Tim Fraser’s Candy at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022

Reboot Theatre Company recently announced a month-long run of 5-star show Candy by Tim Fraser at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, running at Underbelly Bristo Square from 5 – 29 August. This follows a sell-out run at the King’s Head Theatre in London in 2020 and a special online performance released last year. Candy was originally a 15-minute piece performed as part of Reboot: Shorts at the Bunker Theatre in London in 2018, selected by Reboot Theatre from over 1000 entries, before being developed into a full-length play.

The Artiscape spoke to Writer Tim Fraser and and Actor Michael Waller about the upcoming show.

We asked Tim, what inspired him to write Candy?

Tim: I wrote the original ten-minute monologue that Candy is based on in a frenzy, desperate to write something good for my film school grad showcase, fuelled by half-baked ponderings on romance and sexuality, the music of The Magnetic Fields, and a fast-approaching deadline.

By the time Mike and Nico suggested we develop it into a full-length play together, years later, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to re-capture whatever it was that made the short what it was, or even whether it was my story to tell anymore. But, with their encouragement, I ended up writing the first draft in a similar but more prolonged frenzy, this time using it as an opportunity to work my way through things I was preoccupied with at the time.

Things like identity, male mental health, and how all-consuming love and heartbreak can be. I don’t know if it was what they were expecting, but luckily, they liked it! And we went from there.

Tim, Can you tell us about the characters in the production?

Tim: There’s a whole cast of characters we get to know through Will’s stories, but Will is the only character on stage throughout. I think he sees himself as a normal bloke: he likes drinking, women, video games, sports, etc etc. He’s not the smartest lad but he knows a thing or two. But when he sees Candy – his best mate Billy dressed in drag – his whole world gets turned upside down. That’s when we really get a sense of how innocent and romantic this man truly is… as well as conflicted, confused, and incredibly frustrated. Like many of us, he’s pretty insecure about his self-worth and is terrified of ending up alone, though he masks it with his dry wit.

We asked Michael, to tell us about the character he plays?

Michael: I play Will, the only character you meet and who tells his story, but introduces you to at least ten other characters to bring his story to life. Will is a Northern working-class guy, with an unsettled childhood, and with a fragmented life and family. He’s never really been happy, until the moment he sees Candy. But hang on – how can he fancy a girl, that’s actually a boy, in fact his best friend, but he doesn’t fancy him. Does he? Does that means that he’s… he doesn’t know what it all means.

The poor lad’s confused and is looking for an answer. He’s such a fun character to play, and over the past few years I’ve really got to know and understand Will and his struggles – so much, he feels very much part of me.

Michael, What are you looking forward to about in performing in Candy?

Michael: I’ve performed three versions of CANDY so far, most recently a recorded version played to an empty house. The preview shows for CANDY were two and a half years ago. Each version has been so different to the next. The beauty within the show is Will’s trust and honesty to confide with the audience and to tell a story that he’s forever struggled to tell. The evolution of each show is driven by the audience. With 25 shows at the Fringe, I’m so excited not only be back with a live audience, but to see how the show develops across the Festival. 

Tim, What were the challenges you faced in putting this together?

Tim: Balancing working full-time with writing the play and prepping for the run has been a big challenge, on top of the financial burden of putting on a Fringe show. Luckily, I have family and friends in Edinburgh, so I’m home-hopping throughout the run instead of paying for accommodation, which reduces that burden by a fair amount. So yeah, massive shouts out to Heather and her family and to Shane and Laura for putting up with me this August.

Michael: What do think an audience will enjoy about this production?

Michael: This play is different – it’s incredibly funny, but not a comedy; it’s queer, but more questioning; it’s dark and reflective. It’ll make audiences laugh and simultaneously cry; hopefully forget they’re watching a play, more just chatting with Will over a pint. The characters in this play are hilarious – each personified and brought to life. Come, if only to meet Toadface! The audiences are so important to this play – and whilst the relationship between Will and the audience is key, don’t fear there’s no audience participation.  

What are you looking forward to for this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe?

Michael: Drowning in what I love most – theatre, of every form. New, immersive, physical, absurd, reimaged. I learn something from every single play I watch and actor I see on a stage, and I become a better and more creative actor as a result. I love the City of Edinburgh and Scotland, and I can’t wait to live, breathe and exist on Caledonian air and spirit for the month.

As much as being a regular Fringe goer, it’s my first time performing at the Fringe – and this trip has been two and a half years in the making. I can’t wait to meet like-minded actors and theatre professionals, and celebrate our collective success of performing at the greatest Fringe Festival in the world, and hopefully opening up new doors for future acting projects. 5-star levels of excitement all round. 

Tim: Oh, absolutely everything. As I said, I have family from Edinburgh, so I used to go pretty much every year when I was a teenager, and then continued to go whenever I could as the years went by. I hadn’t been for a couple of years by the time we were originally scheduled to take Candy up here in 2020, and those two further unexpected years of delays have just whetted my appetite for the festival even more.

I love the atmosphere, I love the city, and I’ve seen some amazing shows here over the years that really helped define my taste in comedy and storytelling. I worry that COVID anxieties and the financial strain of the pandemic mean things will be less affordable and the atmosphere will be a little different this year. But my hope is that everyone missed the festival so much and is so excited to be back after so long that it’ll be a massive, joyful celebration. I can’t wait.