Max Fulham: Memory Foam - Max Fulham on bringing Max Fulham: Memory Foam and Max Fulham’s Monkey Business to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

After a sold-out Edinburgh debut and a Best Newcomer longlisting, comedian and world-class ventriloquist Max Fulham heads back to the Fringe with Max Fulham: Memory Foam

You're presenting one show built around memory and nostalgia and another built around complete workplace chaos. Did writing them side by side help keep each one feeling distinct?

It’s been an interesting process, I’d say quite literally double the chaos. It is great that they are such different shows though and for different audiences, that’s definitely helped. I’m really focussed on creating something fast-paced, energetic and crammed full of fun for the family show whereas it has been nice to focus more on structure, narratives and character development for Memory Foam. 

One advantage I found with working on two shows at once was that when I got bored of working on one idea I could just switch and work on the other one for a bit rather than just sitting and stewing over one show. I think I have definitely had to be more organised though, I haven’t colour-coded my notes or anything, but I do feel smug about having designated notebooks for each show! I have also found myself getting the show titles mixed up which makes me feel like a parent calling their child the wrong name.

Your Grandad returns from last year's show, while Gordon the Monkey takes centre stage in your family show. How do you know when a character deserves another outing rather than making way for someone new?

I’ve been performing with my Grandad for so many years now that it felt right that he was in the Fringe show again. He even managed to make his way onto the poster this year. Gordon the Monkey has been my main character for family shows for a good few years now and I can’t wait for him to make his fringe debut this year.

With grandad, I think his longevity is partly due to the response he gets from audiences. The character also holds quite a special place in my heart which is something I haven’t really spoken much about but has now found a place in the show.

Some characters just have that special something where things click. Sometimes it’s a broad appeal that means they can appear in multiple shows year after year with an ability to slot into various settings. There were some very niche characters in my show last year like a talking slice of Billy Bear ham and I knew that it would only exist within that particular section in that show. It is important to make way for new characters, and I am particularly excited this year because the new characters have become some of my favourites of all time to perform. There is a dusty puppet that has been sitting on the shelf in a constant cycle of donations around charity shops and also a genuine antique ventriloquist dummy playing the role of a British pop culture icon (you’ll have to come and watch to find out who).

Ventriloquism has a long history; how do you embrace tradition while keeping thigs fresh? Is there a difference in approach for a family show than one for grown-ups?

I feel like it’s quite difficult to progress any sort of artform (strong word for ventriloquism, I know) without looking at what has come before. I’m a bit of a variety and comedy nerd so I have watched and read about a lot of old ventriloquists. As I said previously, in Memory Foam I am using a genuine antique ventriloquist dummy in the show but then using it for something entirely ridiculous. It’s fun to collide the old school elements with the modern world.

I’m very aware that in the family show, a lot of audience members won’t have seen a ventriloquist live before and might not even know what it is. It’s exciting to think I might be some people’s first experience of ventriloquism. Whereas in the adult show I am able to play with people’s existing expectations more. The adult show also allows me to make a more complex comedy show adding layers, light and shade, and other artistic phrases I’ve heard people use.

The puppets in your shows have their own opinions and personalities rather than simply delivering punchlines. Do you discover who they are through writing, or do they come to life once you start performing them?

I’d say it's very much a mixture of those two processes. I will always start with writing, trying to work out what a character will talk about and where I think the funny is. The character really starts to come to life though when I get comfortable enough to start improvising. A lot of writing has happened onstage during the Work In Progress shows and Previews, unexpected tangents and outbursts. The characters can also be informed by movement and puppetry too which is another reason that the new characters need stage time in the process of creating the shows so that I know exactly what they are capable of. Sometimes the process doesn’t work out and Memory Foam actually features a box full of puppet characters that didn’t quite make the cut.

Last year introduced audiences to your work, but this year they're arriving with certain expectations. Did that make writing these new shows more exciting or more intimidating?

Yes, it’s incredibly scary because I just want people to enjoy my silly little puppet shows. I think sequels of any kind always prove to be tricky and I was definitely feeling the pressure whilst creating the new shows. I also don’t think that last September I would have believed I could write another new show, never mind two! I put everything I had into that debut show and so I had no concept of what I could possibly come up with next.

I think now that I have the shows, I’m a lot more excited to share them with people, obviously the nerves are still very much present, but I can’t wait to be back in Edinburgh and show everyone what I’ve been working on.

Having achieved a sold-out Fringe debut, it would have been understandable to stick to a similar formula. What challenged you most creatively while putting together these two new shows?

The sheer volume of material for two shows is a lot. Alongside all the other bits and bobs you have to sort out when doing the Edinburgh Fringe. The shows almost end up being in a sort of race sometimes where one gets ahead of the other for a while and you have to help the other one catch up. Other metaphors include spinning plates and juggling. 

Some elements of the formula are still similar I suppose, I am not ditching it all to do powerpoint comedy. It is still a show featuring me and some puppet characters but I think this year the characters are even more ridiculous, and the show has more heart. I think adding that heart and personal touch to Memory Foam has probably been the biggest creative challenge this year. I think that’s partly because I come from a variety act background and so don’t tend to do anything too personal. I’m trying to change that for the first time. The show isn’t some emotional epic, don’t worry, I’ve just had to learn how to let my guard down slightly more onstage and let the act drop a little bit more in front of an audience. It has been fun to blur the lines between the ventriloquist act and reality at times.

Max Fulham: Memory Foam will be performed at 7pm at Pleasance Dome from 5^th – 31^st August.

Booking link: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/max-fulham-memory-foam