Michelle Brasier’s Fringe show, It’s A Shame We Won’t Be Friends Next Year, takes childhood ghosts, harsh reviews, class trauma, and even bedbugs, then spins them into an hour that’s equal parts comedy, confessional, and chaos.
With three key changes, a threat disguised as a love song, and more characters than a late-night soap, Brasier proves that theatre kids really do grow up to rule the playground.
Now with her debut memoir, My Brother’s Ashes Are in a Sandwich Bag, about to hit UK shelves, Brasier is doubling down on what she does best: making you laugh, cry, and question why you weren’t invited to the fingering shed in high school.
We caught up with her to talk petty revenge fantasies, Gwyneth Paltrow turtlenecks, and why the grind of showbiz feels a lot like second gear.
You don’t forget where you came from, and you don’t forget the things that you didn’t have.
Your show title sounds like a passive-aggressive text from a former friend. What’s the pettiest revenge fantasy you nearly included in the script?
I didn’t have any proper rage past potentially using his real name.
You’ve tracked down a childhood ghost and the critic who once haunted you – how did it feel turning those memories into something so funny, strange, and moving?
I pull at threads too hard. (I really should seek a diagnosis) Once I’m curious about something – and especially if I’m curious about my reaction to something – I’m diving in baby. The thing about reviews, about commenting on other people, about the idea that we have to make a judgement or a classification of a person, artwork, meal etc. is that it only hurts us. We don’t need to judge everything. Not until we learn to love everything and give each other a bit of grace rather than throwing people or things into a yes or no category. People have opinions and it’s nice to share those but I really hate the idea of people who have never made a show or a film pretending to be an authority on shows or films. It isn’t really fair.
I’ve gone on a ramble here but really what I want to say in this show and the reason that people end up feeling moved by it is that every single of us feels like we are not enough and I don’t think we are very good at helping each other in that department but in this hour, I am going to try.
Musical theatre. Class anxiety. Bedbugs. Which one came closest to breaking you?
Oh my god hahaha probably bedbugs. I didn’t even know they were real. Like narwals – did you know they are real? Except you can’t get narwals from staying at a Novotel in Canberra. I became afraid of going to bed, it was so awful. I love bed!
The opening number of your show is I’d Really Like You to Like Me – is that a heartfelt plea, a comic warning, or a love letter to every audience you’ve ever faced?
It’s a threat of physical violence should they not receive me well. There are three key changes.
If this show is your therapy session, does Tim (your onstage and offstage partner) count as your emotional support keyboardist?
He plays guitar so no. Lol. I don’t really think shows should be therapy but if they were I would bring my dog on stage and just see what she does. She joins me for trial shows, really takes the edge off. Nothing like a dog to bring up a vibe. All that said despite his lack of piano skills Tim is an incredible support. He’s so calm and I am so erratic.
Which hurts more: a harsh review or a twelve-year-old boy quietly rejecting your friendship in Year 6? (Although we suspect you’ve never actually had a truly harsh review since the one you talk about!)
Ooh mama I mean the stabbing or the twisting of the knife? I think for me the review really sent me into a spiral but only because of the seed being planted when I was a kid. I was surprised at how much I cared about what people thought. I honestly think I found all of this success and I started buying into the 4 stars and the 5 stars and reading people’s DMs and believing that awards mean something and once you buy into your own hype – you’re ripe for destruction when a voice disagrees. The key is never to read reviews, and I know that now. I feel bad for both the reviewer and the kid honestly – I must seem so mad to them. And I kind of am but that’s okay that’s showbiz baby!
You’ve spoken about how words linger long after they’re said – what line from this show do you think will echo longest?
‘Gwyneth Paltrow Turtle Neck’ which to me, means if you are going to say something, say something nice or interesting about it – like on my Letterboxd where I review films without such an arbitrary rating system like stars and just say what I liked about it and what I like about the film Sliding Doors is Gwyneth Paltrow in her turtle neck.
If Fast & Furious were a metaphor for class trauma, what gear would you be stuck in?
Omg thank you for bringing up something so important to me. I think I slip between 3rd and 4th gears but during the time period of writing this show I felt stuck in second gear (Friends). Class is something that never leaves you. You don’t forget where you came from, and you don’t forget the things that you didn’t have. I try not to be resentful, but I always acknowledge any privileges I am lucky to have. Like having a publicist to get me this interview you know, not everyone has access to that. So, thanks for this babe.
This show is for the freaks and theatre kids – what do you hope those audiences take away from it?
I hope that they want to make more safe spaces for the vulnerable people in their lives. I hope they find something kind to say to someone who might be having a bad day. I know it’s really basic and of course we all know we should do that. I just want to remind everyone.
And finally, when your memoir My Brother’s Ashes Are in a Sandwich Bag hits UK shelves this August… should we laugh, cry, or keep tissues and tequila close just in case?
You will laugh but the general feedback has been a lot of crying. It’ll make you feel hopeful and wish you got invited to the fingering shed in high school as well.
©fm
Michelle Brasier: It’s A Shame We Won’t Be Friends Next Year is at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival until 24th August.
For tickets and more information, visit tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk
And her debut memoir My Brother’s Ashes Are In A Sandwich Bag’is available from Amazon here: amazon.co.uk/Brothers-Ashes-are-Sandwich-Bag
