Scottish comedian Eleanor Morton returns to Monkey Barrel with a brand new hour of spooky standup about Edinburgh, ghosts and the dark side of the fringe. Set against the backdrop of Edinburgh, Haunted House is at once silly and theatrical whilst offering poignant commentary on how places and memories can haunt us, shape us, and compel us to confront who we are and where we belong.
Morton is a stand-up, writer and actor from Edinburgh. Morton is also well known for her online sketch characters like Craig the Tourguide, which have amassed nearly half a million followers.
Q&A with Eleanor Morton
How does it feel to be returning to Edinburgh Fringe?
I live in Edinburgh all year, so my question is: how does the Fringe feel returning to me?
What can you tell us about your show and its inspiration?
My show is about ghosts, seeing them and not seeing them, hometowns, Pizza Express and what should really scare us (hint: not ghosts). It’s about being Scottish, being a performer, believing in ghosts, being a sceptic, living in a haunted theme park and finding comfort in the spooky.
How do you think audiences will react to the show?
I think they will be terrified and laugh a lot alternatively throughout the show: scream, laugh, scream, laugh, scream, laugh, etc.
How have you been preparing for the festival?
I tried to get a flu vaccine but apparently Fringe Flu is not real flu, so if I get sick I’ll just have to deal with it. I’ve also been retweeting things a lot, its made me feel really productive.
Will you get a chance to enjoy the rest of the festival?
I’m taking Mondays and Tuesdays off every week because it’s insane that we’re still expected to work a full month with no breaks. People think comedy isn’t a ‘real’ job and we’re just complaining, to which I say, I’ll swap any day of the week, Sandra, and see how you get on. Venue staff get it even worse, 12 hour days, listening to us lot say the same thing over and over again. It’s all very Jack Torrence.
Eleanor Morton: Haunted House is at Monkey Barrel 2, Monkey Barrel Comedy from 31 July to 25 August
