Behind the Mic: Liebenspiel

Tell me about Liebenspiel...

Liebenspiel is a production company run by comedians Benjamin Alborough (Terry Wogan impersonator, Monopoly reinventor, marzipanophile) and Ellie BW (Scorpio, Caesar Salad lover, Sketch Off Winner 2023). We curate and programme seasons of alternative comedy. We like getting really hands-on with big, complicated ideas and making the kind of things that usually only happen at the Edinburgh Fringe happen UK-wide.

How did it come about?

Ben put an all-day comedy festival together at Bridge House Theatre Penge in August 2020. He and Ali Brice did a show called Risky Fizzness (attempting to carbonate things for an hour) and so the seeds were sown for the kind of thing Liebenspiel might do. We chatted properly for the first time afterwards, and two years later got the chance to programme a season at the Brighton Spiegeltent during their Fringe.

Also, one of the things that contemporary theatre makers are very good at doing is experimenting with format and style in a way that comedy should be doing more! As theatre kids ourselves, we want to facilitate that.

What was the first Liebenspiel project like?

That first Spiegeltent season was electric. Sometimes you just know when something works and that worked. Some of the best Cabaret Impedimentas ever happened in that tent. 

What would be your dream Liebenspiel get?

The best thing about what we do is we often don't know what we want until we have it.

Strange and totally unique one-off shows like A Young Man Dressed As A Gorilla Dressed As An Old Man etc have now become legendary, and we want to keep those spectacular-thing-you'll-be kicking-yourself-for-missing ideas alive and thriving.

With Bedlam Late, we champion those one-off comedy experiences – out-there ideas that comedians may have daydreamed about but not had the time or space to do them, in a low stakes environment where you can let your creativity run wild. We hope to provide that – a stage, tech, no upfront artist costs, and encouragement to make ridiculous ideas a reality. 

What's been your biggest takeaway from running Liebenspiel?

The things that you think might make you money often don't.
Creating risky work is the most important thing creatively, but also financially.
'Safe' doesn't mean audiences come. 
The falafel wrap at Palmyra is perfect. When bossman asks if you want salad and sauce, you say YES.

Who at the Fringe (and beyond) should we look out for?

Ben: Cerys Bradley. The Mayor and his Daughter. Sam Dodgshon & Stolen Table Collective. Su Mi. Nate Kitch. Ali Brice. Ben Volchok. Pat Cahill. A Night of Drama.

Ellie: Ada and Bron. Ayoade Bamgboye. Stepdads. Goblin by Derek Mitchell. Jain Edwards. Ozzy Algar. Knight, Knight. Cabbage the Clown. Betty Grumble. INBEDWITHMYBROTHER. Late night stuff at Paradise Palms. And loads more.

Who's the funniest comedian you've seen and why?

Besides all our acts…

Ben: In 2019 Joshua Ladgrove, in character as Neil Portenza, in character as Joshua Ladgrove, gave a seminar on bilge pumps for an hour. I saw it three times and even bought the t-shirt (still in my regular rotation).

Ellie: A guy telling one-liners about cars for five minutes at an average Brighton Open Mic. Unless you knew every make and model of every car ever, there was no way you could understand any of the jokes. He rattled through them, laughing to himself after every one to complete silence, except me and my friend howling. His dedication was incredible and I’m so sure every joke was expertly crafted, but I had no idea what was going on. That mixture of craft and bewilderment is what I HUNGER for.

What's next for Liebenspiel?

We're at the Fringe with a heap of great shows: Andy Barr's presenting his 'fourth debut' hour, Soft Play are doing a sketch show about double acts, Sean Morley has a WIP, Mr Cardboard returns for a limited run, there’s two nights of Hot Rubber, Terry Wogan is back from the dead, Absolute Monopoly rides again. And of course we have our tightly curated Bedlam Late programme (funded by Keep It Fringe). Full lineup over @liebenspiel on Instagram.

That programme launched as a Skinny exclusive – you can find our lineups of experimental mixed bill weirdness here (Bedlam Theatre, 00.30am every weekend). This year The Glang Show and Kink Shame Show are back alongside brand new ideas like Appetite for Destruction, a live cooking show, and a Lorna Rose Treen/Jonathan Oldfield hosted gig called One Joke where the plan is to book over 40 comedians, have them tell a single joke onstage and then leave. We’ve just approved the budget for 25 party cannons.