EDINBURGH 2025: LOLO'S BOYFRIEND SHOW Q&A

BWW caught up with creator and performer Lauren O'Brien to chat about bringing Lolo's Boyfriend Show to the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tell us a bit about Lolo’s Boyfriend Show.

I started writing Lolo during the pandemic, as a way to escape into a dating dreamscape. I wrote stream-of-consciousness at first, focusing on the comedy. I desperately needed comedy during that time. But later, Lolo’s darker colors revealed themselves. Lolo wants love more than anything, but she’s the embodiment of failure. She can’t keep a boyfriend, her tour shut down, and she’s forced to return to her childhood bedroom. An invitation from a guy she met on tour could be her escape plan! But it triggers a traumatic (and hilarious) trip through boyfriends past. There, Lolo discovers that maybe (just maybe…) she has a different path to happiness in the world…

Why bring it to Edinburgh?

I hear that Edinburgh audiences don’t get offended too easily! You guys are ok with sex, violence, and getting down in the dirt with someone, right? Hope so! Lolo’s Boyfriend Show isn’t for the for the faint of heart. I mean, she’s got a great sense of humor, but she also  grapples with self-harm, love addiction, depression…the list goes on. But, it’s fun when other people have problems!

How has response been to the show so far?

Lolo’s  Boyfriend Show debuted at the New York City Fringe Festival. We performed to full houses and had the honor of winning the Audience Choice Award. We later sold out the Depot Theatre and were invited to do an Off-Broadway run at Playhouse 46, where Lolo was very well received. I am delighted (and humbled) that we have had such a wonderful response so far. I created Lolo, but now I kinda see her like a naïve little sister. I’m protective of Lolo, so I am over-the-moon that audiences have been loving her as much as I do!

Who would you like to come and see it?

As many people as possible! People of all ages, genders, colors, and sexual orientations (particularly  people who enjoy sex) have had powerful responses to Lolo. High School students find her to be deeply relatable (as long as they are ok with off-color content), and men and women in their 70s have been caught rolling on the floor laughing during Lolo’s antics. But…if you need a tighter demographic: anyone who dated; anyone who has struggled with the demons of self-hate and addiction.

What would you like audiences to take away from it?

I’d love audiences to find themselves more at peace with their own flaws after watching Lolo struggle. So many of us judge ourselves harshly. But, maybe if we give Lolo grace as we watch her make terrible choices, we can do the same for ourselves. I’d also love for audiences to leave inspired to take a step forward in their own lives…a step that they have been yearning to take just under the surface. Maybe dust off the piano, start that novel, or book a tropical vacation. I hope Lolo inspires people to do something for their soul!

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