Writer, performer and self-described musical theatre superfan Grace O’Keefe is taking a new comedy musical ‘An A to Z Guide to Dating’ to the Edinburgh Fringe this year. Derived from her mother’s dating advice book that was written in the 1980s, this musical sees Grace play her mother on stage, share the content of this book through the lens of the alphabet and examine where feminism sits in the dating world today. I recently had the opportunity to ask the performer some questions about her upcoming festival run and find out what it was like to share her mother’s advice through the genre of musical theatre.
How did you get into performing and the arts?
I’ve been doing musicals since I was seven and it very quickly became the focus of my life. When I was 16, I listed 40 shows that I had been in throughout my life, and since adulthood, I’ve completely lost count. I was known even in my Musical Theatre BFA as the nerd of musical theatre, with a somewhat encyclopedic knowledge of musical theatre. I moved over to the UK to study Theatre Directing under Katie Mitchell OBE, and then during the pandemic, I began writing music for the first time.
‘An A to Z Guide to Dating’ is your first solo show. What inspired you to create this comedy musical and take to the stage on your own?
I had been toying with doing something involving the book for years. I wrote the opening number, ‘Feast at the Famine’ in 2023 on a beach in Greece, but only discovered my angle into it last year when I realised I would have to play my mother. I quip that my mother is the role I was born to play, but there is something comforting in knowing I am (probably) the best person for this role. It’s my first time writing everything and performing everything by myself.
Your mother was once told that her dating advice book ‘Feast at the Famine’ would set feminism back 20 years and it has been locked away for forty. Why is now the right time to share it in musical form?
Thank god I’m married because it looks like the state of the dating landscape is more dire than ever. I actually did meet my husband on Tinder, but I think many people these days use apps to avoid connection rather than to connect. Dating the “old fashioned way” aka as many men as possible, seems like the right antidote to the current dating culture. I don’t believe the advice is inherently anti-feminist or feminist but the musical is all about interrogating what it means to be a woman.
The comedy musical features original music spanning 80’s synthpop to lyrically driven show tunes. How did you go about writing the score?
The first song was written years ago, but I’ve written the rest of the show over the course of this year. I generally start with a hook and then lyrics before piecing together the music. And I’m not done, writing is rewriting, and I’m on around the third draft of each song and anticipate doing a few more rounds of edits before Fringe.
The show was developed in Soho Theatre’s Drag and Cabaret Lab. What can you tell me about this experience? How did it help to shape the show?
The show is ultimately about the performativity of womanhood, so I knew drag and cabaret would be essential. Soho Theatre’s Drag and Cabaret lab has been so beneficial to both this show and me as an artist. My assistant director and dramaturg Jordana Belaiche is also a great drag artist and alumni of the advanced Drag and Cabaret lab, and is helping me infuse cabaret into the DNA of the show.
How does it feel playing your mother on stage?
Growing up, whenever I needed to play a confident woman, I would pretend to be my mother, so I suppose I’m used to it by now! Although it does get a bit weird by the end when I start doing burlesque…
What are you most excited about for Fringe this year?
I’m both nervous and excited to be doing the whole month by myself for the first time. I trust that the universe will deliver a wonderful support system of new friends.
Catch ‘An A to Z Guide to Dating’ at the 2026 festival
It has been brilliant to hear more about Grace’s creative process and the origins of the musical. It certainly sounds like a fun piece that will make audiences reflect on the state of modern day dating. ‘An A to Z Guide to Dating’ is based at Buttercup at Underbelly, George Square (venue 300) from 5th – 31st August. Performances start at 17:15 (1 hour), with the show on sale via the EdFringe website now.
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