Interview: Liz Coin - Lizzy Sunshine
When her partner doesn't show up, Lizzy Sunshine does the only logical thing: she makes the audience her co-star. Liz Coin, a New York-based actor and comedian, presents a chaotic, feel-good spectacle that was promised as a two-person show but leaves the heavy lifting—and the spotlight—to you. Following sold-out runs at Soho Playhouse and beyond, Lizzy Sunshine is a fast-paced hour packed with gags gone wrong, big characters, and something surprisingly real just beneath the surface.
Ticket Link:https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/lizzy-sunshine
Venue: Coorie at Gilded Balloon Patter House
When: 5 -31 August (not 12, 18 & 24)
Could you tell us a bit more about yourself and what Lizzy Sunshine is all about?
Of course! I'm Liz Coin, a New York City-based actor and comedian trying my freaking best. I have an affinity for all things over-the-top, cringe, nostalgic, and relatable! Lizzy Sunshine is allllllllll about positivity. It's a farce! The show is supposed to star two people, but one is running late, so Lizzy uses the audience to fill in the gaps until he arrives. It's the kind of show that plays its cards close to the chest and then really hits you in the end. I'd say it's 90% hahaha, 10% ohhh shit.
A reviewer said it was "very Pagliacci", so do with that what you will.
How did you first get involved in comedy, and where did the original idea to turn your experiences into a stage show come from?
I always LOVED theater. I did so many musicals in Iowa and always got cast as the comedic relief. I started doing comedy more intentionally in middle school (my sketch group was called The Laughletes) and improv throughout high school and college until I got to Second City in Chicago. I eventually moved to New York, and now it's all I do.
I think comedy has always been in me, especially during painful times. When I started the idea for Lizzy Sunshine, I didn't think it was going to be about what it's actually about (my lived experiences with my brother/family), I thought it would just be funny. I like high/low shows, shows that lie to the audience, unreliable narrators, clowns, divas. I like that Lizzy thinks she's on Broadway when in reality it's a sweaty basement. I love a stark contrast that smacks you in the face, okay?! Sue me.
After performing sold-out runs in places like New York and Chicago, you are returning to the Edinburgh Fringe!
How does it feel to bring Lizzy Sunshine back to Scotland, and what are you most looking forward to about the festival this year?
WooOOoOoOOooooOOoOooOooooo!!!!!! It feels excellent. I'm a lot more hopeful this year because I have a better lay of the land and know more people. I'm hopeful I can fill the rooms more because I have leaned TF in on marketing! I want to share this story so badly. I love it when people resonate, typically other family members of addicts, and I love the human connection element of my show. There's nothing like a full room of people singing in unison!!!! I'm most looking forward to seeing the people I met last year, like the couple I met flyering, other performers, the mothers’ support group who came last year, everyone. The best part of the festival is the people, easy.
Since the show relies so much on audience participation when things "go wrong" on stage, what has been your favourite or most chaotic, unexpected moment with an audience member so far?
Oh my gosh, so many. I love when things "go wrong" because it makes the show "go right." One time in NYC, when I asked the audience to tell me their problems, one lady told me she JUST found out that her husband of 30 years had been cheating for 10 years and had an entirely different family. The entire audience was like WHAAAAT?!!!?!? Lizzy Sunshine can solve most problems, but we had to turn that one over to God.
What do you hope audiences take away from the show behind all the jokes and the rose-colored glasses?
I hope people feel everything. The jokes and rose-colored glasses work to charm and disarm you so that when the truth comes, it hits your open heart. I pray people feel empathetic towards the addicts in their lives, to themselves for loving an addict, and that they remain HOPEFUL! I believe optimism is a strength. It can actually be a life-saving coping mechanism to look on the brightside, I'm proof!
If you had to describe Lizzy Sunshine in only three words to make people eager to come and see it, what would they be?
Not about meth!!!!!!!!!!!
