Gone to Pot?
Edinburgh show created by adverisers
An Edinburgh Fringe comedy show about Pot Noodles has been funded entirely by the brand, it has been revealed.Pot Noodle: The Musical, which runs at the Assembly Rooms, has been created, funded and developed by ad agency Mother London to boost the snack’s profile.
The move is sure to fuel the debate about the increasing commercialisation of the Fringe, in the light of the criticism of the ‘breakaway’ Edinburgh Comedy Festival, created to attract seven-figure sponsorship.
The new show, co-written by the Stuart Outhwaite, from the advertising agency, is set in the ‘idyllic all-singing, all-dancing Pot Noodle factory’ where workers ‘pluck Pot Noodles fresh from trees, bottle feed and show them a whole heap of tender loving care’.
It will feature songs from the TV campaign, and a plot about an everyman hero trying to battle an ‘evil overlord’ who has taken over the factory.
Outhwaite said: ‘The idea for Pot Noodle: The Musical came about as a result of all the fun we had writing the songs for the recent all-singing advertising campaign. So we pitched it to the guys at Pot Noodle, and they, remarkably, gave it their blessing.’
David Sant, from the Peepolykus sketch group, is directing the hour-long show, which stars Will Owen, Ben Frimstone, Rhona Croker and Phil Whelans.
Published: 21 Jul 2008
