Amy chats to Clementine Bogg-Hargoves (creator and perfomer) and Zoey Barnes (co-creator) of Please Love Me.
Here’s your chance to give an elevator pitch, can you give us a brief synopsis?
Please Love Me is a one-and-a-half-woman show about, well, love! Our Clem reflects on all her misguided searches for love and learns the consequences, telling her story through 2000’s style clubland bangers, pole dancing and comedy. If you want a quick fix of life itself, here’s where to find it.
What inspired the show?
The show is mostly autobiographical, so that’s the narrative side of the inspiration. Although we were more inspired by how we were going to present the story. We (Clem, the writer/ performer and Zoey the co-creator) pushed our boundaries and learned new skills to make this show the mini spectacle that it is. Clem envisaged flashing lights, stark shifts in style and transportive music to tell this intimate story with all the razzle-dazzle that it normally would be told without. We were so excited in the room thinking- oh what if this bit is like a film trailer?! Or why don’t we use the piano to tell the audience that something is going horribly wrong in the corner? We really hope people are immersed in the story like a tennis match, zipping from one scene to another, never knowing what they’ll be shown next!
How important is the Fringe for new work? And how does it feel to be at the Fringe this year?
The fringe has been the birthplace of so many great shows and acts. It’s increasingly hard to get your work noticed at an ever-growing and chaotic festival, but we still think there is a great sense of hope- we want to collect some fabulous reviews and get our audience to remember us so that when we tour the show, we feel we have a base to jump off from. With so many creatives in one city at once, it feels like great things can happen for a new show. At the very least I’m sure we’ll see some inspiring work and hopefully make some new clown friends because we bloody love clowns!
What are the main themes within the production, and what can audiences expect?
As the title suggests- love is a big theme, learning the difference between wanting love and wanting validation is the journey the character goes on. Also, sex is an extension of that theme, and how as a woman, sometimes it’s easier to settle for being sexualised as a compromise when real love isn’t available. Women’s bodies as a battleground; sex, assault, pregnancy and abortion are all explored in the show, so some bits are hard-hitting, but the audience can always expect to be brought back into good spirits.
Finally, with so many shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, why should people book a ticket to this show?
We think that this show offers real bang for your buck. We could have performed this fabulous script with really simple production elements and people would have laughed a lot and felt a lot, but we really have worked hard to throw everything at it. The neon colours, original songs, acrobatics and relatable comedy will stick in people’s heads for many fringes to come. So, grab your tickets to the world premiere and you won’t be sorry! And if you are, please love us anyway.
Please Love Me will be performed at 8.20pm in Pleasance Dome (Ace Dome) from 2nd – 26th August (Not 7th, 14th or 21st)
Booking link: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/please-love-me
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