The performers set to make a big impression at the Fringe
Four impressionists preparing for shows in Edinburgh next month share some of the secrets of sending up the famous and infamous, from Dolly Parton, Celine Dion and Rory Stewart to Theresa May and Donald Trump
Who is your favourite impression to do?
It’s gotta be Celine Dion. She just gives you so much to work with. Her vocal range and ability is incredible, so merely singing her material is a fun challenge. But it’s her musical quirks, phrasing, mannerisms and broad physicality that really appeal to me and allow me to dare to interpret what she might sound like performing something she’s never done, like Barbie Girl. Her strong movements – like the famous chest pound – and her tendency to put the emphaasis on the wrong Sillable of a lyric, make Celine the queen for me.
Which ones of yours get the best reaction from audiences?
Often, it’s well known and best loved divas like Shirley Bassey or Barbra Streisand who get the most gasps and cheers. Audiences know these women and their voices so well, so it’s a wonderful feeling when they let me know I’ve captured them. But I’ve been finding it’s the more niche and unexpected impressions that people go on about, after the shows or online. Celebrities like Keira Knightley and Jennifer Aniston come to mind, as well Jennifer Saunders as Edina Monsoon. That character is so specific, sometimes all I have to do is change my physicality and make a little noise – and the audience knows I’m her. They keep requesting that she perform Shakespeare so I’m currently writing that into my tour show. Apologies to the Bard.
Which one was most difficult for you to “get”? And what was the breakthrough moment?
One of the hardest impressions for me to crack was Dolly Parton. Her voice is very different than my own, which is always a tough place to start from. She has an incredibly fast vibrato and a light, almost whispery tone, whereas I’m relatively full voiced, with a mid-speed vibrato. No matter how much I practised, I found it hard to execute all her vocal riffs and melismas, while keeping my vocals soft, while squeezing my diaphragm in order to speed up my vibrato. It’s like patting your head while rubbing your belly… while riding a unicycle. But I’m a big believer in ‘work in progress’ performances, so as nerve wracking and potentially embarrassing as it was, I tested my Dolly in front of as many audiences as I could. What I ultimately learned was that if I had a microphone (which I never do when practising in my apartment), it picked up the nuances that I wanted the audience to hear, so I didn’t have to push as much to be heard. This relaxed me and opened up room for me to play. I never like to rely on a microphone for an impression, but in this case, it allowed me the freedom to tap into more parts of Dolly. So I consider that a win. Now that I’m more used to impersonating her, I even feel confident doing it without a microphone. It took some baby steps, but it got there. What’s the difference between someone being able to do a good Margaret Thatcher down the pub and doing it as part of a show?
I think most people doing an impression casually for their friends, are doing it to get a laugh. And I think that most people who do impressions in a professional capacity, are thinking beyond getting the laugh. Sure, professionals will think more about the technical vocal execution of the impression but at the end of the day, I think the greatest difference is about how it’s presented, not how it sounds. When you do an impression in a show, it’s part of entertaining an audience for an extended period – be it an hour show or an entire career. If we exaggerate the characteristics of a celebrity too much, it can come across as grotesque and mean spirited. The person at the pub doesn’t have to think about that. Imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery and in my opinion, that’s the most important thing for an impressionist to remember, at all times.
What’s the best thing about bringing the show to Edinburgh?
The Edinburgh Fringe is inspiring in a very unique way. Having so many artists and advocates for the arts, together in one city for one crazy month, forms a special creative community. It’s supportive, inclusive, and educational, and that creative energy influences my performance. And experiencing how audiences from all over the world react to my show each night is thrilling. There’s no ‘training’ like it.
KIERAN HODGSON
Who is your favourite impression to do?
I love doing loads of obscure ones that no-one actually gets. As a teenager I would recreate whole scenes from Lord of The Rings doing all the different orcs. Nowadays a particular favourite is ‘the voice that Stewart Lee does when he’s playing a character who disagrees with Stewart Lee.’ I don’t get booked as an impressionist very often.
Which ones of yours get the best reaction from audiences?
Probably my ‘Andrew Scott as Moriarty’. I did it first in 2012 after the second series of Sherlock and no-one really knew what I was doing, but I revived it in 2016 around peaksherlock time and it got gasps. I then tried doing an impression of Andrew Scott’s Hamlet and it was a bridge too far.
Which one was most difficult for you to “get”? And what was the breakthrough moment?
I struggled with Ken Clarke for
“Edinburgh is where dreams are made. It’s the place where you can take your Andrew Scott impression and make a whole career out of it”
many years, so to speak. Then I read his autobiography and found out he’s from the East Midlands and it all made sense. Most of the East Mids has gone from his voice now, but it’s there underneath the RP and helps unlock the whole Clarke ‘tone’. I dream of someone someday asking me to do an impression of Ken Clarke but it has yet to happen.
What’s the difference between someone being able to do a good Margaret Thatcher down the pub and doing it as part of a show?
I try to keep mine as brief as possible as I don’t really rate it that highly, and my pub to stage transition is minimal. If I was pressed into offering Thatcher tips, they’d be to try and master both ‘intimate, almost seductive TV studio Thatcher’ and ‘big, brassy, speechmaking Thatcher’, which are quite different, and to pay attention to the teeth. The teeth have a key role to play in shaping the whole Thatcher face shape and vocal quality. I think, anyway.
What’s the best thing about bringing the show to Edinburgh?
Edinburgh is where dreams are made. It’s the place where you can take your Andrew Scott impression and make a whole career out of it. (Though I suppose that’s also true of the internet and the internet is cheaper.)
JON CULSHAW
(Dead Ringers) Who is your favourite impression to do?
Trump is a great one to open a show with. Massively recognisable and audiences love to see metaphorical custard pies thrown at him. Material has to be finely tuned though. Topical stories don’t last long with him.
Which ones get the best reaction from audiences?
Trump, John Bishop, Prof Brian Cox and Les Dawson always gets a great ‘awwww’ full of fondness and admiration.
Which one was most difficult for you to “get”? And what was the breakthrough moment?
Rory Stewart was quite elusive. Gesticulate the arms widely and talk as though Aardmans made your teeth.
What’s the difference between someone being able to do a good Margaret Thatcher down the pub and doing it as part of a show?
In the pub you’d only tend to get a single catch phrase or saying ‘Denis’, ‘The lady’s not for turning’. In a show you have dialogue, gags to tee off and the voice has to be more accurate, not just a broad pastiche.
What’s the best thing about bringing the show to Edinburgh?
The collective happiness of the place, especially during Fringe time. Everyone is much more generous, celebratory and joyful. It’s like a microcosm of a future utopian society. With people handing out flyers.
JAN RAVENS
(Dead Ringers) Who is your favourite impression to do?
The impression I really love to do, but don’t do any more is Ma Ramotswe from the Radio 4 adaptation of The Number One Ladies Detective Agency. By a great Edinburgh writer, Alexander Mccall Smith. It’s such a rich smooth voice and it makes you feel peaceful and safe. Unlike most of the politicians Ido.
Which ones of yours get the best reaction from audiences? Up until recently, Theresa May, and of course everyone loves Diane Abbott.
Which one was most difficult for you to “get”? And what was the breakthrough moment?
Theresa May was really difficult, because when she was Home Secretary, she never seemed to say anything. When she appeared on the steps of Downing Street on the day she became Prime Minister, I could see that she was just held in this incredible tension, and that she was, in effect, doing two voices at the same time.
What’s the difference between someone being able to do a good Margaret Thatcher down the pub and doing it as part of a show?
Talent. Hard work. Having something funny and interesting to say.
What’s the best thing about bringing the show to Edinburgh?
I always love being in Edinburgh. Being able to give the audience the Ringers experience, those brilliant scripts from our amazing writers, and the fun of performing with the other three, is something I’d like as many people as possible to share.
● Christina Bianco: First Impressions is at the Assembly Checkpoint from 1-25 August (not 12 August) at 6:20pm.
● Dead Ringers Live is at the EICC: Pentland Theatre in Edinburgh from 2-13 August at 6:30pm.
● The Tales Of Kieran Hodgson is at The Pleasance Beyond from 14-25 August at 6:30pm.
● For more information and tickets for all three shows go to: www.edfringe.com