Chicago charmer, John Michael, makes his Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut with his Meatball Séance.
Did you hear John Michael has a new boyfriend? Oh yes! In honor of the grand occasion, you and the new beau and the entire audience are cordially invited to meet John’s mom. But she’s deceased… Sad. So he’s gonna summon her from the dead by cooking her famous meatballs onstage! Yay! Wait, what?
“John Michael is the wide-eyed, enthusiastic, bombastic breath of fresh air that the Fringe needs.” The Orlando Sentinel.
John Michael is a solo-performer based in Chicago, Illinois. He’s toured his current show Meatball Seance to the Steppenwolf, the Orlando Fringe, the Cincinnati Fringe, St. Louis Fringe, Indy Fringe, Dallas Solo Fest and is thrilled to debut Meatball Séance in Edinburgh. The show tackles the ofttimes delicate subjects of grief and loss with charm and wit alongside John Michael’s undeniably puckish spirit.
“If a cooking segment about his dead mother sounds morbid, John Michael sees it, rather, as intensely human. It’s not a dour show, but an affirming, interactive, community-building experience.” The Dallas Voice.
Says the performer, “When people found out my mother had died, they would often express their sympathies by apologising. Which caused me to change the subject. For the longest time, their discomfort made me stop talking about her. Meatball Séance makes a case for celebratory grieving. We can’t ignore loss because our loved ones live on through us.”
Meatball Séance includes optional audience participation with actual cooking on stage. Mixed with garlic, breadcrumbs, milk, and meat — this is the Fringe at it’s finest. Don’t miss John Michael’s Meatball Séance!
