EDINBURGH 2014 - BWW INTERVIEWS: Christina Bianco!

Ahead of her debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2014, actress and singer Christina Bianco (who recently blogged for BWW:UK about her London performances) spoke to us about her show Divallusion.

What are your expectations of the Edinburgh Fringe festival?

I expect to be exhausted! I want to see and take part in everything but I'll also be performing every night, so I know I'll need a delicate balance of work, play and rest! I've always wanted to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe. I'm looking forward to meeting artists from all over the world and experiencing the creativity of the festival environment, first hand.

How would you describe your show?

In Divallusion, Velma [the show's co-creator Velma Celli] and I celebrate famous music and pop culture divas in some new and wacky ways! Audiences can expect to see impressions, sketches, dancing, musical mashups - you name it! We try to give the crowd a little bit of everything. There will be just as many humorous moments as heartfelt ones. Also, it's an interactive show so the audience can really get involved and join the party.

Who is your favourite diva to perform as?

Oh, I can't choose just one! I have the most fun impersonating Celine Dion, Bernadette Peters and Kristin Chenoweth. All three women have very unique singing and speaking voices that are unmistakable to a listener. Celine, in particular, also gives me a lot of fun opportunities when it comes to physicality. Also, I always try to sing Celine's and Kristin's songs in the same keys they perform them in. It's a great personal challenge!

Are there any other acts you're looking forward to checking out during the festival?

I can't wait to see 'Austentatious!' I've been hearing about it for a few years now. It's a show in which the cast improvises a new Jane Austen piece each day. As a huge Austen and improv fan, that is right up my alley.

What are you most looking forward to about performing in Scotland?

I'm very excited to see what the Fringe audiences are like! We have no festival of this scale in the US so I have nothing to compare it to. I know that the crowds will be a very diverse mix of people so I'm eager to see how each performance changes with each new audience. That's what I love most about performing live - that it can be different every time and allow you to find something new, eight shows a week. Or in this case, 22 shows in 22 days!

Previews for Divallusion start on July 31st and the show runs until August 21st.