We chat to Patrick McPherson about all things Edinburgh Fringe as her prepares to take his show The Way Way Deep up North!
Hey Patrick, here’s your chance to give an elevator pitch, can you give us a brief
synopsis of your show?
The Way Way Deep is a one-man play about a twenty-year friendship, charting the full scope of its chaos and ecstasy. From kids to adults, we follow Ben and Jack, and all their mad nights and mistakes, as something dark bubbles underneath. It’s full of twists, it’s hopefully a bit funny, and is peppered with fantastic music. Just like my last show Colossal it’s spoken word, original music, comedy, monologue – it’s jam-packed with styles.
What attracted or inspired you to create this show?
My first show was about sexuality and last year was about romantic relationships, and it struck me that friendship, or “best friendship”, is obviously something very central to my/lots of people’s lives. Pulling that apart, throwing some curveballs at an audience, that should be fun.
Have you performed at the fringe before? What is the best and worst parts of
performing at the fringe?
This is my fourth fringe! Feeling a bit more like an Underbelly veteran at this point. Best part is meeting people – my partner, my flatmate, some of my best friends, met them all at the Fringe. Worst part is how inaccessible it is – it’s ludicrously expensive. Most excited to throw new material at an audience again – it’s utterly terrifying but massively rewarding (if it pays off, of course).
What are the main themes within the show, and what can audiences expect?
Friendship, responsibility, memory, growing up, masculinity, identity, being in your mid-20s. Audiences should expect a stylistic mish-mash, just like last year. I don’t do shows with just a mic and story. It’ll be unpredictable, full of set-pieces and singular moments. Hopefully all of that will be good!
Finally, with so many shows at the Edinburgh Fringe why should people book
a ticket to this one?
My last show won two “Best Show” awards, at Edinburgh and Perth Fringes, and sold out two weeks of shows at Soho Theatre. This is very much a sister show to that thematically and stylistically, so hoping I can follow in its footsteps. Come find out.
ABOUT THE SHOW
The Way Way Deep is on at Underbelly Cowgate from the 3rd – 27th August (not the 14th) – find out more here!
Find all our Ed Fringe 2023 content here!
Click here to find tickets and info for all Edinburgh Show!
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