Comedian Natalie Palamides on Lady Magic, her new Vegas-bound collaboration with circus company Spiegelworld
The anarchic American comedian tells Fiona Shepherd about directing an ensemble of clowning players for the first time, and setting her sights on Las Vegas.
There is a man lying on the floor in dire need of CPR. Fortunately, there are five people standing around him eager to help. Unfortunately, they have no idea what they are doing.
Fortunately/unfortunately, they are creative clowns ready to try anything to resuscitate the victim. Their rendition of CPR soundtrack Staying Alive is a triumph but it looks like no orifice is safe. Adding to the noise and confusion, there is a woman standing at a slight distance shouting encouragement through a megaphone. It’s Fringe favourite Natalie Palamides, known for anarchic character comedies such as Laid, Nate and WEER. I almost didn’t recognize her with her own clothes on.
We are in a rehearsal room in Craigmillar where Palamides is devising a new work, Lady Magic, with fellow Fringe favourites Spiegelworld, the entirely mischievous contemporary circus company who have helmed the Atomic Saloon Show and Vegas Nocturne on previous visits to Edinburgh. The plan is to present Lady Magic as a work-in-progress which really will progress across the course of the Fringe. Palamides is directing but will be in the audience every night, possibly intervening as she sees fit.
The scene before us becomes clearer. The guy on the floor is big shot magician Chris Volcano - any resemblance to overly pompous Las Vegas-style show magicians entirely intentional. One of his high concept high drama set-pieces was gone awry. Don’t you hate it when that happens? His five wouldbe rescuers are magician’s assistants. It looks like it’s up to them to save the day, the show, maybe even the world. Who knows at this stage? Anything could happen.
Palamides is actively encouraging play. Her co-creators are all skilled clowns in their own right. Even with minimal props and costumes, there is a sense of marshalled chaos to proceedings. If Palamides’ previous Fringe outings are any barometer, things are going to get a lot messier.
The Pittsburgh-born, LA-based comedian has already delighted and confused Fringe audiences with her debut Laid, an oddball take on fertility for which she won the Edinburgh Comedy Best Newcomer Award, Nate, her absurd yet empathetic cross-dressing interrogation of masculinity, later filmed as a Netflix special, and last year’s late night rom-com romp WEER in which she played both protagonists at the same time.
Lady Magic, however, is her first experience of directing an ensemble of players.
“They all have their own ways of getting themselves into trouble that feels a bit different than the way that I perform,” she says during a break in rehearsals, “but I think it will still have that same anarchic chaotic energy because every person in that group has their own clown spirit.”
Kelly McGaughan is one of two actors who will alternate the role of Chris Volcano, who she describes as a “stereotypical machismo over the top in your face show-off magician.” She is new to the Spiegelworld family but already has Fringe form with her solo show Catholic Guilt and is old friends with Palamides from their days studying at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - or “I Usually Party” as it is nicknamed.
“It was known for being a huge party school,” she says. Sounds like useful training for the Fringe which she hails as “the Olympics for artists.”
Palamides is equally enamoured with the Fringe as training ground.
“You get a really diverse audience here,” she says. “You get feedback every day, switch out scenes, refine different tricks or gags. It’s nice to have the opportunity to put up your changes night after night in front of an audience and test if they’re working in real time.”
As is the Palamides way, audience members may (or may not) be invited to participate in the show. Budding magician’s assistants at the ready. The clown assistants have all learned a couple of magic tricks as part of the development process and Lady Magic will also feature two genuine magicians showcasing their skills. Comedian Geoff Sobelle and magician Steve Cuiffo are also on board as consultants, having inspired Palamides with their comedy magic show Elephant Room.
“I’m delighted by magic,” she says. “I try to incorporate magical elements into my shows with surprising gags. I do reveals that some people say feel like magic tricks. Basically there are only five different magic tricks that people spice up in different ways and put their own spin on so that was demystifying for me and made magic a lot less intimidating. After getting to peek behind the curtain, it just comes down to skill.”
“Clowning is very specific, and a lot of the jokes are mathematical but if you do happen to mess up you can always save it with a laugh or by embracing whatever the failure is. If you have a failure in magic, the trick is just ruined and there’s no saving it. But magic is probably something that’s easier to learn with time. It’s less easy to learn clown with practice. Most clowns have this natural instinct.”
Palamides has that instinct in spades, exercised since her days as the class clown.
“I remember telling my aunt that I wanted to be a comedian when I grew up and she said ‘don’t you want to do a job that helps people?’ And I said ‘laughing helps people’. From an early age I enjoyed making people laugh. It feels good to bring someone a sense of relief.”
In addition to her stage shows, Palamides has also parlayed her character skills into voiceover work for adverts and animation, including playing Buttercup in the reboot of cartoon superhero series The Powerpuff Girls. The next frontier is Las Vegas, which is where Lady Magic is heading after its Fringe run. Will Vegas laugh at its own culture of super-serious daredevil magicians portrayed with gender-fluid casting? Palamides isn’t sure.
“I’m not experienced in the Vegas landscape but I know how to make a fun show for the Fringe, so that’s where my sights are set now.”
Lady Magic, Pleasance Dome, 8.20pm, until 25 August
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