“It’s a Shame We Won’t Be Friends Next Year”: Comedian Michelle Brasier Turns Childhood Hurt into Fringe Gold

In her brand new show It’s A Shame We Won’t Be Friends Next Year, award-winning comedian, writer and musician Michelle Brasier revisits the moments - and the throwaway comments - that shape who we become. Blending razor-sharp stand-up with powerhouse songs, the show explores the lasting impact of careless words, the safe spaces drama teachers build, and why even a Fast & Furious reference can carry surprising emotional weight. Warm, witty and deeply sincere, Brasier’s tell us about her latest hour and how its a celebration of vulnerability, weirdness, and the stories we carry long after the moment has passed.

Can you tell us, in a few lines, what the show is about?

The show is about the things people say to us that we hold onto and never forget. It’s about drama teachers creating safe spaces for all the freaks, review culture and The fast and the furious.

The show explores how even a single, casual comment can shape someone’s identity for years. Why do you think words can leave such a lasting impact?

When I was a kid, my friend said to me ‘it’s a shame we won’t be friends next year’ and I was like ‘but we’re going to the same high school?’ And he said ‘yeah I don’t think people will like you in high school.’ We stayed friends and people did like me in high school but I never forgot this because it was my first othering. I went straight home and wrote a list of things that might be wrong with me. Trying desperately to identify the flaw that made being friends with me social suicide. And I never stopped looking. That’s probably why I’m an actor. It’s a job where everyone has to tell you that you’re doing great sweetie. Otherwise the crew goes into overtime. It’s in the workplace’s best interests for you to be getting compliments and attention all day. I have a therapist, before you ask - I just don’t listen to her (she doesn’t give me enough compliments!)

You revisit real, sometimes painful memories in the show. How do you strike a balance between sincerity and humour on stage?

They spill over into each other. Humour comes from sincerity. It comes from earnestly trying and failing and then offering that failure up as a story assuming the audience will still be your friend. It’s a beautiful exchange. It’s the job version of falling over and catching a stranger's eye and both of you laughing. A shared humiliation.

Music is woven throughout the performance. What does music allow you to express that words or comedy alone can’t?

Music provides a whole other version of the text for you to play against or with. It can create tension or break it without you having to say anything and it tricks people into having a good time and trusting you. I think if your job is telling stories and you’re good at music then that is a tool you should use. I used to try and prove myself as a standup by not doing songs at gigs and the audience was always like ‘babe we came all this way to see you and you didn’t do the thing we love you for’ so I got over myself, stopped trying to impress other comedians and gave them what they wanted. One of the songs people love that I do is called the Fingering Shed. They wouldn’t love it as much if it was just a stand-up “bit”. It’s a bit performed sweetly as though the song is about a sacred church. The music adds so much. I love music (i’m not like the other girls, i like MuSiC)!

You’ve performed all over the world and in many different formats. Is there a moment or experience that’s stood out most to you?

We just wrapped filming on the Australian version of your gorgeous TV show Ghosts and I play one of the ghosts. It was so special and such a funny, generous and open hearted group of people and we filmed it in Perth which is so far away from the rest of Australia - and the world. It’s the world’s most remote capital city and because of that, filming there is like drama camp. Earnest sleepover vibes except you are adults who all live in the same hotel and play dress ups for a living. 

What do you hope audiences in Edinburgh will take away from the show?

I hope they say something nice to a stranger. Or tell someone specifically what they love about them. And maybe they will think twice about saying unkind things just to fill the silence.

Michelle Brasier: It’s A Shame We Won’t Be Friends Next Year will be at the Edinburgh Fringe this August. For tickets and more information, visit: https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5582/