Netflix and Paramount star Brendan Scannell brings solo Edinburgh Fringe debut to the Gilded Balloon
“Stand-up can be isolating.”
Brendan Scannell has an Emmy nomination, a Netflix series and a cult Paramount show to his name — this August the comedian, actor and writer brings his highly anticipated Fringe debut, The Abyss, to the Gilded Balloon.
Described as a love letter to families grappling with mental illness, The Abyss sees Scannell descend into the darkest depths of his own brain — populated by an Irish mother who works as a life coach obsessed with death, a bipolar brother in psychic communication with Gwyneth Paltrow, and an inner child who turns out to be a total asshole. Part surreal comedy, part emotional reckoning, the show takes on mortality, mental health and family dysfunction, asking whether Scannell can withstand the pressure or will collapse like a substandard submersible.
“Stand-up can be isolating. You’re a lone wolf up there, left to your own devices. It’s part of why I wanted to bring something with more theatre and solo show elements to Fringe,” says Brendan.
Scannell is best known for his starring role in Netflix’s Bonding, which earned him an Emmy nomination. He also co-starred in Paramount’s Heathers, and has appeared on After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson, Apple TV’s Loot and FX’s The Premise. On stage, he’s headlined Netflix Is A Joke, the New York Comedy Festival and SF Sketchfest. Vulture has called him a comedian audiences should and will know.
The show arrives in Edinburgh with momentum already behind it, having picked up two nominations at the Hollywood Fringe Festival: Top of the Fringe, and the Fringe Award for Solo Theatre.
“I have spent the last eight years trying to talk about my brother’s mental illness in stand-up and kept hitting a wall in America. Edinburgh Fringe felt like the best opportunity to stretch creatively and make the show as strong and impactful as I hope it can be.”
For audiences who know Scannell from Bonding or Heathers, The Abyss is a chance to see a familiar face in a completely different context. For Fringe regulars, it’s an introduction to one of America’s most distinctive comic voices, bringing his debut solo show to the city where that particular art form is put through its toughest test.
The Abyss, directed by Emily Olcott, runs at the Gilded Balloon Patter House throughout August as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.