Edinburgh Fringe Chats (#136): Michelle Burke, MIND HOW YOU GO
As anticipation builds for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025, we’re catching up with a range of exciting creatives preparing to bring their work to the world’s largest arts festival this August. In this series, we delve into the stories behind the shows, the inspiration driving the artists, and what audiences can expect. Today, we’re joined by Michelle Burke to find out more about her show, Mind How You Go.
1. Can you begin by telling us about your show and what inspired it?
Mind How You Go is my new music-theatre show, featuring original songs from my forthcoming studio album, produced by Duke Special. It's a rollicking and poignant mix of Irish ghosts, moving statues, and the powerful call of home — where Angelus bells chime alongside echoes of Murder, She Wrote.
I never originally set out to make a show. Just before the pandemic, I went to Belfast to record an album. I brought with me a scrapbook of stories — mostly family ones — I'd been gathering over the years. I co-wrote songs around them with Duke Special, Kathryn Williams, Boo Hewerdine, and Stewart Robbie. We'd nearly finished the album when the pandemic hit. I had time to reflect on the project and the idea of shaping it into a music-theatre piece began to take hold.
I've been lucky to work with director Gerda Stevenson, designer Jessica Brettle, and musician James Ross, who really anchors the show. With their help, I've been able to bring the stories and songs to life.
The show also draws on vivid family memories: the arrival of glamorous American cousins with their perfect teeth and magazine hair; the mysterious twins and nuns of my childhood; the moving statues phenomenon in 1980s Ireland; even Angela Lansbury's unexpected arrival in my parish, while fleeing the Manson family. All these threads helped shape Mind How You Go into what it is now.
2. What made you want to bring this work to the Fringe this year?
I first brought Step into my Parlour to the fringe a few years ago and it was a great springboard for the project. I’ve been working on Mind How You Go for a while now, and it just feels like the right time to launch it here.
3. How would you describe your show in three words?
Funny, fierce and folk-infused.
4. What do you hope audiences take away from watching your performance?
I hope people leave smiling and maybe even wondering what quiet stories live in their own families, or how the places and people we come from shape who we are.
5. What’s your top tip for surviving the Fringe?
Embrace it, enjoy the madness. I love the energy and buzz of the fringe - the chance to see so many artists and shows from all kinds of disciplines. My top tip? Eggs and toast in the morning. It’s not glamorous, but it’ll set you up for the day!
6. Where and when can people see your show?
ZOO – Playground One | 1st – 24th August @ 12:45 pm
X: https://x.com/michelleeburke
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelleburkemusic/
Show link: EdFringe - Mind How You Go
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