We sat down with Milly and Maryon, talking about their show ELYSIUM as part of the EdFringe 2025. ELYSIUM will be performed at Gilded Balloon at Appleton Tower, from 30 July – 24 August (excepting 11th August).
Hello! Thanks for chatting to us, could you tell us a little about your upcoming Fringe show Elysium?
It’s our pleasure to talk to you! Well, Elysium is a ghost story set in the modern day in a wealthy gated community on the outskirts of London, with a live score and songs. I would describe it as ‘musical’ rather than ‘A Musical’ coz there are some lovely melodies but no jazz hands. And it deals with various pertinent themes, like wealthy liberal individualism, isolation and, ultimately, the consequences of turning our backs on each other.
How does it feel to bring Elysium to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival? What are you most looking forward to?
Oh goodness, how does it feel? Such a big question! I think, amidst all the overwhelming prep, we’re both incredibly excited. It’s my first time performing at the Fringe, and Jessie’s first full run there. So we’re both looking forward to this thrilling but completely unknown quantity. Definitely can’t wait to have audiences in to see the show – that’s the most frightening and fulfilling element for sure. But being able to go and see so many other productions, forge friendships with other performers, get to know Edinburgh really really well and just….y’know, drink it all in! And try and sleep somewhere in between all that I guess? Ahaha.
Can you tell us a bit more about the music in the show?
Well, Jessie has composed a live score that she performs on a Nord so she has lots of different keyboard sounds at her disposal – and that underpins the whole production, creating the landscape from scene to scene. Which, when you have a stripped back set and smallish stage is so incredibly useful – the audience are brought with you subconsciously from mood to mood as the score shifts. The songs are incidental in the show, and serve to accentuate the atmosphere as well as furthering the narrative. They’re mostly original and, depending on which character is singing, vary from teenage bedroom rock to Bacharach-esque ballad to experimental, hypnotic vocal layering. We keep you on your toes and at the edge of your seat.
What are you hoping for audiences to take away from Elysium?
It’s a good question. It’s a show that is intended to provoke thought in its audiences. It’s definitely funny and entertaining and frightening in the way a horror story should be – we want people to have a good time! But it is born out of a real rage against this genuinely terrifying place we find ourselves in, spiritually, today. We live in a world where we can watch horrors unfold in far away places, like the incalculable hell that is being wrought on the people of Gaza, but where we are encouraged to turn away, train our algorithms to ignore it, appease our discomfort with consumable fripperies. I think we have lost our sense of responsibility to one another. And I want this show to encourage people to break out of that mindset.
How are you planning to unwind after a performance or on a day off? Any tips?
Well we have a really great show time – 12.20-13.20 – which leaves us with the whole day at our disposal so I think we will be doing some flyering ourselves and undoubtedly taking the chance to see as many other shows as we can. Also, we’re staying slightly out of the city, by the coast, so we are bringing our swimming costumes with us. There’s nothing quite like a dip in the sea to instil some invaluable peace of mind. But maybe that’s a weird tip to give people coming to the Fringe? Maybe they wanna help us flyer instead? We’re open to offers.
What 3 songs would be on your Edinburgh Fringe playlist?
I love this question!! But it’s tough! Ok so we’ll have three songs for three separate purposes.
1. Ya Tal’een – Saied Silkbak, Nour Darwish – a Palestinian resistance song, which feels very tied to our show. Women would sing it outside the occupation’s prisons to their loved ones inside, hiding secret messages in its deliberately intricate melody.
2. Nights Over Egypt – The Jones Girls is probably mine and Jessie’s song. So that’s one for us, as old friends who love each other very much.
3. I Can’t Go There – Ruthven is a track that was playing in the office at the rehearsal studio in Peckham last year, on the first day we got together to start making the show. And Ruthven is just so sick that I will crowbar one of his songs into every playlist.
Where can audiences see your show?
We’re at Gilded Balloon’s new venue for this year: Appleton Tower. We’re in the Ruby theatre, 12.20pm from 30 July – 24 August (not 11). Tickets available at https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/elysium