KEVIN GILDEA	Download Full Press Release (1.5MB)
MAN OF A MILLION HEADS Previews 31 July (17:30) / 1 Aug (19:50) Click Here to Book Tickets Now!	Download Hi-Resolution image (842KB)

Venue:  Stand 2 Dates:   2-24 (not 4,11, 18) Time:    19:50 Tickets:£8 / £7

Kevin’s back! He was last in the Festival with his band The Kevin Gildeas 'Brilliant…Original..' Edinburgh Evening News And with sister Anne in A Nonsense of Ireland 'Possibly the finest Irish export since Guinness' Chortle. Recently he did a reunion gig with legendary Sketch group Mr. Trellis 'A show like this comes along once in every 20 years' Chortle. Now catch his brilliant new solo show.

Kevin is no stranger to the Fringe having played here in various guises over the years, with his eponymously named band, The Kevin Gildeas, with his sister Anne in his A Nonsense of Ireland show, not to mention his last solo show, Get Up, Kevin Gildea.

We sent our man Tormey McIdes to find out more.

He didn't.

I'm sitting opposite Kevin Gildea in the L'Hotel du Jour in uptown Dublin. I begin by congratulating him on his recent first prize in the Irish national radio playwriting competition the - P J O' Connor Awards - for his dark comedy '10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 7! 8! 9! 10!'

T: Kevin, you have been described as 'Creative', 'Pioneering', 'Quirky' and 'Innovative' by The Guardian; 'Highly Original and Explosively Funny' by The Sunday Times and 'Okay with a hint of Wild Berries' by Food and Wine. Tommy Tiernan describes you as 'one of the greatest comedy brains this country has ever produced' and 'anarchic.' Why?'

Kevin has a faraway look in his eyes. Then I realise that he has moved and is now sitting on the other side of the room. I re-join him.

T: There you are! So Kevin, what's the show about, in a nutshell?
K: In a nut shell: nuts! But, luckily, I'm not performing the show in a nut shell! I'm performing in the spiritual home of Scottish comedy. The Stand.

I laugh uncomfortably because the chair I am sitting on is upside down.
T: Ha ha. Why the title?
K: Everyday a million people look in a million mirrors and what do they see? A million heads. And you'd need a million heads to process the information overload of today. The world is a scary place; you have the Axis of Evil, the Diameter of Doom and the Quadrant of something terrible beginning with 'Q'. The planet is melting, we're all getting fat, the oil is running out and Iraq is being ravaged by democracy. Watching the endless tragedy on the news is emotionally draining, people find refuge in trivia (my favourite colour is green). The sheer level of info provokes inertia and lethargy.Hey! Wake up!

I had fallen asleep. I apologise and try to cover-up.
T: Can you sum up?
K: Should we fight them on the beaches or catch a movie? I mention two other critically acclaimed shows Kevin brought to Edinburgh. One with his band The Kevin Gildeas which was described as a 'brilliant and original Show' by Edinburgh Evening News and the other A Nonsense of Ireland (with his sister Anne Gildea).
T: What have you been doing in the intervening years?
K: Writing this show. I wanted to make sure I have a show dense with funny stuff. Hey! Wake up!

I realise it is time to leave. On the way out I casually mention that my partner is having a baby and Kevin suggests some names
K: What about McWham? I explain it is going to be a girl
K: What about McWhambalina? I say goodbye.
K: McWhamchop? McWha? Mc Wazz? Mc WhazzBazz, thank you Mazz?! I stop a cab and hop in. We drive off as Kevin runs alongside shouting suggestions through the passenger window.
K: McWazzock! McWhazzpot! McWhoah! McLookout! McOuch! McOhmyhead!

So I leave Gildea lying crumpled at the base of a lamppost and hope that he recovers in time to make his way to The Stand.

Click here to book tickets now!