I Will Survive opens Sunday 4th October at Effra Social, a funny and moving story. Learn more about you can expect:
1: What inspired the creation of the production?
My dad died in 2016. We’d been estranged for several years and had unsuccessfully tried to reconnect while he was ill. He’d planned his own funeral and wanted me to do a eulogy. The funeral was an hour and a half long – a billion eulogies punctuated with the entirety of songs from his teens and 20s. Nothing like sitting in a room full of strangers listening to all 6 minutes of Hotel California. I finally thought ‘I need to tell someone about this’ and decided to adapt it into a fictionalised show.
2: The show focuses on losing a parent. Where did this idea come from?
Well, losing a parent.
3: How do you blend humour and storytelling?
I didn’t want to make the show exclusively stand-up. There were lots of little sets I could have written about estrangement and parents and things about my life, but I wanted the audience to go on a full emotional journey. So I created Harriet and fictionalised the show – I dramatised some bits, added in characters that weren’t really there. Made it so that the audience could listen to this raucous story while also getting a sense of how it felt for me at the time. We worked really hard to make sure it was emotionally honest – Dr Becky Millar from Cardiff University, a philosopher who specialises in grief, came in to talk to us about the different theories of grief and those ideas are peppered throughout the show. It’s definitely a hybrid thing, with some bits being much closer to normal stand-up and some bits moving completely into storytelling.
4: Where would you like the show to go from here?
I’m happy with just having made it and it being in the world. I had a lot of setbacks in my 20s – losing dad and developing pathological grief being a really big one. I’m just happy to finally be producing my own work and making people laugh. I suppose that’s it – I would like to continue making people laugh. And also think about complicated things. While laughing.
5: How will audiences react/what are you most excited for them to see?
I don’t want to give too much away but there’s a section towards the end of the show that absolutely floors audiences. I really love watching their jaws drop and seeing the cogs whirring as they’re like ‘what is going on???’ It’s so much fun. I’ve also obviously made an incredible, professional-standard powerpoint to go with the show, so I’m excited for audiences to become fully aware of my technical prowess.
6: What has been the most enjoyable part about creating I Will Survive?
All of it, to be honest. The responses from audience members who’ve been through similar things, probably. To have someone come up to you and be like ‘I feel better about myself now’ or ‘one day that will be me, I feel more prepared’. Those moments are huge for someone who just wanted to make a silly little comedy show about a dead dad that they didn’t talk to.
I Will Survive opens Sunday 4th October at Effra Social. Many thanks to Hari Berrow for answering our questions. Book your tickets here!
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