Roman Fraden performs in his debut show, Back In The Closet, at the Gilded Balloon’s Balcony Room at Teviot, during  August (not 15th).

  • Tell us about your Fringe show

Back In The Closet is a culmination of the very my best chunks of my touring stand up material, but rolled into a more visually exciting and theatrical presentation than a typical stand-up show. A lot of it deals with life in modern society, being an ex-figure skater, and the hilarious ways in which my attempts at being a functional homosexual backfire on me regularly.

  • How does it feel to be playing the Fringe for the first time?

I have already gone through so many ups and downs and different levels of excitement and amazement around the entire process, and I am still just a week away from even arriving to Edinburgh! So I would say... a lot of anticipation; it’s definitely sweet anticipation though.

I was also originally prepared to just find a small space somewhere on the edge of town and do very stripped-down stand up every night, toss the dice and see what happens. Getting to do this full show now, at Gilded Balloon, is a dream come true for sure.

  • Why did you decide to perform at the Fringe?

I love the open access nature of it, and the duration and intensity involved with pulling it off was always very appealing to me. It’s been my dream to live in a big city and go on stage every night, and I’m super excited to finally get to have this experience for more than just a couple of days.

Also, similarly to making a diamond, you really need a lot of pressure and intensity which I feel like doing a show 27 times in a row provides. I can’t say that I know what to expect, but I have a general idea that it’s going to be life-changing and difficult and beautiful.

  • If you were not a performer what would you be doing?

I think I would raise dogs and goats in the countryside of Tuscany. That sounds nice.

  • How do you prepare for a performance?

I don’t really have a ritual of any type, I try not to be rushed and give myself some time to get there and chill out, try and run through what I’m doing in my head to avoid any last-minute blank outs. Maybe a few jumping jacks right before I go on to get the spirits flowing, and knock out any last resistance in my body.

  • Best/worst advice you’ve been given ahead of your debut show?

The worst was probably that I need to remove all of the ‘vulgarities’ from my show in order for it to appeal to intellectuals. My father gave me that tip. Oh wait, is that maybe also the best??

  • Favourite thing about being in Edinburgh?

It would only be fantasy at this point as I haven’t arrived yet, but I imagine the castled nature of the city will right away put me into a deep dream state. Oh, and staying up late each night. Here in LA it’s so tempting to curl up with my dog early evening and not drive anywhere, so out there I expect it should be a nice full month of pushing through that, on all cylinders.

  • What’s the most Scottish thing you’ve done?

Ok so the most Scottish? Hmm that’s a tough one because I have yet to find out what ‘Scottish’ really is... maybe the one time I... nah never mind, I would just be messing with you if I told you now.

  • Favouite Scottish food/drink?

The Whisky. For sure, 100%.

  • Sum up your show in three words

Rocketship to pleasure.

Show summary

American figure skating champion turned comedian Roman Fraden invites you to take a cosmic journey Back in the Closet – his uproarious personal odyssey through motel rooms with Tonya Harding, catastrophic Grindr hookups, and the deeply upsetting story behind why Sting once called him 'the pussy of a plant'. 

Roman Fraden performs in his debut show, Back In The Closet, at the Gilded Balloon’s Balcony Room at Teviot, during  August (not 15th). For tickets, please visit www.edfringe.com