suppose, in a way that both reading and teaching philosophy involves trying to make difficult (or core) idea clearer by putting in into context that’d help a particular person/group of people to understand it. When writing comedy, I go from the punchline (something that I find amusing myself) to the setup, and not the other way round, so my goal there is to make the audience see the stuff from my perspective in order to realize it’s funny in the same way I do. Therefore, understanding of people’s thought processes, what can influence them, and also structuring the routines are the things which are crucial to my comedy, particularly because I come from completely different background and live in a different culture than my foreign audiences. Philosophy (as well as screenwriting) help a lot with those.

Can you tell us about the comedy scene in Russia?
Stand-up is quite new to Russia, in the modern sense it appeared no more than 12-13 years ago, and got popular only after some sketch comedians produced a show called “Stand-up” on TV (what else would they have called it). Since then, and especially in the last 3 years it’s been gaining popularity rapidly, there have been big stand-up festivals in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg. Lots of open mic nights happen in Moscow every day. However, in terms of style it’s quite different from more developed markets like the UK, there’s no huge variety of styles (as the TV show is mostly the only point of reference to young comedians), mostly it’s either telling short anecdotes or basic observational. However, political humor seems to be getting increasingly popular, even though it’s not allowed on TV. Stand-up comedy in English started about 5-6 years ago in Moscow, there are about 20-25 comedians in town who perform more or less regularly. “Stand-up Cellar” is currently the most consistently popular weekly night that we started at over a year ago. It’s a PWYW show that runs every Friday in a small underground bar at the very centre of Moscow, and we’re really proud of the audience that it has shaped over this period of time. I think what characterizes it best is that visiting foreign comedians hardly need to modify their language, pace or material while performing, even though the audience is usually about 70% locals.

An hour of magical realism and investigations into human nature, carefully disguised as political satire.

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What research materials have you been using and what have been the creative processes behind writing Russian Troll?
The final version of the show will contain a lot less current affairs stuff than originally intended. The name comes in part from the “Russian Trolls” as a popular news story, and in part from a scholarly version of how the mystical creature called “Troll” was invented by Scandinavian people. It says that in the old times, before people could draw maps, sometimes they would get lost in the familiar landscape at night, and after blamed it on some nocturnal creatures, “Trolls” that had meddled with the landscape and changed the positions of rocks, hills and so on. I find this a good metaphor for modern people getting lost in the landscape of their information bubbles and… well, you can work out the rest.

This is your third appearance at the Fringe – what advice do you have for a comedian making their debut?
Don’t expect anything, don’t worry, just enjoy your time. However, this advice seems to be a lot more relevant (and harder to follow) for people who are returning to the Fringe, like myself.

This is a show about Russia and the West, Putin and Trump, time and space, and other things that are a lot less definite than they seem.

Russian Troll

Champions of Festival @ The Scotsman

Aug 2-26 (16:40)

A3 Poster Oleg Edinburgh - jpeg

An Interview with Sarah Lee

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Legal wizard by day, comedy genius by night, welcome to the Fringe, Sarah Lee

Hello Sarah, first things first, where are you from & where are you at, geographically speaking?
North London, born-and-bred. I still live about mile from where I grew up. (The red side not the white and blue side, before you ask).

When did you first realise you were funny?
I was at a party about 10 years ago and a friend came over and said “if I ever need to find you I just follow the sound of laughter”. That made me pretty happy and changed my perspective on myself.

Can you tell us about your day job?
I’m a hot-shot lawyer in the city. That’s not a joke, actually. Basically, if I can’t solve your problems in my day job, I can help you forget about them in my night job.

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How did you get into stand-up?
I have always thought stand-up was the coolest ‘art form’, because it’s funny in the moment but it also stays with you afterwards. Something can happen months later and it will remind you of a joke / idea and you can laugh again. As for me, I had a boyfriend who was Belgian. He said to me “Belgian people are not funny. If you were Belgian you’d be a stand-up comedian”. I liked the sound of that. So I signed up for an open mic.

You were a finalist in last year’s Jewish Comedian of the Year. How did you find the experience?
Well Jewish people are pretty damn funny so I was proud to have that accolade. It’s a fantastic competition and held at a really great venue. The judges were household names as well so it was great to meet them.

Post-millennial? Are you ID’ing me? I’ll take that as a compliment. Comedy is changing but like anything, if it’s good it will stay good . I think people are born the same whatever century they are in, it’s just society that changes around us. I’m a liberal and come from a really progressive place, so in my comedy I like to play with the secret voice inside us that wants to be progressive but kinda likes the old ways.


What does your perfect Sunday afternoon look like?
Long cycle ride (ooh I’m so sporty), end up in the pub for a roast and a beer (ooh I’m such a ladette), then home for a nap (face down dribbling into mattress) and gear up for an gig in the evening… Actually, in a case my mum is reading this, can you just write “spending time with my family”. Thanks.

You are about to make your debut at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe; what are you bringing to the table?
I’m doing a half-hour show so not my actual debut, but it’s my first full run. I’m a fresh female voice picking up on the nuances of liberal ideas. Also I’m a total goofball who talks about slugs. Something for everyone really.

What are you looking forward to the most about coming to the Edinburgh Fringe?
To when they crown me queen of the fringe and carry me aloft down the Royal Mile chanting my name. Or second to that, probably just how much of a laugh it will be.

Half A Man

City Café: Hollywood Room

Aug 1-25 (15:20)

Sarah Lee - Half a Man - poster