Interview: Musical Shenanigans, Epic Sword Fights and a Lutulele

The Tempestuous: A Shrew’d New Comedy by Will Shakespeare & Penny Ashton, Old Red Lion Theatre

As part of Camden Fringe 2025 there’s also Shakefest, Old Red Lion Theatre’s celebration and reimagination of the Bard’s works. It’s a lovely addition to the whole festival, and so one we’ve happily included in our interview series. Over the course of July we are publishing more than 100 interviews with artists bringing work to the festival. You can find all all those currently published here.

Next up is award Winning New Zealander, and farthest flung fringe act, Penny Ashton. Penny is heading to the home of the bard to add some Kiwi sizzle to the canon. She’ll spark 11 characters into life in a brand new Elizabethan tale of magic, meddling and puffed bull’s pizzles. Riddled with quotes, characters and allusions from Shakespeare himself, plus songs set to Gershwin, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, Puccini and more, this show promises to be an enticing mash up of some brilliant ideas.

The Tempestuous: A Shrew’d New Comedy by Will Shakespeare & Penny Ashton plays at Old Red Lion Theatre in its ShakeFest season from 7 to 9 August. But before then, Penny took some time to tempt us into her multi-dimensional theatrical world.

What can audiences expect from the show? 

The Bard’s best bits shmooshed into a 90 minute new rollicking feisty tale of a tempestuous princess refusing to be told what to do. Musical shenanigans, epic sword fights, a lutulele, CPR, menopausal witches, 11 characters, one woman and many many many many puns of varying quality.

Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage, or have you already performed elsewhere?

This is a seasoned show having spent the last two years on the road around New Zealand and Canada. 

What was your inspiration behind the show?

I have previously tackled Austen and Dickens, but felt up for flexing my performance poet origins to spit out some iambics, trochaics and doublets. I loved making the words sing as I squashed them into meters. As to the subject I knew I had to tell a feisty woman’s story, I always do multi-role, but doing it knowing women were banned from the Elizabethan stage is even more delicious in playing everyone. 

Is this version how you originally envisioned it or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?

I didn’t envisage being quite so sweaty by the end, but otherwise I am on vision. 

What is it about your character that you most enjoy?

I love playing all 11 of them. 

How challenging has this role been for you?

I have been doing 3 spin classes a week to keep up the fitness I need for this very physical show. 

Being a fringe festival, we all know sets have to be bare minimum, how have you got around this with your set and props?

Being from New Zealand I am well used to begging pieces from people’s houses the world over. A throne is trickier than usual however. 

How important is audience interaction to you?

I am a comedian. If the audience isn’t laughing I am spiraling into a depressive episode. I live for the energy I get in my workplace. I could never be a bank teller, there’s just not enough applause. I also love involving and interacting with actual audience members, the energy and spontaneous joy this brings to my shows is a bloody delight. And I am good at picking people who want to be there, honestly!

Are there any plans for what comes next after the show has finished its run – for you or the show?

I am always touring! 

If you had to describe your show as a colour what would it be?

Red Hot. Princess Rosa is fiery, the witches are powered by hot flushes, there’s raw passion, an exploding Mt Etna, and danger left right and centre. Also many wines. 

What is the weirdest or most unconventional prop used in your show?

I have a K Mart squeezy pig dog toy. Obviously for a show set in Elizabethan Sicily. It has featured in many poetry slams I MC as the squeezy pig of doom, but made it into this show as a volunteer’s Pork Instrument. They usually enjoy squeezing it with lusty gusto. 

What’s the most valuable piece of advice you’ve received during your career, and how has it influenced your work on this show?

If you want to make a living in the theatre write your own material and cast yourself. Other people have terrible taste and no idea what you’re capable of. You probably don’t even know what you’re capable of BUT you only know if you try. Fringes are the best place to start, do what you love AND what people want to see. Then hustle your arse off.

Unless you have epic amounts of arts council funding then do whatever the fuck you want. 

Well that last answer alone would start a big discussion among the Everything Theatre reviewers. Thanks, Penny, for your very poetic insights, we can’t wait to see what you’ve put together.

The Tempestuous plays at The Old Red Lion Theatre as part of SHAKEFEST from Thursday 6 to Saturday 9 August. Follow the link below for further information and tickets.