Lambeth Fringe Interview: The Red Kitchen Collective

Four mermaids swim to land for a retreat for chronic people-pleasers in Tall Tails, the debut comedy from Red Kitchen Collective, playing the Golden Goose Theatre as part of Lambeth Fringe until 21 October. The collective are five American women who each felt like a fish out of water after moving to London, and the show grew from that feeling. Red Bus Londinium asked them about childhood nostalgia, over-thinking and what mermaids make of the male gaze.

Red Bus: You are five North American women living in London, and you describe yourselves as “fish out of water”. How did that feeling turn into a show about mermaids on a retreat for chronic people-pleasers?

The Red Kitchen Collective: We each moved to London independently, and each for different reasons, but we bonded over our similar upbringings and American-isms. London feels like a second home now, but it was a huge transition to move across the ocean and into a different culture. We’re way more direct and sugar-obsessed than our British friends. When we first started writing, all we knew was that we wanted to pull upon our childhood nostalgia and create something about mermaids. This quickly turned into an exploration of mermaids in our popular culture; namely The Little Mermaid, H20, and Aquamarine. These works all deal with mermaids coming to land and becoming acquainted with humans, and we aligned our own experience as immigrants with that “fish out of water” feeling.

Red Bus: The show is aimed at “over-thinkers and ex-gifted kids trying to heal”. Where does comedy help with those themes, and where did you have to be careful not to be too silly or too earnest?

The Red Kitchen Collective: It’s definitely a meta-people-pleasing experience to write this show– we overthink our jokes and overapologize to each other in our Google Doc. We’re poking fun at our own insecurities, flaws, and impulsions. Comedy helps us make light of it, and helps audiences relate and see themselves in the mermaids’ catastrophizing. Amidst all that, we want to say something meaningful and healing, so we balance humor with genuine moments of connection and growth. At the end of the day, this type of growth takes a lifetime and not the fifty five minutes we’re onstage– so we tow the line, watching the mermaids grow a bit, but not an unrealistic amount.

Red Bus: The press release mentions a playful satire of the male gaze. What does it look like when mermaids tackle it, and how did you decide what to poke fun at?

The Red Kitchen Collective: Spoiler alert, read on at your own risk! Near the end of the play, the mermaids realize the entire retreat has been a scam, and they’ve been on display to a voyeuristic audience of humans who were promised an “intimate mermaid watching experience”. As this realization dawns on them, they feel perceived, vulnerable, and powerless, but still feel an obligation to entertain the audience they never consented to. We align this experience with the male gaze– women feel a subliminal social pressure to conform to patriarchal standards, even as we do so much work to liberate ourselves. They’re quite heavy themes, but we’re exploring them while wearing sparkles and speaking in ocean puns, so it feels poignant but not overly preachy.

Red Bus: Tall Tails premiered at Edinburgh Fringe 2025 and is now back in London, where it was conceived. What has changed in the show since Edinburgh, and what has the London audience taught you?

The Red Kitchen Collective:Since our run in Edinburgh, we’ve done a lot of work to distinguish each of the mermaids from each other– they all have different vulnerabilities, vices, and relationships to people pleasing. The themes we set out to explore– femininity against the male gaze, queer identities, self-confidence– have also become more prominent. We hope London audiences will feel more connected to each character. We’d love for people to leave the show saying “My best friend is such a Mishell, and I’m so Crabola”.

Red Bus: Tickets for the Lambeth Fringe run are £12, or £10 for concessions. Why does it matter to you to keep new comedy affordable, and what would you say to someone who has never been to fringe theatre before?

The Red Kitchen Collective: We’re a tiny theatre company, so we know first hand that financial accessibility is a huge barrier for artists. We think everyone can relate to the themes we explore in Tall Tails, so we want to make it possible for anyone to see regardless of their financial circumstances! Fringe theatre is not only affordable, it also provides unique intimacy between the artist and the performer. We want Tall Tails to spark new ideas about femininity and the dangers of people pleasing, and we feel excited to witness and participate in those conversations.

Golden Goose Theatre October 19-21 @ 8:30pm.

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