EDINBURGH 2025: Parker Callahan Q&A
Parker Callahan: Soda Pop is at Edfringe 30 July - 24 August
BWW caught up with Parker Callahan to chat about bringing Soda Pop to the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Tell us a bit about Soda Pop.
Soda Pop is a fast, funny, and totally unhinged solo show that blends stand-up, music, original video, and character bits into one high-energy hour. It's multimedia comedy presented by a twink in a Speedo. Think of it as a haunted gay TedTalk with a live soundtrack. The show is full of surprise and spectacle, with visuals and pacing that feel like doomscrolling inside someone's mind. It premiered in my hometown of Chicago and has since evolved through live performances into a genre-bending hybrid that doesn’t really fit anywhere, so naturally, I brought it to the Fringe.
Where might we have seen you before?
Online! I make chaotic little videos as @parkthelark. If you want a taste of what Soda Pop might be like you can check me out there! Otherwise, I was a 2023 Just For Laughs New Face, and I once toured as a comedian on a cruise ship so perhaps you’ve seen me in the middle of the Atlantic.
As this is your Edinburgh debut, do you think you know what to expect from the festival?
Absolutely not. And that’s part of the appeal. I’ve been told I may experience my highest highs and my lowest lows, but one fact I know is that Scottish people will drink me under the table. I know this is one of the biggest platforms in the world for performance, and I’m genuinely excited (i.e. terrified) to see how my very American, very gay, very chaotic show resonates with an international audience.
Why was it important for you to create a show that was ‘pure fun’?
Because the world isn’t very fun right now, and I wanted to make something that gave people permission to laugh hard, forget everything, and just experience delight. I genuinely think silliness is a sacred art form. I’m here to make you laugh, surprise you, and maybe open a portal to hell BUT IN A JOYFUL WAY!
What would you like audiences to take away from it?
If I can turn a few people gay, I’ve done my job. For everyone else, I hope you walk out feeling buzzed even if you didn’t drink. I want you to feel lighter, looser, and like you just experienced something alive. And if you leave the show with a sudden fear of the gay community at large… that’s a bonus.
Parker Callahan's debut comedy hour 'Soda Pop' will be at the Assembly George Square Studio 5 for the entire fringe for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
Photo credit: Paul Octavious
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