"I will always be grateful that I got to see Joan Rivers perform live in NYC before she passed away. What a legend!" The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is by far one of the most popular and excitable events to happen in the the comedy, theatre and arts annual calendar. Not only does it host established acts but it offers a unique opportunity for uprising talent to showcase their material and garner a wider audience whilst developing their underlying talent. If it's one thing the festival is mighty good at, it's bringing and showcasing the talent overseas. Heading to Edinburgh is America's own Tori Scott and her band The Shame Spirals, they come with credentials having sold out shows across the world, from her native USA to England and Mexico. She now comes armed and ready to conquer Scotland through celebrating her poor-life choices and unquestionably unconditional love for vodka. Through the use of music and comedy, Tori will set out to self-deprecates her way through an hour of sassy political commentary and shameless personal adventures. Through the music of Queen, Lady Gaga, Edith Piaf, Pink and more, she shares her own self-coping mechanism in dealing with her home-country’s ‘life crisis’ and being a female navigating her own way in New York. All of this, with a dirty vodka martini in hand. The Time Out New York’s ‘Top 10 Cabaret Performer’ has performed several times in London to critical acclaim and has graced the stage of the prestigious New York institute Joe’s Pub at The Public, who are co-producing this show alongside Robin Rayner (producer of Fringe First Award-winning Fabric), for the past five years. On television, she's counted to 20 as a singing garbage woman on Sesame Street and dubbed the vocals of a singing hooker on HBO's Cathouse: The Musical. Her debut album Plan B! was recorded live at Joe’s Pub and released on Chicken Ranch Records last December. VENUE: The Dairy Room - Underbelly, Bristo Square, Teviot Place, EH8 9AG TIME: 10:15pm DATES: Weds 1st August – Mon 27th August (not 8th, 15th & 22nd August) PRICES: Previews £6.50 / Weekdays £9.50 (£8.50) / Weekends £10.50 (£9.50) TICKETS: 0131 510 0395 / www.underbelly.co.uk GMA caught up with Tori to discuss the difference in attitude towards heckling in the USA and England, her upcoming slot at the festival and other 2018 plans. __________________________________ So Tori, how does it feel to be appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival? "I’m so excited!! I feel really prepared regarding my show, but I’m truly going into the unknown which is a suitable Fringe theme this year. I’ve never been to the Fringe and I’ve never even been to Scotland so I’m heading there thrilled for an adventure." What for you makes the festival special? Aside from your gig will you be checking out other performers? "The fact that this is the biggest arts festival in the world makes this a special and incredible festival! I will definitely be seeing other shows. How can you be surrounded by thousands of shows and not see anything? I will probably get my show off the ground and in a groove first and then start seeing things throughout the day and on my days off. I’m actually overwhelmed with how many shows I want to try to catch." Mixing comedy, acting and music together must be tricky at times? But it seems you nailed it well with your 'Tori Scott: Thirsty!' tour, what was the reception like? "This is a formula that I’m very comfortable with having grown up performing in musicals. I’ve been working with my New York based musical supervisor and arranger, Jesse Kissel, for 10 years now and we have a really nice method to our madness mixing comedy and the music together. Because we trust each other so much, we know when things are being forced versus when it will be a nice unexpected surprise for the audience. The first Thirsty tour I did was a great success, but I still felt like it needed some tweaking. So #Thirsty that is playing at the Fringe is a fun, updated version. We’ve cut some stories that started to feel dated and gave it a bit of a face lift. I’m really happy with it and I’m so thrilled to perform for the Edinburgh audiences and see what they think!" Is it true that in America, heckling is frowned upon whilst a performance is going on? If so what was your thoughts when coming to the UK for the first time? "I think heckling is just different in the US. Why would you want to go to a show just to then scream things at the person performing? I’ve performed in a lot of bars in New York and have had plenty of drunk people scream at me while on stage. But, it’s never been vicious which I feel heckling tends to be. They just want to be a part of the show. They sing along to the songs loudly. It’s annoying as a performer, but you also like that they are having such a good time. The problem I have had lately at shows are people getting really drunk and just TALKING LOUDLY to their friends while I’m performing. I’ve actually been to other shows where people have had to call out audience members for having loud conversations during the show. I mean, it’s like they are watching TV in their living room and there isn’t an actual person on stage?? But, regarding the UK, I’ve performed quite a bit in London over the past year and have had wonderful experiences. I actually did have one issue where it ended up being a table of Scottish guys. But, they weren’t heckling, they were loudly conversing about how they were enjoying the show…which was really hilarious. I can’t wait for more of that!" Would you agree that comedy and music are ways to escape the crazy world we live in? When you're not on the road, what do you do to keep yourself busy? Any hobbies? "I think comedy, music, and theatre are not only ways to escape the crazy world, but a great way to observe and comment on the crazy world. Hobbies?? I’m just trying to hustle and pay the bills! But, when I do have time to sort of relax, I love reading and cuddling with my cat. I get really obsessed with documentaries on Netflix…especially murder mystery ones. I have a lot of great friends in New York that I try to catch up with when in town and make them cook for me. I did try to get into cooking, but that didn’t last long. I hate following recipes and I don’t find it relaxing. Maybe I should take up knitting?" When growing up were there any musicians and / or comedians you looked up to? How did you get into music, comedy and acting? "As a kid, I loved musicals. I was a big Patti LuPone fan! I loved Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz and then as I got older I loved Judy Garland in everything. I’ve always been obsessed with Bette Midler and Carol Burnett. When I was in high school and then college, I got into comedy. I became a big fan of Margaret Cho and Sarah Silverman. And I will always be grateful that I got to see Joan Rivers perform live in NYC before she passed away. What a legend!" Aside from the Fringe, what are your plans for the year ahead? "I’ve got a fall residency ahead at Joe’s Pub at The Public in NYC and will also be taking #Thirsty to a couple cities in the US like Boston. I have a Christmas tour in the UK for my show “Vodka is the Reason for the Season” and hopefully a tour for #Thirsty in 2019! And at some point in between all of that, I hope to have a personal life!!" Tori Scott Is #Thirsty is at the Underbelly, Bristo Square, 10:15pm throughout August http://itstoriscott.com / TWITTER: @ItsToriScott
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17/11/2019 21:46:19
if you’ve worked up a thirst at the end of your shopping marathon, drop into the bar at Tigerlily boutique hotel, conveniently located in the heart of the city’s shopping and dining district. With 150 cocktails to choose from, it might be worth settling in for the night.
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