Rosie Wilby presents How (not) to make it in Britpop

Rosie Wilby presents
How (not) to make it in Britpop

“Rosie Wilby is the most genuine comic I've seen this year… a delicate, endearing delight…” Fringe Guru (4 stars)

“Fabulous songs and entertaining anecdotes” Edinburgh 247 (5 stars)

“Wilby is an accomplished singer, lyricist, comedian and story teller… I loved it” ScotsGay (4 stars)

 From playing Glastonbury and supporting Bob Geldof (only to get clamped outside the venue), Midge Ure (made her a cup of tea in his dressing room) and Tony Hadley (had the whole band evacuated for his soundcheck) to miming on children’s television alongside Wurzel Gummidge, musician turned award winning Radio 4 regular comedian Rosie Wilby looks back at the emotional rollercoaster of chasing stardom at the heady height of Britpop in a completely reworked version of her acclaimed 2011 Fringe show Rosie’s Pop Diary (***** Edinburgh 247, **** Scotsgay, Three Weeks, Fringe Guru).

‘I wanted to bring out the storytelling and warm, nostalgic elements of the show this year – being billed as Theatre has given me the freedom to do that. I’ve added a lot more old photos and stories about near brushes with fame, auditions I just missed out on and the bizarre characters I met whilst auditioning for band members in the pages of Loot and Melody Maker’ says Wilby. ‘I’m also excited about our poster which subverts the classic 1997 Liam and Patsy Vanity Fair cover!’ Whilst there are still hugely comedic elements such as her deadpan readings of wonderfully crazed fan letters she received and the lyrics to her Manic Street Preachers influenced opus Underachievers Of The World Unite – the first song she wrote about her girlfriend (who could’ve been forgiven for expecting something more romantic), she also ponders the nature of creativity, success and failure and the loss of a dream – both her own and a New Labour heralded 1990s optimism.

How (not) to make it in Britpop appears for a limited run at The Bongo Club and tours the UK in November, with an accompanying book due out in 2013. This August, Rosie also appears at Green Man festival, Camden Fringe and RVT Hot August Fringe. She has developed this new version of the show with acclaimed theatre director Anthony Shrubsall, whose production of Security with renowned performance poet Zena Edwards was commissioned by BAC and Birmingham Rep.

Rosie Wilby: How (not) to make it in Britpop
10-14 August inclusive at 2.30pm,
The Bongo Club, 37 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8BA. Venue 143
Venue box office 0131 557 2827 www.thebongoclub.co.uk £8 / concs £6

For more info, please see www.rosiewilby.com or tweet @rosiewilby