In our ongoing Edinburgh Fringe 2026 interview series, we are speaking to artists and creatives who are bringing their shows to the Scottish capital this summer.
In this interview, we speak with Catherine Taaffe about her show The Only Man Who Won't Fuck Me.
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| Photo by Mindy Tucker |
How would you describe the style of your show to anyone who has never seen you before?
It's a dark comedy that starts out feeling like a romantic comedy and slowly turns into something much stranger. I perform it as direct address, so the audience becomes complicit in Kat's logic.
It's funny, confessional, occasionally uncomfortable, and probably overshares in ways most people save for therapy.
It's also a glimpse into a very specific corner of Bushwick, Brooklyn. We visit queer boxing gyms, the dingy basements of play parties and commercial dungeons, and the surprisingly intimate womb of a port-a-potty at a rave. They're the kinds of strange places where people end up confessing their deepest secrets to someone they met fifteen minutes ago. The show is interested in those spaces, and in the people trying to find connection inside them.
If you couldn’t use a flyer to attract audiences, what ridiculous object would you hand out to people to get them into your show?
Screenshots. Specifically screenshots of text messages completely devoid of context. That's basically the engine of the play anyway.
It's also a glimpse into a very specific corner of Bushwick, Brooklyn. We visit queer boxing gyms, the dingy basements of play parties and commercial dungeons, and the surprisingly intimate womb of a port-a-potty at a rave. They're the kinds of strange places where people end up confessing their deepest secrets to someone they met fifteen minutes ago. The show is interested in those spaces, and in the people trying to find connection inside them.
If you couldn’t use a flyer to attract audiences, what ridiculous object would you hand out to people to get them into your show?
Screenshots. Specifically screenshots of text messages completely devoid of context. That's basically the engine of the play anyway.
Or tiny cards that simply say:
"He added her to Find My Friends.”
and nothing else.
What is the one item in your Fringe Survival Kit that you can’t live without at the Fringe?
A portable charger. My show contains approximately the same amount of technology as a teenage girl's emotional breakdown.
What would you deem as success at the end of the Fringe?
I'd love sold out houses and great reviews, obviously. But the real goal is for the show to have a life beyond Edinburgh. I'd love to see it transfer, and ultimately I'd love to adapt it for television. If the Fringe helps connect me with the people who can make that happen, I'll be thrilled.
What is one Edinburgh spot that you would recommend people to visit when they're not watching performances?
I've never been! At the moment my Edinburgh itinerary consists of doing my show and hoping a hot Scottish person explains the city to me. Recommendations welcome.
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| Photo by Mindy Tucker. |
Can you describe the show in 5 words?
Confessional. Longing. Queer. Delusion. Obsession.
Confessional. Longing. Queer. Delusion. Obsession.
The Only Man Who Won't Fuck Me runs at Zoo Playground 2 from 7th until 30th August (not 17th) at 21:50. For tickets visit https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-only-man-who-won-t-f-ck-me
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