Continuing our Edinburgh Fringe interview series, we speak to Liz Coin about bringing their show Lizzy Sunshine to the festival this summer. ”When her partner doesn’t show, Lizzy Sunshine makes the audience her co-star. She promised a two-person show. She got… you. Following sold-out runs at Soho Playhouse and beyond, Liz Coin is BACK with this chaotic, feel-good spectacle!”
How would you describe your show to someone discovering it for the first time at the Fringe?
Lizzy Sunshine is a whopping dose of positivity delivered in the form of a farce. It’s a two-person show with one person missing, so Lizzy uses the audience to fill in the gaps. It’s super fast-paced, includes a lot of references and slapstick bits, and is ultimately a hopeful “take” on loving an addict.
What moment, idea or frustration first sparked this show into existence?
This show came out of me so fast it was hard to keep up. I’ve always had this vision of a young girl standing on a big Broadway stage performing her heart out in the bright lights, only for the camera to pan around and she is singing into a wooden spoon in the living room for her family. Then I started writing more of what I call “high low” moments – when Lizzy thinks she’s serving big budget baddie but it’s actually giving church pageant in a basement. It wasn’t until after writing this whole show I realized every scene should have had another person in it. I also got curious about what Lizzy (I) was hiding from with this high/low veneer. After some genuine (and sometimes difficult) self-discovery, I unmasked Lizzy and found a very heart-broken kid who just wanted her loved one suffering from addiction to be okay.
How has the show evolved from its earliest idea to what audiences will see now?
The earliest idea/iteration was 25 minutes long and still had the bulk of what you see now – rose colored glasses, dressing room as “offstage,” and the same song into the monologue and finale. It took place in “Rock Bottom Community Theatre” on “their big night’ instead of taking place in real life in the theatre wherever we actually are. That change came after I took a few clown classes! Audiences now see 2 years worth of plot polishing, improved improvisation, joke punch-ups, strengthened tech cues, and a performer who knows herself a lot better than she used to.
What makes Edinburgh Fringe the right place for this show right now?
I feel like Lizzy Sunshine has reached the point where I, truly, can’t do it alone. Fringe is the perfect next step because I really need the industry connections, producer eyes, and support from my peers to take my show to the screen. I also want to be “bulletproof” as a performer in a way that only Edinburgh Fringe can make you!
What does bringing this particular show to the Fringe represent for you personally?
This represents a culmination of hard work, artistic development, and professional growth. I came to Fringe last summer for 10 days with an older version of Lizzy Sunshine to learn and experience it so that I could come this summer and really knock it out of the park. Now I’m more confident, I’ve raised more money, and I’m ready to really make a splash. The only downside is I’m not eligible for newcomer awards, but, c’est la vie.
What has been the most unexpectedly challenging part of getting this show to Edinburgh?
It is so hard to find a freaking mannequin. I need it as a prop for the show and it doesn’t fit in my suitcase from NYC. So if you’re reading this and you know anyone, send them my way.
If audiences leave the venue holding onto one thing, what do you hope it is?
HOPE! I hope it’s hope! Hold on to hope! Not toxic positivity-fueled hope, earnest hope. Human connection-fueled hope. “The opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety, it’s connection.” -Johann Hari
How do you think performing this show during a Fringe run will shape it?
I think the clown/improvised sections of the show will really improve. I hope that I find more moments of fluidity/change throughout the overwise-nailed-down script. I also think the non-US audience will lead to some new jokes/changes to bits.
Who do you hope this show finds at the Fringe?
I really, REALLY hope that Dropout TV sees my show. I’d also love Francesca Moody’s team to see it. Other than that, I hope everyone who has an addict sibling or parent finds it (and that we can hangout after).
Finally, if this show came with a warning label, what would it say?
May make even the grumpiest old Scottish man smile in spite of himself.
Lizzy Sunshine runs at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 5th – 31th August 2026 (except 12th, 18th and 24th).