Unpacking The Bug Hotel with Lovebugs Comedy
What happens when you combine the chaotic reality of British budget hospitality, a lone reception desk bell, and a team of quick-witted comedians? You get The Bug Hotel, a mildly unhinged, high-energy comedy show landing at the Lambeth Fringe this October. We caught up with creator Kate McGhee and contributor Rosie G to discuss the inspiration behind the production, why room service might just be a vending machine snack, and how they built a dynamic ensemble show around a zero-prop setup.
If you had to describe the vibe of your show in just one sentence, what would it be and how does that manifest on stage?
The Bug Hotel has a mildly unhinged, but joyful vibe. Each performance is distinctive, with new hotel guests and staff to meet. You’ll discover that our show is much more than a mixed bill of comedians.
Why is 2026 the perfect time for this show to be seen?
The ongoing “cozzy livs” crisis means that low-budget hotels have increased their customer base, and probably more people than ever have recent experience of them. Fortunately, there’s a lot to laugh about too.
What was the ‘eureka moment’ that made you realise this story had to be told right now?
Everyone has a funny travel story. When we decided to do this show, I was confident that all our comedians could come along with plenty of ideas and fledgling material to build an hour-long show in a short space of time.
Also, a lot of Fringe Festivals are typically during or close to peak holiday season, so we hope our audiences can relate and maybe share some of their own stories too.
Is this version how you originally envisioned it or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?
In one version of the show (each show is different), we even have a Reverend visiting The Bug Hotel on official business. Our comedians found wonderful ways to commit to the hotel setting.
What was it that drew you to this show and role?
For me, it started with dressing the part. We were under quite a lot of time pressure to get our artwork ready in advance. I knew I wanted to be a character and one of my first ideas, before I even wrote my script or an arc for the show, was to be, at least from the waist up, an inefficient hotel receptionist. The costume got me started with developing a character and thinking about all the different and funny scenes you could have in a hotel lobby.
What is the “secret sauce” that makes your group dynamic work?
Our secret sauce is our group’s ability to trust each other to do the majority of the work independently and then flex and collaborate quickly to make a fully integrated show. Our collective lives all over London and beyond. We’re often travelling and all have very different schedules, so this needed to be a production that could still work despite those limitations.
If your show was a meal, what would it be?
If we were being upscale and fancy, it would be a five-course tasting menu to stimulate all the senses. Come for that at our monthly show in Bermondsey!
However, we’re not. Get real. This is a low-budget hotel. Room service and a club sandwich is probably not an option; more likely snacks from the vending machine or we’d order something from the nearest fast-food place. Mmmm… melted cheese, fries, and a big Fanta. Random guilty pleasures to keep us smiling until breakfast time.
What songs would make up the soundtrack to your show?
As far as soundtracks go, we quite like hotel lounge and elevator music. String quartet or piano versions of classic hits are innately very funny and overblown.
Low-budget hotels tend not to embrace such classy tunes though, and live performance needs something more upbeat. Would something with a bit of a party vibe; Whigfield or “The Venga Bus” match the frothy energy of our show?
If you could perform this show anywhere in the world?
If we could perform anywhere, it would be quite fun to go meta and perform this as a cabaret at an actual hotel, as long as we don’t get thrown out!
Imagine taking this to Las Vegas! We might have to update a few of our references because we do lean quite heavily into British hospitality tropes, but we are up for it! MGM Grand here we come, if they’ll have us and stump up for the plane tickets.
What’s the weirdest or most unconventional prop used in your show?
We only have one official prop: a little “ring for service” bell. It comes in very useful throughout the show.
Many thanks to Kate and Rosie for allowing us into the hotel to chat. The Bug Hotel will play at The Bread and Roses Theatre on Wednesday 14 and Friday 15 October as part of Lambeth Fringe.
