‘In Shakespeare, the role of the fool and the king are very distinct, with the idea that a fool can’t be a king and a king can’t be a fool. How do you think this applies to the modern context?’ This question was asked in a series of verbal and written interviews over the course of May 2024-August 2024, which very quickly spiralled into a larger thought experiment. During this time, there was a series of events that very significantly shifted the political conversation. To name just a few; the UK had a general election, Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race, Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee, and Trump was nearly assassinated (which occurred in a semi-media blackout as many topical news programmes were on hiatus). The question was initially devised in February 2023, taking partial inspiration from the political context of the previous years –Boris Johnson’s premiership, Donald Trump, Liz Truss and the cost-of-living-crisis – coupled with thoughts on a lyric from Stephen Sondheim’s 1964 political satire Anyone Can Whistle (‘laugh at the kings or they’ll make you cry’ – Everybody Says Don’t). The question’s wording was finalised and first asked to Rhys Nicholson ahead of their UK tour of Rhys!Rhys! Rhys! (see answer below) in April 2023.
The Fool in Shakespeare serves a larger purpose than the King; the King is a position that gives a character status and power, but not much else. The Fool is the conduit that gives us insight into the context, themes, and messages that Shakespeare tries to convey. In doing so, the Fool is a check on the King and an omniscient narrator; what is the truth of the social context of the play at that moment in time, what is actually going on? Any time the roles switch or there’s an absence of one, in these plays it is indicative of some form of chaos in society. The absence of a Fool in a play where once there was one, tells us that something has fundamentally gone wrong; that once there is no more room for laughter and freedom of expression, society has broken down. In particular, we see this in Macbeth and King Lear.
From an academic perspective, comedians would count as informal leaders, occupying a liminal space between official leaders (eg. politicians) and their followers (the general public). And it is this liminal space that gives comedians their ability to commentate on the current social, political and cultural climate in the form of jokes to both of these groups, taking on both an inside and outside perspective. And through this, it becomes a kind of cyclical question of how much they are informed by or perpetuating the zeitgeist.
With the democratisation and the ease with which news and opinions are disseminated online through social media platforms it’s easier to reach a larger audience, making it is easier to publicly challenge those in positions of authority. And there are high-profile cases of public officials reacting or even listening to comedians’ material; there have been cases of politicians reacting to impressions of themselves on Saturday Night Live (President George Bush Sr. became friends with his impersonator, Dana Carvey, and even appeared in a Cold Open); the John Oliver Effect is a well-documented phenomenon, where his commentary on current affairs has been credited with influencing American legislative and judicial proceedings; John Stewart’s return to The Daily Show was greeted with an uproar of indignation by the American left because of his ‘middle-of-the-road’ approach to political commentary.
The aim of this exercise was to hear where comedians saw themselves in the binary that exists between these two roles. Despite the initial hypothesis detailed above, there was a conscious attempt not to lead participants towards any particular conclusion or answer, as the point of this exercise was to see how they interpreted it for themselves. There also wasn’t a word count. This led to a spectrum of answers, indicating that this question is far broader and open to interpretation than anticipated.
The following is a non-comparative series of responses in alphabetical order that were given for the use of this article:
Dee Allum
At the end of the day, I am just a person onstage telling jokes. No comedian really holds any sort of concrete, institutional power. I mean if we broaden our definition of fool and king, obviously it’s very possible to be the person in charge and a person who has absolutely no idea about what’s going on, as we’ve seen in the last 14 years. It’s very, very easy to be exactly those two things at the same time. I think you know the idea of someone who speaks truth to power is sometimes tough to transition from that into being then the person who actually makes the decisions. I think, most fools, modern fools; comedians, journalists even, satirical journalists who do like Private Eye that kind of thing, I think most of those people have really no interest in being the king, and I think likewise most people who are motivated by power are motivated by that and very little else. So, you don’t have people who really want to be both of those things, so I suppose my answer would be yes, it is the case that a king is unlikely to want to be a fool, and a fool is unlikely to want to be a king. I mean the fool in Shakespeare certainly tends to be the character with the most insight, the most actual understanding of what’s going on, being able to skewer it in the most eviscerating way, and I think in part oof what comes with that insight is the knowledge that it’s quite a miserable existence, so you’d be wise to avoid it. I think most people would kind of balk at the idea of being the person in charge, because they just have a terrible time. What a horrible life.
Dee Allum, Deadname, 4:30pm Pleasance Courtyard until 25th August
Martin Angolo
Comparing comedians to Shakespeare, let’s get some perspective first. We’re not at that level. Coming from the guy who’s written a show after a Bob Dylan title. I think comedians are built up a lot, we are fools. This idea of the king being authoritarian figure, I always feel that some of the figures that comedians are trying to call out as the fool feel a bit constructed these days. Also, I don’t know if it’s necessarily our job to call it out, because there’s so many ways comedians can act. I was just silly for many years, I don’t think I’m really making any points, calling out any truths, but I’m delivering my truth in a way.
Martin Angolo, Idiot Wind, 5:25pm Underbelly Bristo Square, until 26th August
Charlotte Anne-Tilley
I personally think that, in a modern context, comedy can be one of the most powerful and persuasive tools to inspire change within a society. Having said that, I’m not a huge fan of shows that feel like political lectures. I’m much more likely to reflect and ponder on the societal commentary that a comedy show is making if it is making me laugh in the process. In particular, if this commentary is done in a subtle way, I find it much more affecting that if it feels didactic or obvious. I think this applies to your question of whether a king can be a fool, because I would argue that the most powerful voices in our modern context are the ones that can deliver a message with charisma and humour—in other words, the ones that are the fools.
Charlotte Anne-Tilley, Serious Theatre from Serious People, 1pm Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose until 26th August (no show 12th or 19th)
Louise Atkinson
I for one would like to thank Shakespeare for accommodating the role of the fool in his plays which we can mimic in modern day. If he had not, we would all still have to emulate comedic characters from Greek tragedies and I just don’t think that would end well; hearing someone doing a crossover of Oedipus as a character from a Carry On film, stood at the back in a nurses uniform muttering, ‘ooooh mother’. Not for me, sorry.
The fool of course has the complete freedom to speak truth to power, to be able to criticise and provide insights that others cannot, which is great, I mean how else will airlines ever know how unhappy we are with their in-flight catering?Conversely, the authority figure, regardless of gender – let’s be modern, is meant to be bound by the responsibilities and expectations of rulership, with little wiggle room for humour, and I think this balance makes sense.
For example, whilst I will always enjoy Liz Truss’s dedication to the comic delivery of letting us know about the opening of new pork markets in Beijing, I feel her comedic style of operating our economy in the same manner as a toddler operating an Early Learning Center shop till, was less than humorous and Liz, and all of us, would have benefited not from laughter but economic responsibility. The one thing I would like to point out, however, is that whilst modern day comedians use humour to address social, political, and cultural issues similar to Shakespeare’s fools, this does not imply that comedy has a primary goal of delivering a message. First and foremost, comedy is about creating laughter, it should always be about being funny. If you are able to highlight an injustice or make a point after this, that is wonderful, but I don’t believe it should be your main objective.
Speaking of excellent bards, Billy Connolly wrote in his biography that his job was to make people laugh, if you subjectively take something from what he said, that’s fantastic, that’s what great art should do, but he stated that is not his main goal.
Although it’s great to highlight cultural, social, and political issues, comedians shouldn’t position themselves to provide detailed analysis or sustainable solutions on matters. Make a joke, insinuate the point and move on. Also remember that for every joke where you’re making a political point, it’s also completely valid to counteract that with a very silly joke about a dog having no nose, a thought that I have always found myself hounded by – thank you, I’ll show myself out. If you need me, I’ll be in the pub drinking with Viola, the shrew and the gravedigger lads from Hamlet. Ta.
Louise Atkinson: She’s Got the Look, 5pm Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose, until 25th August
Schalk Bezuidenhout
I think, which is not like a completely new idea, but people always say that these days, the politicians in our world are the comedians, in the sense that they’re basically just clowns, and the comedians are more like the people who actually speak the truth. I think the roles have been reversed in modern times, because in ye olde times, the fool was really just, would slip on a banana peel, and it was just to make people laugh, and the king would be the one people listened to, but now I feel people listen more to comedians, and laugh at politicians. But maybe that’s not a bad thing.
Schalk Bezuidenhout: Crowd Pleaser, 5:30pm at Pleasance Dome, until August 25th
Sam Blythe
When thinking of fools and kings in a modern context, It would be all too easy to invoke the names of certain boorish right-wing figures that have, in recent years, loomed large over the political landscape. However, to do so would be to misunderstand the real role of Shakespeare’s fool. The dictionary definition of a fool is: ‘a person who acts unwisely or imprudently; a silly person’. This is in stark contrast to the archetype of the Shakespearean fool, who is a common person that uses their wits to outdo those of a higher social standing. The reason that fools in Shakespeare’s plays can’t be kings is because of their social class, nothing more. If you consider the fact that today only 7% of pupils in the UK are privately educated, but a whopping 65% of senior judges, 57% of the house of lords and 52% of foreign and commonwealth office diplomats boast a private education, you might think that the Bard still has a point.
Sam Blythe: Method in My Madness (A One-Man Hamlet), 12:55pm at Assembly Roxy, until August 25th
Ruby Carr
So, with having like ‘kings’ and ‘fools’ within the play, often within Shakespeare’s play, the kings often – in most of the plays – end up doing something stupid, right? They do something that is selfish, and they put themselves above their people and then they end up being the fool and being an idiot. I’m thinking of King Lear mainly, because that was the one I studied at GCSE. And then the fools are often the person who – even though they are foolish, and they behave in a way that’s like, “Oh this is a fool,” – they will often have a soliloquy or some sort of speech that will then speak the most truth of the scenario or the moment or speak of the people. And I think people see that a lot in comedy as well in modern day stand-up is that the stand-up, who would be a fool-type character, is someone for the audience to laugh at or the other characters to laugh at. The fool-type character often feels like they’re making these big speeches and they speak in a way that feels that it empowers so much change and they’re able to make these comparisons that help people understand what’s currently happening in politics or in society and things. And I think that is what comedy does a lot of the time, one of the main strains of comedy is doing comparisons; comparing one thing to another to be able to help either take something that’s complicated and make it feel simple and easy to understand. The bit that I always think about is James Acaster’s Brexit/ Teabag comparison, which was a great bit of stand-up but also it takes something everyone was finding confusing at the time – Brexit- and – pardon the pun – boiling it down to a cup of tea. And that comparison was so strong it resonates with a lot of people, and it feels powerful, but I think the other thing to remember, is that comedians should not be our leaders, our politicians. Because they are silly billies! We are a bunch of silly billies. The reason why what we’ve done sounds powerful is because we’ve just done 55 minutes of jokes before it. A comedian will do 55 minutes of silly jokes and comparisons and make you laugh, make you in this place of joy and then tell you something maybe empowering or a piece of thing that they want to change about society that was connected to their jokes, and then you’ve been laughing and now you’ve had this. That comparison makes it feel so much more powerful, because of the jokes before it. The thing that I’m trying to say is that comedians should not be our kings, they are silly billies. But maybe we should be doing some more speech writing, cause the way that we present ideas. It is more digestible and impactful for more of the general public than not doing comedy. I actually am currently working with Southampton Uni on teaching scientists how to do comedy and stuff, and so it’s really interesting helping them take their really big subjects and boiling it down to comedy in a way to make it more engaging for the general public.
Ruby Carr: eBae, 7:20pm at Underbelly George Square, until August 26th
Suchandrika Chakrabarti
I think Shakespeare’s able to see there’s a lack of social mobility in the court. If there was any social mobility, there’s an uprising, there’s a problem. You’ve got a play about it. You have the king, and he demands an audience. The only other person who can demand an audience is the fool, but only if the king allows the fool. So, it’s a bit like the king is the sun, the fool is the moon, or light, reflection, and sun. But I think in the modern age of digital, what you get is when you start out as a comedian and nobody knows who you are, they decide whether to make you a king in the audience, or they make you a fool and you never try it again. But as time goes on, and if you become, like, a Ricky Gervais or Dave Chappelle or someone like that, and your life becomes so unrelatable, you’re so rich and whatever and you feel irrelevant, you start to talk about topics you have no connection to, then people start to see you as a fool. You can still become a fool because you’re not being seen, you’re not being treated. Chappelle, in particular, says some things about trans people, what he says is very upsetting and he shouldn’t be going there. But they come off cool again. So, I think, actually, if you only have it one role at a time, and partly the audience has the power to give you that role, when you disclose, you’re a king, all the power goes to you. They’ll all quit being there, sit silent and listen to you. In terms of heckling as well, I was thinking of James Acaster’s Heckler’s Welcome Show. I think it’s such an interesting show to do, and I saw a version of it with Bill Murray. And I thought it was great, like, someone did Heckler versus Bill Murray, like, these are comedy fans, these are people who love it. So, someone would take like a gentle heck, and then he’s like, “Well, carry on, what else do you want to say?” And you see the person heckling, they’re quiet, and the rest of the room is waiting. A bit like, “If you’ve got nothing to say, let’s move on.” So, you see, the audience works to get rid of the heckler as well, if they haven’t got much to do, and if the comedians aren’t getting into dialogue with them.
The fool tries to make a fool of the king. If it doesn’t work, the fool is kind just like, “Oh, shut up. We pay to listen to him, not you.” So, I think there’s something there with audiences and comedians, and the power dynamic. I haven’t been heckled very much, because, again, like, I think when you’re known and new, people aren’t really going to do it to you. But, I did in my last show, Do You Miss Amy Winehouse?, and there’s a girl in the front row, you’ve got some Amy Winehouse fans, and she brought her boyfriend’s picture up, because he didn’t want to be there. He started off the show going, “I don’t even know where Amy Winehouse is.” And I was like, “Number one, that’s a burn on yourself. That’s just embarrassing.
Number two, when I’ve got the magic talking stick, I do the talking, okay?” But it is true, the magic talking stick, and the microphone does give you that power, but if you just completely take away that power, then you’ve got to laugh. So, there’s an interesting power dynamic. For me, that’s what Shakespeare quotes become in this age of digital social identity.
Suchandrika Chakrabarti, Doomscrolling, 3pm at Hoots@Potterrow until August 25th
Milo Edwards
I do talk about this in my show, the specifics of speaking truth to power. The thing is people who think they are speaking truth to power are crazy. You are at best speaking jokes to your audience and – like I said earlier – most stand-up comedy that I see isn’t really saying anything. And even if you are saying something, which I kind of try and do a bit, I don’t delude myself by thinking that you come away from my show being like, “wow what a message.” But I try to at least weave some ideas in there. You’re still only saying that to people who generally speaking agree with you.
There’s that old Kurt Vonnegut quote about the Vietnam War and how every single person in the creative industry was like a hate laser trained on that war for the entire time and it did absolutely nothing. A lot of journalists are like this too and are just convinced that they’re doing the Lord’s work or whatever. There are too many big structural forces that govern how the world works to convince yourself that through an incisive hour of stand-up comedy you’re going to make a huge difference. If you’re saying something that resonates with audiences or it makes them feel a bit better or helps them to articulate. I get that a lot from comedy audiences, people say to me “you articulated something for me that I had always felt about x y z” and I think that’s kind of the best you can do. If you do something and people find it funny, and they also find that it kind of helps them crystallize something that they think, then that’s basically as good as it gets, really.
Milo Edwards: How Revolting! Sorry to Offend, 5:45pm at Monkey Barrel Comedy until August 25th
Erika Ehler
Well, I feel like a fool considering I am an adult I didn’t think I would ever have to have to answer questions about Shakespeare past the age of 17. Maybe I should have actually read the plays instead of cliffnotes-ing my way to an A-/ B+ average (don’t hate the player, hate the game).But in regard to comedians being able to speak truth to power. Oftentimes I think comedy can be a good way to get your “message” or rather your point of view without coming across as preachy. I think Ramy Youseff is particularly good at this; his last special was about talking about the Israel/Palestine conflict, a topic most comedians would steer clear of.
I saw the show live and it was amazing. He has this bit where he describes himself as being at a loss in an argument:
“Like, I want to defend. And I’m ready, but then there’s this part of my brain that’s like, fuck, like, I wish I read more, you know? ‘Cause I’ll always be in these arguments. And like, people have facts. And I just have vibes. They’ll be like, “In 19–da-da-da-da.” And I’m just like, “Bro, the vibe is off. “Like, look at this picture. Like, what the–what are you talking about?”
It’s so funny and relatable because I’ve been in a heated argument where I haven’t been able to out articulate the other person but I know I’m right but … all I have are vibes!
I do think it’s good for comedians who put their own message and beliefs into their art as I think it makes them better artists and makes for more interesting shows. And that’s a direction I’ve taken with my new show. I talk a lot quite candidly about isolation and friendship breakups. And being more honest in my art has made me a better artist. That being said, as traditional media continues to dwindle there’s this weird thing of Well, maybe I can get my truth from the comedians because they’re the real philosophers… Please don’t. Don’t only eat red meat because Joe Rogan told you it’s good for you. Go consult a nutritionist you freak.
Erika Ehler: I Got Some Dope Ass Memories With People That I’ll Never F*ck With Again, 6:10pm at Monkey Barrel Comedy (The Hive) until August 25th
Casey Feigh
The good thing about the internet is it’s allowed the sharing of information to be so much faster, easier and global. The bad part is, well just about everything else. In Shakespeare’s day, there was such a separation from the king to a commoner that the commoner was forced to assume the king was some sort of higher being, a divine person. If for no other reason than to justify why the king’s life was so decadent and the commoner’s life so hard. Now with the sharing of information we’ve known for a long time that kings are fools like the rest of us, some more foolish than others. They’re not special, they’re greedy. I’d argue even today, comedians are not great at speaking truth to power or if they are, those in power aren’t listening. Good comedians speak truthfully and can educate and change minds. But I think those in power cannot be shamed or laughed into change. Our only hope is to convince more and more fools, like us. To have so many commoners believe something so deeply that the kings must react. If they don’t we’ll run them out and put a new fool in place to become a corrupt king, thus starting the whole thing all over again. A bit of a depressing truth, wouldn’t you say? Since the system is so locked in-place and power is protected so deeply by those who have it, perhaps that’s why we go out in the world to forget about our problems for a bit, and have a laugh listening to a fool.
Holy Shit Improv, 9pm at Gilded Balloon Patter House until August 26th
Jamie Finn
I think we have proven Will to be incorrect on this one – it seems the only criteria to being king (PM, President) is to be the biggest fool going. I’m writing this as the Tory MPs have been suspended for placing bets on when the Genny Lec was going to happen – FOOLS. It’s honestly just mind blowing how our leaders behave.
Jamie Finn: Nobody’s Talking About Jamie (Taylor’s Version), 3:40pm at Underbelly Cowgate until August 25th
Alex Franklin
I kind of think people emphasize too much on the role of comedians. I think if you have any sort of response, if you have any sort of audience where people listen to you, you just have a responsibility to do good with it. I think it’s kind of true for whether you’re a higher figure in some company or whatever, or a politician, or a YouTuber or a comedian. And I think it’s almost like a moral responsibility as opposed to the role of comedians that are supposed to speak truth to power. All people are supposed to speak truth to power, I think all people are supposed to be looking out for others and the more vulnerable. Maybe this is because I was raised online at the digital age very much, but when I was younger, it was pretty common for people to, some big creator often like in a YouTube space or on Twitch, whatever, was make fun of some smaller person. And they have, like, millions of followers, and then maybe 10,000 of those followers would go hate on that person, that’s the most hate they’ve ever got in their life, and it really hurts them. I think because I’ve grown up seeing the effects of that on people, and it was a big thing when I was around in my teenage years, just seeing the interactions of people bullying these people by the internet and then a lot of them would make these crazy excuses, being like, “I can’t control my audience,” and it’s like, “Well, you have a responsibility to know what’s going to happen if you do this, you know what’s going to happen if you say this thing or make fun of this person, or do this effect, and you should be aware of that. If you make a mistake, so be it, but you should be aware.” And I think that’s true just for people. People get obsessed with the idea that comedians should be like the arbiters of justice and truth. It’s how people just describe Ricky Gervais or whatever, being like, “He says it as it is,” and it’s, like, “I don’t know, does he? Does he really? Or does he just say what some people, some people who are horrible sometimes think?” I don’t think it’s a comedian’s job necessarily to speak truth to power, but I think it’s your job as a human to speak truth to power, if that makes sense? I think you can be a king and be a fool, I think you can be funny as a king. As long as you get stuff done, it’s fine.
Alex Franklin: Gurl Code, 8:25pm at Underbelly Cowgate until August 25th
Tom Greaves
Carl Jung saw the King and the Fool as archetypes within all of us that inform our behaviour. The King being the voice of reason, the internal ruler who makes good decisions, remaining steadfast and confident. The Fool, on the other hand, lurks in the unconscious. He catches us unawares, puncturing our egos and revealing our darker sides. Integrating this part is called ‘shadow work’: coming to terms with our ugly desires, buried insecurities and unwanted feelings. We ignore the Fool at our peril for the King’s actions need to be kept in check; we need to engage with our shadow to make sure unprocessed baggage from our past doesn’t direct our behaviour and cause problems in the world. This is at the core of my show Fudgey. Fudgey is a deeply problematic man, whose business dealings, relationships, and general demeanour in the world are all driven by his shadow (Fudgey’s shadow being unprocessed boarding school trauma.) It’s also the spirit of the Fool with which I made the show. Using his staple modes of expression: comedy, song and story, to bring Fudgey’s/my dark, buried truths into the light.
Tom Greaves: FUDGEY, 5:55pm at Assembly Roxy until 26 August
Eddy Hare
I think the two are less distinct now. I know there were some famous jesters back in the day who were given land and property by the king (worth checking out Roland the Farter on this) but probably none of them were as famous as Jerry Seinfeld. The ceiling for fame in comedy is higher than it’s ever been, so it’s possible for comedians to actually become quite powerful now. I can’t speak from any experience of being in this specific situation, but I imagine it’s much harder to come across as likeable and relatable when you’re a world-famous millionaire.
I think the same is true for speaking truth to power. When Ricky Gervais and Dave Chapelle make fun of trans people in a special watched by millions of people, they might think they’re speaking truth to power because in their worldview the world is suddenly changing because of some terrifying hegemony of wokeness. Obviously, I think they’re wrong, it’s never been the case that the balance of power sits with people who face the most discrimination. But comedians with that kind of profile can just become so isolated from real life that they lose sense of the fact that they’ve become reactionary voices instead of saying anything new or interesting. I could be wrong about all of that too, but that’s what came to my head when you asked the question specifically in relation to speaking truth to power.
Generally speaking, I don’t feel that optimistic about the power of comedy to speak truth to power in any meaningful way (but that could change!) Obviously the first thing it has to be is funny – I don’t mean like how some people say ‘stick to comedy’ if a comedian decides to be vocal about a cause they care about, but if the point of the work is to challenge power or change people’s minds about a certain issue then it still needs to work as comedy in the first place, and it’s hard enough to do both those things separately to begin with. I’m quite earnest in normal life and I’m comfortable being open about my politics publicly, but it doesn’t really suit my stage persona to be earnest or political, so I don’t use it in my act. I’m always really impressed when I see people doing that well, but as an audience member I’ve always thought the main value in political comedy to me is the feeling of validation you get from seeing opinions you agree with articulated by someone onstage in a funny way that you wouldn’t have thought to do yourself. So I’m not pessimistic about it to the point of saying I think it’s useless, I just think people generally enjoy political comedy because it makes you feel less alone in your worldview (which is still a good thing) rather than having their worldview shaped and changed by it.
Eddy Hare: This One’s On Me, 5:30pm at Pleasance Courtyard until August 25th
Ollie Horn
I think comedy is just one tool, just one lever to pull in order to provoke power. A good example I think is Joe Lycett did this well, when he said, “Well, I’m actually very right wing.” I think that was a good example of taking these people very unseriously. Cause I think one of the things that comedians can do is that we take very unserious things seriously, you know you’ll see a 10-minute routine on a cheese grater. But we’ll also take things that we’re told are serious unseriously. I’m not that kind of comedian, I don’t think that comedy is the best platform for social change. And I do believe that if your thing is to stop fracking or if your thing is to improve trans visibility or if your thing is to do one of these really big, powerful, important societal movements, comedy is not necessarily the best platform for it. Obviously there amazing are shows that have these at their heart, don’t’ get me wrong, but you’ve got to be so skilled. And you’ve also got to do a bunch of other things, you’ve got to make the audience laugh and market yourself. I believe in loads of social justice causes, but I don’t bring them into my shows because my first job I think is to entertain my audience. And I don’t want my audience to feel guilty that they eat meat if I think eating meat is bad, or I don’t want them to feel ashamed of their Israeli heritage if I’m talking about Palestine, or whatever it is. There’s loads of platforms for that and my show shouldn’t be that. So, I’m generally not the kind of comic that speaks truth to power, I really want people to laugh first and foremost and have a really good time, because I also think that’s important.
But that said, I think lots of people can use the skill of comedy, even people who aren’t comedians. What comedy can sometimes do is say a truth in a roundabout way. You can kind of build consensus without going directly to the finish line. And so I do think more and more people should consider the tool of humour, for example in the workplace. I can think of a story with my ex where she basically had a sexist comment made about her in the workplace and she responded by make a joke. She made a joke in front of all of her colleagues. That was, I think, a fantastic way of dealing with it. She said what she needed to say, everyone understood what she needed to say, but then she didn’t get a reputation as someone who just moans and complains. What happened is the person who said the sexist thing never said that sexist thing again, everyone in the office knew that she had won, and you shouldn’t mess with her, and she didn’t have any of the collateral damage of going, “how dare you, I’m filing an HR complaint,” and all the stress that came with that. I think humour can be a really good tool, not just for comedians, but for everybody.
Ollie Horn: Comedy For Toxic People (and Their Friends), 9pm at Hoots@Potterrow until August 25th
Grubby Little Mitts
I think there was once a time where Shakespeare’s quote was true, though I’m sure that Shakespeare meant it as an ideal rather than a rule. Unfortunately, the Fool and the King have swapped costumes and now we are forced to live in an age beyond gaff, beyond scandal, beyond fear of humiliation, where politicians no longer need worry about embarrassing moments, because they know that we as a public have been overwhelmed by foolishness from their kings. When charismatic leadership is replaced by bumbling buffoonery, then what is there to satire, especially when the subject satires themselves at every turn? The only route the fool can take from here is to make their satire stronger and stranger than ever before. Enter the weird and grubby world of sketch comedy.
Grubby Little Mitts: Eyes Closed, Mouths Open, 4:35pm Assembly George Square Studios, until 26th August
Kate Hammer
There are two levels to the answer. Because comedians are in a similar position to politicians, if we bring it into, I guess, a modern context. We’re one person with a mic, talking to a group of people, and engaging them. So, there’s a similar dynamic. Some people may be taking it in a lot of different directions, doing comedy, but I think there are two levels to it. And the first level is the kind of where I’m at, where it’s more, I’m a local fool. I’m a local comedian. I maybe don’t have as much say, I don’t have a big name. But I’m still doing the same job as you know, higher level comedians, just a different level. And I think for this level, it stays really personal. I talk about myself, and I talk about how that’s going, these small observations from day to day life. And hopefully that entertains people, but also lightens their load. So, if they’re stressed about their keys, but they remember the little joke I made about it. Our job is entertainment and to entertain. And I do think there is you’re allowed to be thought provoking and question things within that. Absolutely.
I think it’s so important to have like representation. So just like being a female queer comedian, and having an audience is just, it’s forward thinking and it should be normal. I still get, comments coming off stage of being like, “Oh, you’re a really funny female comedian.” I’m like, “Thank you. Just comedian would do,” but I’m not mad because I’m like, that’s great. Maybe that person, you know, didn’t think they liked female comedians, but now they’ll take them more, you know, give them more of a chance. I’m fine with that, as long as we’re moving in the right direction.
I think the second level is the comedians who are probably more of a household name than the politicians, they’re going to stay more well known than the Prime Minister is going to be in office for. So, they, I think, have a responsibility to bring up stuff. Because I think at that point, it gets political if you don’t bring up something. One of my favourite comedians is Nish Kumar. I mean, he’s he never does anything that’s not political. So, it’s like he is inherently a political comedian. But I love him, he’s amazing and so funny. And I think just proof that you don’t have to people think speaking up means having a serious part of the show. But it’s still the same thing, you’re just making observations about it. And you can keep it personal and still bring a normalization to a larger audience like James Acaster’s show, Cold Lasagna Hate Myself 1999. He talked about his mental health and seeking help and talking about Ricky Gervais’s joke about trans people and being like, “We don’t need to punch down to these two trans folks there. (I’m trying to remember the way he phrased it.) But they’ve been oppressed enough, and we should be supporting them.” I think every comedian has a choice to do what they want on stage. But I think if you get to a certain amount of popularity and you have a huge audience listening, no matter what that is, I think there’s something to speak about in entertainment that can help normalize mental health and take away stigma and support people because there are loud voices taking away rights. So, if we can have a loud voice supporting them, it helps.
Kate Hammer: Double Virgin on the Rocks (With a Twist), 5:40pm at The Stand Comedy Club 5&6 until August 25th
Kathleen Hughes
I don’t know much about Shakespeare, but I think the role of a ‘king’ – whatever that means in a modern context (A CEO? A president?) – is to reassure everyone that everything is under control, no matter what the reality is. The role of the fool is to point out how ridiculous that is, considering that the things that are going wrong are probably the king’s fault.
It seems to be tempting (for some reason) for comedians to think that we have a right or responsibility to speak the ‘Jester’s Truth’ with impunity, but I don’t think that’s the whole deal. It’s healthy to talk about things that impact us all in a way that is accessible and unifying, by laughing about them. It doesn’t need to be political, although it can be. It’s just talking about how we feel. If the king’s role is to tell us we should all feel good, then it’s the fool’s role to tell us it’s fine if we don’t, because everyone else feels a bit shit sometimes, too.
Kathleen Hughes: Cryptid! 4:20pm at Gilded Balloon Patter House until August 26th
Raul Kohli
It simply does not. In Shakespeare, the King has more power than the fool, but the fool is more free than the King. The King cannot choose to be anything else. And he won’t stop being King till he’s murdered by a rival. The Fool may be able to retrain as a blacksmith… though usually he’s a peasant who worked his way up to the court. Nowadays King Charles can do 5 mins stand up if he really fancies. Viggo Venn can still retrain as a blacksmith. The King & the Fool nowadays are so intertwined it’s hard to separate them. Who is the King at any party? The one with the best energy, making everyone laugh… the fool. Who is fool amongst the Kings? The one being laughed at, which over the years has been Andrew, Harry, & even Charles with his fingers. In Comedy, it’s such a ruthless environment, we often ask ourself who’s King of the Fools, & where do we rank (money wise, credit wise, followers wise) amongst the fools. You won’t find too many successful fools outside the realms of the Kings, & the Kings now how to take care of their chosen fools. The other day I saw a picture of 2 fools, & 2 kings (or politicians) watching the England game. One of those fools used to literally work for the kings before he decided to be a fool. Nowadays there are some fools who speak truth to power, but the centralisation of power ensures we just don’t hear about them all that often.
Raul Kohli: Raul Britannia, 6:30pm, Just the Tonic at Cabaret Voltaire, until 25th August
Sam Lake
I feel like we’ve always had the ability to speak truth to power. Obviously, I am but a silly little fool. But I think this all depends on who people consider as the “King”. We all have a different idea of the “powers” that make our lives harder or who aren’t acting correctly. For me, I could not be more critical of our current government, but to other people they might say it’s the rise of woke ideology (I disagree, but slay queen boots)
All we as comics can do is say how we feel and what we think and, if we’re lucky, people agree. And I think at the core of it all, people (comedians) are trying to be good. I do take a dislike to the comedians who are acting up to the faux-anti-woke snowflake outrage brigade. Sauntering around acting like they’re too edgy for most, “you can’t say anything anymore”. But they’ve managed to convince people they’re speaking truth to power, that the “King” is taking a disliking to what they’re saying and they’re being punished. Silence. De-platformed. Usually the punishment takes the form of a podcast, a book deal & a netflix special, which is a far cry from a day in the stocks.
Usually what these people are saying isn’t speaking truth to anyone, it’s spreading prejudice. And the ones truly speaking truth to power often get dismissed as whiny wokey-s.
Sam Lake: Esméralda 1:30pm, Monkey Barrel Comedy, until 25th August
Stuart Laws
I think comedians regularly get too high off their own supply; just because they make a room full of people laugh, they think therefore they are qualified to make grandiose statement on all sorts of things. There is a sense of like, “Oh wow, all of these people respect me and love me, therefore they respect and love all of my very serious points as well,” and you go, “no ultimately your job is to be funny.” If you start to use that platform, it’s fine to use it to talk about serious things but the focus should always be funny and if you find yourself suddenly viewing yourself as an intellectual powerhouse, then shift into that if you want, but don’t try and pretend that a potentially triggering joke is actually you telling truth to power.
Ultimately, we are all silly idiots, we’re fools and if you want to be a king, go and do that but don’t try and have your cake and eat it. It’s such an understandable reflex I think; night after night you have rooms full of people like adore everything you’re saying but that doesn’t mean what you’re saying is intellectually superior or worth hearing, it just means it’s funny to that particular group of people. That should be enough, you don’t need to be like the intellectual powerhouse as well. It’s interesting though because it’s such an ego trip and so many people seem to fall into that area and, I guess some good things have come from it, I’m sure that people have used that power to get more eyes on certain things, I just think that the focus should always be on being funny and not saying controversial things to try and provoke discussion. It seems an unusual desire and I would’ve thought a lot of people would grow out of it after Sixth Form but maybe not.
Stuart Laws Has to Be Joking?, 4:45pm at Monkey Barrel Comedy (The Hive) until August 25th
Louise Leigh
I think it’s exactly why we’re in so much trouble as a country and as a world because we’ve forgotten that the fool is an outsider and we literally elected the fool. You know, Boris Johnson, we liked him because he poked fun and he mucked about. I feel kinship with Boris Johnson because our I also went to a wildly expensive school and was told that we’re the crème of the bloody crème and you know, the world was just waiting for me to take up leadership. And I’m also quite good at talking, but I should never be put in charge, and he should never have been put in charge. Our job and his job is to stand on the side and go, “Yeah, you’re doing it wrong!” and not to roll up. I could never. That’s the thing, I don’t have in common with Boris Johnson is some self-awareness, which I think makes me a better fool. But I think that’s exactly why we are where we are because we took the fools, and made Trump and Boris Johnson the leaders, which they shouldn’t be, they should be on the sidelines poking fun and commenting about things, which are absolutely fine, it’s important to have people doing that. We need people to steer us and burst the bubble of pomposity, but you don’t put that person in charge. That’s nonsense just cause you know who they are. But it’s much more difficult to demonstrate leadership, real leadership and kingly-ship on television and social media than it is to demonstrate foolishness. And the fool can look like a leader because fools are wise, right, fools have a certain wisdom, but it’s not the same as leadership, because for leadership you need integrity and depth and an ability to put your own ego aside and try and do what’s best for other people. And fool’s aren’t very good at that. We’re terribly narcissistic. And that’s fine in-context, but we mustn’t be put in charge.
I thought what was interesting in 2019 is that we had the fool vs the prophet, and both of those people are useful for steering where our values are you know, but they’re not leaders. And Jeremy Corbyn was that sort of figure, with his hairy shirt. And that was a very interesting election and now I don’t know who we’ve got . They’re not archetypes, the leaders that we’ve got now. They’re both sort of middle management with the clipboards aren’t they? I think archetypes are more easy to get behind, but I don’t know how useful they are in actual. I don’t know if I would want to work for an archetype.
Ian Lockwood
Being a gay guy, especially one as gay as I am, often puts you in the position of the jester, a fool who can say what no one else can. I get to make the naughtiest jokes, say the horniest stuff, and tell my female friends that their outfits are bad without any punishment.
I don’t usually think of my comedy as political, and if I wasn’t really thinking about it, I’d tell you I don’t often speak truth to power. My show, Ian Lockwood: The Farewell Tour, is 50 minutes of unhinged, gay, comedic pop songs, with flute solos, digital back up dancers, and a bubble machine finale. But I remember it’s all political when I’m reminded of what I’m up against.
My favorite hobby is surfing, which is a fun, relaxing, activity in the beauty of nature, but it’s also a boys club, and nobody clocks me as gay when I’m out there. So, unfortunately, I’ve heard a lot of gleeful cheering at the word “faggot” out on the waves (which is a much worse thing to say in the states than it is here in the UK). And I know the only reason I don’t hear it more often is because men know I’m in the room. Hearing the word thrown around as a hilarious insult stings, and flushes my cheeks, and brings a lump to my throat, but it also reminds me that being as gay and proud on stage as I am makes me a political jester. I am speaking truth to power by saying, “look, I exist whether you like it or not, and I’m not apologizing, so you might as well get used to it.”
I’m not tackling these issues head on, and I don’t think I’m doing that much. Honestly, I’m a comedian, not an activist. And I don’t think what I do will stop anyone from using that word. But maybe I can soften some uncles who tell their trans nieces they like my comedy, and that gets them talking. Maybe one of my songs gets a dad to laugh, and his child feels a little more supported. And maybe seeing one of my live shows inspires a gay kid to be just a little bit more themselves.
Ian Lockwood: The Farewell Tour, 10:20pm at Underbelly George Square, until 26th August
Freya Mallard
That feels like a question about status and that’s something I’ve really struggled with in comedy is where do you place yourself? We’d all like to be the fool, I guess it’s easier to be the fool, it makes sense. That’s why everyone comes out and says, “I know what you’re thinking, I look like this,” and says what a fricking mess they look like. It’s actually much harder to have your wits about you or to be confident and to keep people onside because people want you to go, “Oh I’m the loser, I’m the clown, don’t worry I’m here to please you all.” And then there’s being the king which I’d say is very Jimmy Carr or Katherine Ryan, which is like, “No, I’m in charge and I’m confident and I’m hilarious.” And if you want to be something in-between the two, I think it’s a lot muddier ground and I think particularly for women it’s really hard to come out and place yourself. I spent many years at the beginning of my career wearing baggy T-shirts and baggy trousers coming out and saying, “Oh don’t worry about me, I’m crazy, I’m a mess, I’m the worst,” and I’ve only in recent years experimented with being more confident, dressing better, speaking in less stuttered tones. I think that’s where I feel it’s placed in the modern context.
Freya Mallard: The Bounce Back, 4:35pm at Pleasance Courtyard until August 25th
Amy Mason
I’d like to think things are changing. If you mean that you can have power and be taken seriously as a fool. I don’t know if that’s what that means, but if it does, I hope things are changing. I think in the UK especially, we have this idea that like to have power or to be taken seriously you need to be quite a sombre presence. I hope that kind of thing is changing, that you can use more humour I guess in power positions and positions of responsibility.
Amy Mason: Free Mason , 8pm at Pleasance Courtyard until August 26th
Amy Matthews
I remember, and I can’t take credit for this quote, I think it sort of infiltrated general consciousness now so I don’t know who said it originally but someone said, “People used to listen to politicians and laugh at comedians and now people listen to comedians and laugh at politicians.” That’s quite a grandiose little aphorism, but I think there’s something in it. I don’t do explicitly satirical or political stuff, I think everything’s political in its own way but as far as branding me as a political comedian, I’m far from it. But I do think there’s something very special in the fact that it is still one of the most accessible art forms, in that I don’t think it alienates people in the way that the visual arts can or some what we consider as ‘high art’ – heavily quote unquote – you know opera, ballet, experimental theatre, things that imply you need some kind of specialist knowledge or understanding of it. I think there’s something really amazing about stand-up – and people still have tastes in stand-up of course – but I think there’s something really amazing about it as an art form that means anyone can listen to it and engage with it and if a comedian’s not for you, that’s fine too. There’s something really rare about it just being a person speaking to a room of people and that creating a sense of kinship that’s available to everyone. I also think it’s an art from and a medium that shows instead of tells, not always it depends on a comedian’s style, but I think it’s quite nice to have in this day and age which is a very divided and polarized world, you can go up and listen to someone talk. You don’t have to agree with everything they say, you don’t have to find all of it funny, but you can just absorb with a collective group of people, that’s not hugely present in everyday life now.
Amy Matthews: Commute With The Foxes, 3pm at Monkey Barrel Comedy (The Iron) until August 25th
Eleanor Morton
I don’t think you can be both a fool and a king, but I do think as a fool, you can placate a king in a way that’s damaging. The idea of ‘The Fool’ as an archetype comes from a framework wherein the fool (ie the ‘truthful critic’) is given a space within a power structure to critique the status quo in a way that is essentially safe and harmless. Over the last two decades or so we’ve seen a softening of comedy when it comes to political critique in the mainstream, despite the threats to liberty and free speech that the government and media are enacting. Now more than ever we need sharp comedic take downs, and yet so much political comedy at the moment is incredibly gentle. One of the most famous fools in history is King Lear’s Fool. We enjoy his cheeky take on Lear’s situation, his comments on the kingdom, the way he and only he can tell King Lear the truth. But we don’t often focus on what happens to the fool: he disappears from the stage in Act 3, and Lear later laments: ‘my poor fool is hanged’. So speaking truth to power within the ‘safe’ confines of a powerful system will not save you from that system. If we REALLY want to speak truth to power, we have to push back at these very systems. TLDR: we need less fools and more anarchists in comedy. That wasn’t a very funny answer, was it?
Eleanor Morton: Haunted House 12:05pm, Monkey Barrel Comedy, until August 25th (no shows Mon/Tues)
Rhys Nicholson
What I don’t like – and you see it more in the straight, white, male fraternity of comedians- are the ones that act like they’re philosophers. One of my best friends in the entire world is Daniel Sloss and he seems to be able to do this quite incredible thing of keeping jokes per minute up – which I think is the main job of a comedian- but he’s also able to do these quite insane sweeping moments in a show. More than I am, he’s from the point of view that a comedian’s job is to stir the pot a little bit and make people leave perhaps feeling different or questioning views that they’ve had already, and I think the license that we have of being funny gives us a bit more space to say stuff that might rub people the wrong way. I don’t think a comedian should tell anyone what to do, I think the world will end the moment that comedians have any actual power. The world will end because we all have ADHD, it’s all undiagnosed and we just shouldn’t be in charge of powerful buttons.
Rhys Nicholson: Huge Big Party Congratulations! 8:25pm at Underbelly, Bristo Square until August 25th
Micky Overman
I like it when it’s a combination of both. I think I do that in my shows. Where you have like a little bit of speaking truth to power. But also, you never forget that you are the fool. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t be a powerful figure in itself, I think. There’s like this stereotype of like in the Middle Ages, the jokers, the jesters in the courts, they were the only ones that could insult the king. Which is such power in itself. I think that’s a kingly power. So, I think you can hold both. But I don’t think you should ever forget that you’re the fool. That should be the main focus.
Micky Overman: Hold On, 5:50pm at Monkey Barrel Comedy (The Iron) until August 25th
Kiran Saggu
Someone I work with sent me this meme on Twitter, it’s the Wikipedia cut out of Jester’s privilege. It’s like Jester’s Privilege is the ability and the right of the jester to talk and mock freely without being punished because nothing he says seems to matter. And I just had my work review yesterday and it was good, it was all good, but the general consensus was, “You’re work is good but it seems like you’re stock is low and you don’t really take it that seriously,” And I think that’s hilarious because it’s like, “You hired a comedian.” Like that’s my whole thing. And also, it’s this paradox that I can never take anything seriously even though my intentions serious I suppose. But then I wonder why nobody takes me seriously, so it is really difficult to adjust in a work setting, in relationships and also, it’s context to be a silly person, to be a comedian I suppose, a jester, a fool, I guess nobody really knows when to take you seriously or if you’re being serious.
Kiran Saggu: Slacks, 3:55pm at Underbelly Bristo Square until August 26th
Sam See
I think the lines are blurrier than ever before. Back in the day, a fool was a proper job, to deliver news to the rulers, both good and bad. You were meant to make it entertaining and easier to digest, else you’d lose your job and maybe your head. It was literally in your job description to speak the truth to power, and they had that power to speak out against the ruler, with a deft hand and craftiness. The king ruled, the fool commented.
In today’s world, the comedian, or the fool, is the news. Performers on the ends of the political spectrum are vying for the top of the engagement tracker. Fools can make their own empires of fans out of Patreon and podcasts. It isn’t about delivering the news to the king, it’s about the top 10 things you won’t believe the king did in Season 2. They now have become powerful in controlling what happens next, choosing what news is true, and which news to sic their followers on to silence. The King is now just an event that happens, like the weather. The Fool translates whatever they say as their own rule, comments on it themselves, and then tells you how you should feel about it. The King, now no longer properly challenged, can rule with impunity, ignorance, and well, forever.
So to go back to the main question, in a modern world, are the roles distinct anymore? No, they are not, and to our distinct lack of benefit. We must be our own Fools, question for ourself, comment for ourselves. In a Tarot sense, we must be Hanged Men, lest the foolishness be hung upon our crowns.
Sam See: And I Can’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, 5:45pm at Laughing Horse@The Counting House until August 25th
Sid Singh
In today’s day and age there is a blurring of a line between the roles of the fool and the king. This is why many kings are fools and speak in soundbites designed to feel like the truth. Simultaneously the lines between truth and power have never been more harshly defined and separated. The reality is that many people need help while being surrounded by propaganda showing abundance. Many desperate people value idiots like Donald Trump and Boris Johnson for being able to speak to their frustrations despite never actually speaking the truth. Likewise, they resent much more moderate leaders like Joe Biden and Keir Starmer for speaking in general truths but never offering any solutions to the power imbalances that persist within society. Was any of this funny? No, but then again, it’s the truth that I feel most confident saying you will use your power to ignore.
Sid Singh: American Coloniser, 5pm at Just the Tonic at Cabaret Voltaire until 25th August
Rich Spalding
I feel like the roles have almost swapped in a way, if you take kings to be the leaders of our countries now, it feels very much like the kings are the fools and the fools are the kings. If you look at Boris Johnson or Donald Trump, the problem that they’ve caused for comedians and satirists is that there’s nothing there to satirise, you can’t heighten the kind of stupidity and madness that they’ve been doing on a daily basis. And so, it feels like the fools are now in charge and then comedians are held to a much higher standard, the things that they say are scrutinised a lot more than leaders are. And so, it feels like basically the roles have swapped, and it would be quite nice to go back to a world where the leaders are the responsible ones, and the comedians can just be fools making stupid jokes all the time.
Rich Spalding: Gather Your Skeletons, 9:15pm at Pleasance Courtyard until August 26th
Patrick Spicer
I think funny people can be powerful and powerful people can be funny and it probably helps to undercut all the scary powerfulness. Comedians do like to deny they have any power and they’re just mucking about, but they probably do. There’s also obviously a lot of ways now for comedians to talk to the public outside of literally doing stand-up eg podcasts and social media and everything, so maybe that’s a type of power that’s less linked to funniness and therefore has more accountability??
Patrick Spicer: Hammock (WIP), PBH’s Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth until August 10th
Harry Stachini
In Shakespearean drama, the dynamic between the fool and the king is often played out in a serious context, reflecting the hierarchical structure of society at the time. However, when viewed through the lens of comedy, this relationship takes on a different form, offering insights into power dynamics and societal norms that remain relevant today. In modern comedy, we frequently encounter characters who challenge the traditional dichotomy between the fool and the king. The fool, typically associated with humour, irreverence and subversion of authority, may unexpectedly wield influence or demonstrate wisdom that transcends their comedic facade. Conversely, the king or authoritative figure may find themselves in absurd or comical situations highlighting their fallibility and humanity.
Comedy has a unique ability to expose the absurdities of power structures, making it a potent lens through which to examine the relationship between folly and leadership in the modern context. Through satire, parody, and irony, comedians and writers can critique societal norms, challenge entrenched power dynamics, and highlight the absurdities of authority. Moreover, comedy often serves as a vehicle for social commentary, allowing audiences to confront uncomfortable truths and question prevailing ideologies. By blurring the lines between the fool and the king, modern comedies can challenge audiences to reconsider their assumptions about leadership, authority, and the nature of wisdom. In essence, while the roles of the fool and the king may be distinct in Shakespearean literature, modern comedy offers a more nuanced and subversive exploration of power dynamics and societal norms, reminding us that laughter can be a powerful tool for challenging the status quo and promoting a more inclusive and egalitarian society.
Harry Stachini: Grenade, 5:45pm at Underbelly Bristo Square until August 26th
Thor Stenhaug
I think today there are multiple comedians who fit closer to the description of the king, rather than the fool. I remember watching Dave Chapelle’s last (or second to last, I can’t remember) Netflix special. His fans worship him to the ridiculous. At times it felt more like a political rally than a comedy show.
Thor Stenhaug: It’s So Hard to Speak Without Saying Something Stupid, 7:05pm at Laughing Horse @ City Cafe until August 25th
Sarah Roberts
I think all kings are fools, and all fools have to think they’re kings. To be a fool, you’ve got to have a lot of confidence (delusion). You need to believe that what you’re saying is uniquely funny/interesting and that someone somewhere needs to hear it. But I think to be a good fool, you need to consistently fall short of achieving king status. The people who have it (cough) Ricky Gervais and Dave Chappelle are lorded around like prophets and now they think everything they have to say is important and everyone everywhere needs to hear it. They don’t have anything interesting left to say because their lives aren’t relatable anymore, and deep down they know it. So they do what our kings do and attack marginalised groups of people instead. It’s a distraction. They’re saying ‘don’t look at my faults, laugh at theirs!’ When everyone’s listening to you, I think you sort of lose the heart and awareness it takes to be a good fool.
Sarah Roberts: Silkworm, 10:35pm at Assembly George Square until August 25th
Julia VanderVeen
Do you know Bouffon? So that’s also a type of clown but it’s like the underbelly of clown. It’s like, the way that it’s been explained to me is the people who have been pushed out of society back in the olden days; the lepers or the people who would’ve been pushed out of society. They come back one day a year, and they basically roast the royalty, the people in charge. And they have to be really smart about it because they’re showing king themselves without wanting it to be too obvious, because then they’d kill them or push them out of the society again. So – not this show – but I’m developing a few Bouffon shows; one is about the insurrection at the White House at the Capitol Building on January 6th, and one is about the overturn of Roe v. Wade in the Supreme Court. And it’s very political and I think it’s really important that comedy challenge the people in charge, and I think that line about being careful about it is kind of important too because we have to be really, really smart about it.
My Grandmother’s Eyepatch, 12:45pm at ZOO Playground until August 25th
Dima Watermelon
I think it’s a bit outdated, I mean it’s still there but now in the modern context you, everything is blurred and mixed. The main comedian for the last decade was Donald Trump probably and Boris Johnson plays this persona of the clown and it helps him get away with all this stuff. And In Ukraine we have a comedian who became President, so it’s all mixed up right now, so I don’t think it’s really 1:1 as it used to be, but still comedians play this role of bringing up topics of discussion and discussing topics. It’s not maybe personal towards the king and saying the king is naked and all but it’s more about heavier stuff like ideology and everything, like for example, in Germany there are three taboo topics you cannot or people get uncomfortable, I think it’s nuclear energy, recycling and the Second World War. I think in the UK it’s a bit different it’s more like all this woke discussion and what’s allowed, what’s not cancel-culture. In America it’s a bit different but it’s more not towards a person but more towards the unspoken rules of our society so to say. I think this criticism of Israel is a good example right now, it’s a hot topic, cause it’s a hot topic comedians try to poke all of these taboo subjects but not towards a person. Power belongs to all these corporations and it’s like faceless right now so it’s hard to say who is the king.
Dima Watermelon: Ukrainian Dream, 5:15pm at Laughing Horse @ The Raging Bull until August 25th
Chris Weir
I mean that is getting to the idea of punching up and punching down in comedy. I think as we’re becoming more empathetic as a society, we realise that punching down can just be kind of cruel. So punching up is the more favoured thing. But I also think that you don’t necessarily need to be punching anybody, you can not necessarily be talking about a person or an institution. And you can also be punching inwards, I see a lot of people do a lot of self-deprecating material as well. That being said, I would I think there’s always somebody above somebody. There’s always somebody we can punch up to, and I would be interested in seeing King Charles do a tight 5 on who he considers above him. Maybe God… I don’t know!
Chris Weir: Well Flung, 2:40pm at Gilded Balloon Patter House until August 26th
Lil Wenker
I wrote my senior thesis on Volodmyr Zelensky, a former comedian and the current president of Ukraine. I outlined comedy’s impact on power and status, so I’m super jazzed about this question! It’s going to get nerdy—bear with me.
I’ll try to condense the sixty pages into a few main points: I believe comedy has the ability to produce collective recognition and catharsis, to allow us to see various phenomenon with greater clarity, to allow us to recognize our own downfalls, contradictions, and failures with lightness and enlightenment. By laughing together at our own human shortcomings, people can better connect with each other. It’s why, in my opinion, live comedy is such a powerful experience — to laugh at the fool’s failure is to laugh at oneself, as the fool holds a mirror up to everyone in the audience. And in laughing together, we realize our neighbour is as much the fool as ourselves. Comedy so brilliantly has the ability to confront taboos—this hasn’t changed since Shakespeare’s time. But I think, unlike in Shakespeare’s time, we’re more and more looking to the voice of the fool for nuggets of truth, sweetened with a lick of laughter. I think it’s why clowning and queerness and drag have come into vogue—people are seeing laugher as a powerful and political act as much as a form of entertainment. AND we’re growing to value people who can joke because they’re seen as able to cut through the bullshit. I have not a good thing to say about Trump, not a single one, but other people like him because he makes them laugh. He isn’t afraid to degrade himself to the level of the fool in order to “speak truth,” and that is no longer a societal role for people on the margins. On the other side of the political spectrum, we have Zelensky—a man whose early career was built completely on playing the fool (former jobs include a comedic actor on a Netflix sitcom and the Russian-dubbed voice of Paddington bear). Precisely because he started as “one of the people” did people cast their vote for him—Ukraine wanted “a king” who’s a “fool,” who can cut through all political rhetoric and make his country laugh at the absurdity and truth of it all.
Lil Wenker: Bangtail, 4:15pm at Pleasance Courtyard Cellar until 5th August
Dan Wye
I think it’s interesting, the role of the king and the fool in terms of status. The role of the fool is contrasting status, you can either be the person taking the mick out of the elite or you’re the punching bag for the elite. You know, there’s a mixture in status. Whereas a king’s status has to be high status all the time, whilst the role of a fool is changing. I think we’re seeing at the moment that not being true, I think we’re seeing at the moment that a lot of the people who are kings or people who are in power, are fools. There’s like a weird Machiavellian clown situation happening where these people are making such obvious mistakes and being foolish. Especially the role of the internet in taking them down, there’s so many memes and tweets and things that are highlighting the mistakes these people are doing, cause they seem to not know what their roles are. So, I think in the modern-day context is different. Even if you look at certain politicians, a lot of their brand is being a fool like it’s almost like this subversion of being, “Oh no, I’m just this blubbering fool, don’t take what I do seriously, this is an act,” and actually that’s a thing to distract you. I think at the moment, what we’re seeing is a lot of our leaders, a lot of the kings being fools and that kind of being a big part of it. Especially with the Internet, there’s not much distance with their private lives or who they are, cause we can see all the information constantly and we’re seeing actually that they don’t hold this high status all the time, and that maybe they’re tact is using the status of the fool to do more, to permeate further.
Dan Wye Am I Sam Smith, 9:55pm at Pleasance Courtyard until August 25th
Paddy Young
I think there’s something really embarrassing about a comedian who starts taking themselves really seriously. And I think a comedian can become incredibly good at what they do. And they’re really charismatic and obviously intelligent and really skilled at the one thing they do. And I feel like the mistake a lot of comedians and actors often make is because they’re really good at this one thing. They suddenly think they know about everything. And so, I often feel that when comedians start becoming politicians; I’m not saying that we shouldn’t stand for things or whatever, but I just think there’s something really embarrassing about a comedian who takes themselves seriously. I can’t speak for others, but that’s not my job. As Joe Biden would say, I’ve got the morals of an alley cat. I twist and turn at every point, but I mean, you know, put it this way, that sad bit that comedians do 45 minutes into their show, you’re not going to see that in mine. I want comedy to be funny. I go to see standup comedy. I want to laugh loads. I go to other things to feel other things, but I think a comedian’s job is to be funny and as funny in as many ways, in as many times as possible. And that’s all I think about. And I’m totally obsessed with that. That to me is a challenge in of itself before I can start worrying about being taken seriously and solving the world. All I think about every day is funny.
Paddy Young: If I Told You I’d Have to Kiss You, Monkey Barrel Comedy, until August 23rd
By Katerina Partolina Schwartz
Pepper & Salt 
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