The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Fife funnyman can’t get enough of Fringe performance success
More awards this year for actor and comedian who won main prize in 2016
A Fife actor and comedian who claimed the main prize at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards three years ago has secured further success at the Fringe.
In 2016, Richard Gadd, from Wormit, became the first Scot in more than two decades to win the Best Show prize for his performance in Monkey See Monkey Do, which saw him spending most of his time running on a treadmill and recalling a traumatic experience in his life.
The 29-year-old has received even more acclaim for his play Baby Reindeer, which has attracted rave reviews during its run at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe at the Summerhall venue.
Gadd has been given the Edinburgh Fringe Award for Outstanding Performance, while the play has also secured a Fringe First award, which celebrates the best new writing on the Fringe.
He said: “I wasn’t expecting it at all. “Big thanks to my incredible team, especially Jon Brittain for bringing out the best in me. The Fringe is a magical place. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Starring Gadd and directed by Jon Brittain, Baby Reindeer is based on a story of what happened after he offered a free cup of tea to a stranger, with what seemed like a trivial interaction turning into a haunting tale of a stalker who devastated his life.
Many critics gave Gadd’s theatre debut five-star reviews, and the play will now head to the West End in London for a month-long stint at the Bush Theatre between October 9 and November 9.
Gadd was thrust into the spotlight for the first time in 2016 when he won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show, joining the likes of Al Murray, Russell Kane, David O’Doherty and Tim Key, who, as previous winners, have gone on to become household names.
He has also won a Chortle Comedian’s Comedian Award 2017, was nominated for an Off West End theatre award for Best Performer in the same year, and has written episodes of Netflix’s Sex Education, Ultimate Worrier for Dave and The Last Leg for Channel Four.
The Fringe is a magical place. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. RICHARD GADD