As part of our Edinburgh Fringe 2024 coverage, we are running a series of interviews with artists and creatives that are taking part in the festival.
In this interview, we speak to Yilong Liu about his show The Book of Mountains and Seas.
Where did your arts career begin?
My journey began with writing short stories and poems as a child growing up in China. I have always been fascinated with the complex human interactions with technology as a kid in the 90s. Those early creative outlets allowed me to process my experiences in an imaginative way. I discovered theatre in college and fell in love. To me, science feels very much like contemporary myth, and technology modern-day witchcraft. Theatre offered me a space to explore these kaleidoscopic structures of our contemporary life.
My journey began with writing short stories and poems as a child growing up in China. I have always been fascinated with the complex human interactions with technology as a kid in the 90s. Those early creative outlets allowed me to process my experiences in an imaginative way. I discovered theatre in college and fell in love. To me, science feels very much like contemporary myth, and technology modern-day witchcraft. Theatre offered me a space to explore these kaleidoscopic structures of our contemporary life.
What can you tell me about your show?
The Book of Mountains and Seas is a comic drama that follows a grieving father named Raymond who decides to visit every single restaurant his late son Archie reviewed on Yelp. Raymond goes on this quirky journey with the help of Archie's former boyfriend Andrew. What ensues is an adventure filled with clashing cultures, unlikely friendships, and the review of a lifetime.
The Book of Mountains and Seas is a comic drama that follows a grieving father named Raymond who decides to visit every single restaurant his late son Archie reviewed on Yelp. Raymond goes on this quirky journey with the help of Archie's former boyfriend Andrew. What ensues is an adventure filled with clashing cultures, unlikely friendships, and the review of a lifetime.
How would you describe the style of the show?
It's an energetic, hilarious, even manic undertaking fuelled by love and loss. The show is a unique hybrid of magical realism, drama, comedy, and deeply felt personal reckonings.
How have you approached developing the piece?
The play uses food reviews and an unlikely friendship as an unconventional lens into exploring grief, family bonds, and the gaps between cultures and generations. In developing the piece, I spent a lot of time immersing myself in the world of food reviews on Yelp. I was fascinated by the layers of personality, nostalgia, and profound human truth that could be excavated from these seemingly trivial public postings about restaurants. Meanwhile, my own quest to stay tethered to my culinary roots after moving countries helped inspire the main character's arc as well.
The play uses food reviews and an unlikely friendship as an unconventional lens into exploring grief, family bonds, and the gaps between cultures and generations. In developing the piece, I spent a lot of time immersing myself in the world of food reviews on Yelp. I was fascinated by the layers of personality, nostalgia, and profound human truth that could be excavated from these seemingly trivial public postings about restaurants. Meanwhile, my own quest to stay tethered to my culinary roots after moving countries helped inspire the main character's arc as well.
How do/will you prepare yourself for a run at the Fringe?
I trust my creative and producing team! This will be my first Fringe, so I'm looking forward to connecting with and learning from all the other incredible artists and performers who have converged for this epic celebration of theatre and storytelling. Making new friends who inspire me with their own creative perspectives and journeys would be the most invaluable Edinburgh souvenir.
I trust my creative and producing team! This will be my first Fringe, so I'm looking forward to connecting with and learning from all the other incredible artists and performers who have converged for this epic celebration of theatre and storytelling. Making new friends who inspire me with their own creative perspectives and journeys would be the most invaluable Edinburgh souvenir.
Other than the show, what’s something you’re looking forward to doing in Edinburgh this year?
Since this will be my first time in Edinburgh, I'm excited to fully immerse myself in the festive atmosphere and catch as many shows as possible. I want to get delightfully lost wandering the streets and stumbling into what seems like an unassuming pub, only to find it's been transformed into an intimate performance space with some new work happening. I can't wait for those spontaneous discoveries around every corner.
Since this will be my first time in Edinburgh, I'm excited to fully immerse myself in the festive atmosphere and catch as many shows as possible. I want to get delightfully lost wandering the streets and stumbling into what seems like an unassuming pub, only to find it's been transformed into an intimate performance space with some new work happening. I can't wait for those spontaneous discoveries around every corner.
What keeps you inspired?
I like people watching. My greatest inspirations often come from the beautifully human, emotionally resonant moments I encounter in everyday life - whether that's through conversations with friends, or strangers' interactions I observe while sitting in the park or in a coffee shop. Finding these little moments of inspiration around us is endlessly rewarding.
I like people watching. My greatest inspirations often come from the beautifully human, emotionally resonant moments I encounter in everyday life - whether that's through conversations with friends, or strangers' interactions I observe while sitting in the park or in a coffee shop. Finding these little moments of inspiration around us is endlessly rewarding.
What do you hope an audience takes away from seeing the show?
I hope the play provides a sense of joy, connection, catharsis, and greater empathy - both for the struggles of preserving our loved ones’ memory and digital legacy, and for the deeply personal and sometimes quirky and funny ways we grieve. I think it's so important to tell stories about loss with an equal balance of heart and humor. I hope the humor and the unlikely friendship these characters form in this play provides necessary moments of lightness and hope.
I hope the play provides a sense of joy, connection, catharsis, and greater empathy - both for the struggles of preserving our loved ones’ memory and digital legacy, and for the deeply personal and sometimes quirky and funny ways we grieve. I think it's so important to tell stories about loss with an equal balance of heart and humor. I hope the humor and the unlikely friendship these characters form in this play provides necessary moments of lightness and hope.
Where can audiences see the show?
We'll be running at Pleasance Courtyard from July 31 – August 25! Tickets are available at https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/book-mountains-and-seas
We'll be running at Pleasance Courtyard from July 31 – August 25! Tickets are available at https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/book-mountains-and-seas
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