Musical comedian Kayleigh Jones is taking her solo show ‘I Fed My Dad to a Pelican’ to the Edinburgh Fringe this Summer. It is thanks to the ‘Keep it Fringe’ fund that the Leicester Comedy Festival ‘Best Debut Show’ nominee is able to participate in 2025 and after the most eventful 6 months featuring surgery to remove a rib, the performer is within touching distance of her festival run. I recently had the pleasure of speaking to Kayleigh about her personal hour of standup and songs, as well as her journey to Edinburgh.
Comedy journey
As someone with an acting background and a “storyteller brain”, Kayleigh created a song about female casting calls in your mid-thirties and it “went quite big on Facebook” at the time. She also joined a standup comedy course with Logan Murray and whilst it took a couple more years and being a finalist in the Musical Comedy Competition to find her niche, it was through these experiences that she “learnt to mix the music with the standup”. In the acting industry, she believes that “you are always waiting for someone to give you the opportunity” and with comedy, “you’re taking some of that power back […] to create”. Kayleigh’s solo show ‘I Fed My Dad to a Pelican’ was first performed in Camden in 2023 and has been adapted across various performances into the version of the show that audiences will see at Edinburgh this year.
About the show
It blends standup elements with original songs and anecdotes from her life. With the title referencing the “maddest bit of the story”, the material “delves into the craziness of families” – specifically what happened in 2010 when Kayleigh found out that the man who she thought was her father, wasn’t. This led to a remarkable 9-year quest to find her real Dad, which naturally she has turned into a comedy show. Referring to herself as a “private person” (sarcasm), I was in awe of the performer’s energy for life and ability to see life’s events through a humorous lens.
How is the show unique?
When asked how her show would stand out at this year’s Fringe, Kayleigh said “it’s a working class story […] and I think these voices are often unheard”. “There’s such a need for working class voices”. She also mentioned that ‘I Fed My Dad to a Pelican’ is a “storytelling piece” and it “sits in between the theatre and comedy world”. Audiences are not going to get “joke, joke, joke, joke…” like regular standup entertainment.
What is Kayleigh looking forward to most about the Fringe experience?
Just looking to enjoy the whole festival experience, Kayleigh can’t wait to have “a whole month dedicated to doing her show” and is very grateful for the opportunity to perform at the Fringe. She mentioned that “life gets in the way of your art” and following our conversation, this really stuck with me, as too often the daily grind holds us back from living our dreams.
Watching ‘I Fed My Dad to a Pelican’ at the Fringe
Kayleigh is performing in the 50-seat Blether venue at Gilded Balloon Patter House (#24). When deciding on a performance space, she liked the fact that Gilded Balloon is “female-run” and strives to “support and nurture new talent”. Additionally, with fellow musical comedian Michelle Brasier there (whom she really likes), she thought she “might be a good fit for the venue”.
It was an absolute joy to speak to Kayleigh ahead of her solo Edinburgh Fringe debut. You can catch ‘Kayleigh Jones: I Fed My Dad to a Pelican’ at 19:00 from Wednesday 30th July to Monday 25th August (excluding 12th), with tickets available via the festival’s website.
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
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