Real-life homophobic attack victim turns horror to comedy for Edinburgh Fringe
Linus Karp (Photo: Dave Bird, Design: Jed Berry)
In July 2024, actor Linus Karp was the victim of a homophobic attack in Soho, London – now he’s turning it into a stage show and taking it to Edinburgh Fringe.
Karp, and his husband Joseph Martin, are the brains behind camp smash hits Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story, Gwyneth Goes Skiing and, more recently, The Fit Prince (who gets switched on the square in the frosty castle the night before (insert public holiday here)). They became the first couple to legally marry on stage at the Edinburgh Fringe last year.
The duo, who work together as Awkward Prods, are returning to Edinburgh Fringe later this year with Linus Karp Was Hit With an Umbrella.
It will mark the first time they have tackled a true story, though still in their queer, comedic way.
Back in July 2024, just before they went to the Edinburgh Fringe with Gwyneth Goes Skiing, Karp and Martin were walking through Soho hand-in-hand when a man approached and hit Karp across the head with an umbrella.
Martin chased the man and restrained him until the police arrived and arrested him.
Linus Karp Was Hit With an Umbrella will take audiences through the incident, as well as everything that came after it – from the length legal process to the emotional aftermath of being targeted just for being queer.
It will also include a fictionalise trial, with questions left unanswered confronted, with Karp able to look for resolution when no verdict ever came.
The show is written by Karp, with Martin stage manager and creative collaborator. Olivier Award nominee Haley McGee is also helping with the development, as is Eric Kuhn of Eric Kihn Productions, Doualla Croft and Sam Goodman from Side Hustle Productions, and Chris Darby from Daddy’s Money. David Thomas Tao is also Associate Producer.
Tickets are on sale now, with the show set for 5 to 30 August (apart from 18 August) at Underbelly, Bristo Square.
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