John Partridge: Stripped is on at the Assembly Checkpoint, during August. 

  • Tell us about your Fringe show

STRIPPED is a new beginning. A reinvention if myself in many ways. Life has a way of hardening you, at least mine had. This is my attempt at shedding those skins. Saying goodbye to that part of myself and embracing somebody I knew a long time ago. Through film, music, poetry, song, and dance I tell my story and in turn ask the audience to consider theirs. Love, loss, sobriety, sexuality, 6, 12, 26, 46, 66... I will never be 66! Not all at the same time anyway! Featuring original music and choreography alongside Bush, Bowie, Buckley, and more... the soundtrack of my life.

  • How does it feel to be playing the Fringe for the first time?

Amazing! I’m so excited. I’ve played the Edinburgh Playhouse many times. Most recently this year with La Cage Aux Folles. But never the Fringe... nice to be a virgin at something at 46!

  • Why did you decide to perform at the Fringe?

I played a version of this show at The Other Palace in London. Initially it was purely for me. I’ve said that this show is a union with myself. Explaining to people who and where I am now. Why and how I got here. I hadn’t considered the impact that would have on an audience. Sometimes we think our problems, life, are just that... ours.

However after my first show a very good friend of mine told me something. She said, ‘The thing is John, it started of being about you and ended up being about me.’ This had a profound effect on me as it was the last thing u considered. I was so consumed with being worried about what people would think of me... whether they would be angry, appalled, shocked, indifferent, that I never realised they too could feel the same. My show deals with universal themes: love, loss, addiction, sexuality... LIFE!

  • If you were not a performer what would you be doing?

I really have no idea what I would be doing if I wasn’t a performer. I left home at 10 to train at the Royal Ballet School and since then that is all I have ever wanted to do. My ambition, drive, desire, and needs are still the same as they were then. You could say it’s in my DNA. However I’m always evolving and learning. I’ve made mistakes and growing old in this business means you have to adapt and evolve. So I guess I’m still a work in progress!

  • How do you prepare for a performance?

I rehearse a lot. Preparation is everything. I’ve been performing for over 30 years and one thing I’ve learned is know your shit!

  • Best/worst advice you’ve been given ahead of your debut show?

I haven’t really been given any advice and if I had I probably wouldn’t have listened to it anyway!

  • Favourite thing about being in Edinburgh?

I first came to Edinburgh when I was 17, almost 30 years ago!
I will never forget standing on the Royal Mile and thinking what a magical place. I couldn’t believe that nobody has told me how incredibly beautiful it was. A gothic DisneyLand. When I was a kid I used to copy all the Disney images from movies like Snow White and Cinderella... and it reminded me of all those towers and turrets. It looked like a fairytale to me. Whenever I think of Edinburgh I always think of that day and how utterly spellbound I was and still am!

  • What’s the most Scottish thing you’ve done?

My Father is from Glasgow... and I am my Father’s son. I’m incredibly proud of my Scottish heritage. I’m Scottish every day!

  • Favouite Scottish food/drink?

My favourite Scottish food is kippers.

  • Sum up your show in three words

It’s a hit!

John Partridge: Stripped is on at the Assembly Checkpoint, during August. For tickets, please visit www.edfringe.com