The Sunshine Clinic is coming to The Pleasance what can you tell us about it?
My show is a character comedy show set in a fictional rehab called ‘The Sunshine Clinic’ (recently crowned by Recovery Magazine as “Britain’s Clinic Closest to the M4”!) The founder of the clinic is a narcissistic woman from the Yorkshire Dales called Janet Waitrose. She manages to make all therapy sessions entirely about herself and how she was one of 400 under 40 in her local Gazette’s feature celebrating the middle aged! It’s silly and it’s stupid and it’s heart-warming and I’d love you to come.
What inspired you to write this show?
The project was inspired by my own genuine love of self help and therapy, combined with a troubling worship of character comedians. In terms of the latter I am obsessed with the work of Steve Coogan, Kristen Wiig, Lolly Adefope, and Carmen Christopher.
Is it based on real events?
To a certain extent. Rehab clinics are not regulated in many countries, like America, where they allow any old person to set up a hotel, call it an addiction clinic and take thousands of pounds of vulnerable people’s money. With private inpatient rehab treatment extremely rarely funded on the NHS, and with addiction services now being the responsibly of local councils, and with private inpatient treatment clinics in the UK being hugely expensive, many send themselves abroad to try to cut some corners on costs. A close relative of mine did just that and found themselves in a place with unqualified people at the helm of the lives of all these very vulnerable people who had bankrupted themselves to go there. With the UK being the overdose capital of Europe, I wanted my show to shed a comedically ridiculous spotlight on this issue.
What’s the one thing about this show that makes it different from all the rest?
I’m doing some genuinely exciting stuff with film, where I interact with other characters played by me on a screen, which as far as I know, hasn’t been done before in an Edinburgh Fringe show!
How does it feel to be at The Pleasance?
It is really a dream come true! I got into comedy after coming to the Edinburgh Fringe and devouring the Pleasance’s entire roster of acts so to be debuting there myself genuinely fills me such joy and gratitude.
Who will The Sunshine Clinic appeal to the most?
I think it’s going to appeal a lot to Bradley Cooper, sorry to hear about your break up Bradley, book your ticket and let’s have a drink in the courtyard after the show!
Cam Spence’s The Sunshine Clinic is at Pleasance Bunker Three 31st July – 25th August (not 12th)
