Interview: Carine and Frances Gilbert- Under the influence
What happens when identical twins go to therapy together after becoming famous on social media? The Gilbert twins, Carine and Frances, are Canadian-British identical twins, comedians, writers, and content creators. Their show takes you inside a couple’s therapy session that erupts into a hilarious musical intervention—and a reckoning that threatens to collapse their lifelong duet.
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/under-the-influence
Venue: Dairy Room at Underbelly, Bristo Square
When: 5th - 30th August (not performing on 17th)
Could you tell us a bit more about the show and the characters you play?
Our show, Under the Influence, is a musical comedy about identical twins who wind up in a couple’s therapy session after becoming famous on social media. We play ‘Carine and Frances’ - so, not a massive stretch for us!
Our characters are heavily exaggerated versions of who we are: Carine is the class clown who deflects everything with humor, and Frances is the “older”, more spiritual one who always needs to be in control. Ultimately, both of them are deeply entangled in a co-dependent relationship where they aren't entirely sure where one person's identity ends and the other's begins… At its heart, it’s a fast-paced comedy that will strike a chord with anyone who has a sibling, a partner, or a chaotic relationship of their own.
What was the initial idea behind the concept of making this show? Was there a specific moment or realization that made you say, "This needs to be a musical"?
So, spoiler alert: we actually went to couples therapy together in real life. Was it hilarious? Yes. Did it help us? Maybe...
We will both never forget the moment we first walked into that therapy room. As soon as we sat down, Frances looked at me and said, “This is such good content.” I may or may not have sworn at her and told her to take it seriously instead of trying to turn it into a viral moment...But the truth is, we both knew right then and there that one day - after we actually worked on our relationship - we would write something based on the experience. Three years later, here we are!
"With sisterhood, online pressure, and the search for your own voice being such central themes, what do you hope audiences, especially fellow creators and young people, will take away from the show?"
One thing sisterhood and social media definitely have in common: they’re both
love-hate relationships - at least in our experience! Your sibling might annoy you the heck out of you, and scrolling on your phone can easily leave you overwhelmed and stressed. But at the end of the day (as cringey as it sounds), the love you share with your family and the genuine community you can find online always supersedes the negatives. We hope that after watching the show, people are reminded that the messy part of the journey is worth celebrating too, and that it’s totally okay not to have all the answers figured out.
Georgie Rankcom is well-known for directing amazing shows like Oh, Mary! (where they are the Associate Director)and Dark of the Moon. What was it like working together with her to translate your ideas onto the stage?
Working with Georgie has been an absolute dream come true and a full-circle moment for us. Not only because she is a creative genius, but because we’ve been close friends with her since we started drama school together at GSA almost 10 years ago!
Since our show is so deeply personal and based on our real-life relationship, being directed by someone as talented as Georgie, who also happens to have a decade of understanding of who we are has been so valuable - and honestly, super cathartic. Bringing this show to life with Georgie has felt so natural, and it’s genuinely been such a joy.
What are you most looking forward to about bringing this story to life on stage this August?
I think we’re both most looking forward to finally sharing the real identical twin experience. Everyone is always so fascinated by twins, and while we’ve all seen the classic “twin magic” tropes in TV and movies, there’s a whole side of being twins that’s rarely shown. Sure, there’s magic, but there’s also a lot of identity confusion and co-dependency. Even though our relationship is incredibly unique, the core of what we’ve gone through is actually universal, and we’re so excited to share something new with our audience in a way that still feels deeply relatable and familiar to them.
If you could describe the show in just three words, what would they be?
The three C’s: Chaos, Co-dependency, and Comedy!
