EDINBURGH 2026: ELF LYONS Q&A

BWW catches up with Elf Lyons to chat about bringing Elf Lyons is The Woman On The Edge to the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tell us a bit about Woman on the Edge.

She is an old school starlet, a cross between Norma Desmond and Madeleine from Vertigo. She is well meaning but completely frayed at the edges - yet she is still able to perform Elf's show - do an opera and explain the 1970s Apollo 13 space mission. 

What is the inspiration behind the style of the show?

I love blurring genres and styles - I love opera and I love Hitchcock films and wanted to see what would happen if I could incorporate them, alongside my love for re-enactment, verbatim theatre and surrealist storytelling. 

How do the different forms of storytelling shape the narrative?

You'll have to see. But it is structured like you are only seeing short clips for a series of films - like Persona. 

What are the challenges with presenting such personal work?

Everyone thinks it is personal because it is recent and it is 'about Elf'. But they have to remember I choose what the audience knows, there is always an element of performance to it. I still feel like I walk away with the same amount kept away as I did in Horses, Raven and my other work. But it is weird that people will probably value this one more, because it is about some they consider traumatic and tragic. 

What do you hope audiences take away from it?

Laughter, joy, catharsis and that they kiss their own bodies to sleep at night. 

Elf Lyons is The Woman On The Edge runs from 5-31 August

Credit: Richard Lakos

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