MOTHMAN: A ROMANCE MUSICAL to Make Edinburgh Fringe Debut This Summer
Alex Franklin and Nikola McMurtrie star in the cryptid comedy, also featuring Alex Prescot and Hudson Hughes.
Alex Franklin and Nikola McMurtrie are to bring MOTHMAN: A ROMANCE MUSICAL to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August, performing at Belly Button, Cowgate, Underbelly from August 5 through August 30 (excluding August 17) at 6:50 p.m. The absurdist comedy musical, written and performed by Franklin and McMurtrie, follows a trio of monster-hunting friends navigating cryptid romance, betrayal, and cannibalism across two timelines — 1943 and 2024 — set against the woods of West Virginia. The show also features Alex Prescot and Hudson Hughes. Prior to its Fringe run, MOTHMAN: A ROMANCE MUSICAL previewed in London and at Brighton Fringe, where it received a nomination for the Best New Writing Award with Chichester Festival Theatre.
It's 1943, and the Nazis are winning. Luckily, America has one last trick up its sleeve - a super soldier! But uh oh! A moth snuck into the machine! It's mutating! It's becoming a... moth... man!?? Fast forward to 2024 and join a trio of monster-hunting friends stumbling through the woods of West Virginia into a chaotic web of forbidden cryptid romance, betrayal, cannibalism, and a Wisdom Tree. Lovingly skewering classic B-movie tropes, whilst prancing through themes of identity, sexuality, and self-acceptance, Mothman is an absurdist, larger-than-life joyride through the wilderness of modern love packed with catchy musical numbers.
Mothman: A Romance Musical is written and performed by Alex Franklin (Channel 4 and HBO Max) and Nikola McMurtrie (Funny Women Awards Winner), also featuring Alex Prescot (Musical Comedy Award Finalist) and Hudson Hughes (Double Sketch Off Finalist). The show has previewed in London and at t-Brighton Fringe where it was nominated for The Nest New Writing Award with Chichester Festival Theatre.
Alex Franklin is a trans, half-Chinese, super funny stand up and musical comedian. Her most recent solo show Gurl Code was nominated for Brighton Fringe Comedy Award, and received rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe before transferring to Soho Theatre. Alex has appeared on BBC Radio 4, Channel 4, HBO Max, ITV, and BBC1 (all for silly reasons), and has accrued 80k+ followers and 20 million views across Tiktok and Instagram. She will also be performing her new solo show Kiss Me x at the Edinburgh Fringe this year.
Nikola McMurtrie is a Scottish musical and sketch comedian based in London. Trained as a contemporary dancer (once placing 5th in the world for the Highland Fling!), Nikola pivoted into alternative comedy in 2021, bringing a mix of music, interpretive dance and multimedia chaos to the stage. Since then she's created sketches for BBC Scotland's Short Stuff, won a Funny Women Award, been a double finalist at the Musical Comedy Awards and placed third at Leicester Square Theatre's Sketch Off 2025.
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