One Man, Three Characters

There’s Jonathan, the young nerd who comes out in spectacular fashion and is trying to find love, Rosalind the chemistry professor/mother, and Hugh the chef who dreams of leaving his dull existence and be a Shakespearean actor. “The characters I created started life as aspects of me; someone who was looking for love, someone who teaches, and someone who wants to be something more,” explains writer and performer of This Can’t End Well, David Innes.

It’s clear that Innes isn’t an artist who does things by halves, as he goes beyond his comfort zone of impro to produce this show from scratch. “I wanted to write a show that challenged me as an actor. As someone who primarily performed impro, I wanted to push my abilities in performance, writing, memorising and presenting.”

With some helpful and encouraging feedback from theatre writer Scott McAteer, and Innes’ comedy partner Rob Lloyd, the script was finalised and is eagerly awaiting its first audience.

Innes believes a good Fringe show should strive to connect with their audience in some way. “The stories you tell should be relatable and personal. I’m a great believer that with dark there must be light and I hope that my show does this.” If you need further convincing, Innes has summed up his show as: “The only coming of age story that parodies science fiction in town!”

Innes reveals that the biggest challenge he has faced in creating this show is believing that everything will, in fact ‘end well’. “In impro, everything you say or do on stage is inherently disposable and is perfectly fine first time,” explains Innes. Trying to perform three very different characters and bringing them to life from his experiences wasn’t exactly a walk in the park either, but all’s well that ends well.

This Can't End Well
18 — 28 Sep, Melbourne Fringe Festival, Club Voltaire