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 Michelle Cohn about her show Hadid.
What can you tell me about your show?
The premise of Hadid is that I play the one normal-looking Hadid sister (for those who don’t know, Gigi and Bella Hadid are two very famous and very successful supermodels. Their mom was a former reality TV star and also model). At the top of the show, we find out Bella and Gigi have recently fallen down the stairs at a big gala event, so the family has to band together to do a big PR rehabilitation campaign.
The premise of Hadid is that I play the one normal-looking Hadid sister (for those who don’t know, Gigi and Bella Hadid are two very famous and very successful supermodels. Their mom was a former reality TV star and also model). At the top of the show, we find out Bella and Gigi have recently fallen down the stairs at a big gala event, so the family has to band together to do a big PR rehabilitation campaign.
How would you describe the style of your show to anyone who has never seen you before?
I use similar theatrical language to Fleabag (one person onstage, quick asides to the audience, no props), and I blend in some of the didactic elements of John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons. I think the best type of theater is when two characters are arguing over a point and you the audience genuinely see both sides and can’t 100% say who is right or wrong, so I try my best to do that as well.
What was the lightbulb moment that led to the creation of this piece?
If you’ll believe it, it was Dune. I saw billboards and ads everywhere and it was getting all this awards attention and I thought, “What does it feel like to be the guy who almost got the lead in Dune and then just…didn’t?” That kind of thing happens all the time with these zeitgeisty things - we pay so much attention to the people who got the roles and forget there are people who got to the end of the audition process and were let go. They have to go back to reality while all around them is a reminder of what their lives could have become. As a comedian, my instinct is to ask, “What is the most heightened version of this scenario?” and to me, the most heightened version would be being related to a celebrity - that feeling of second best-ness combined with an inability to escape it.
If you’ll believe it, it was Dune. I saw billboards and ads everywhere and it was getting all this awards attention and I thought, “What does it feel like to be the guy who almost got the lead in Dune and then just…didn’t?” That kind of thing happens all the time with these zeitgeisty things - we pay so much attention to the people who got the roles and forget there are people who got to the end of the audition process and were let go. They have to go back to reality while all around them is a reminder of what their lives could have become. As a comedian, my instinct is to ask, “What is the most heightened version of this scenario?” and to me, the most heightened version would be being related to a celebrity - that feeling of second best-ness combined with an inability to escape it.
What makes 2026 the perfect year for this specific story or performance?
As a culture, we get really uncomfortable around jealousy. You can easily say to a friend, “I’m angry at this person,” but you rarely hear people saying, “I’m jealous of this person.” The only touchpoints we have for jealousy are villains getting jealous and doing horrible things, so we never want to cast ourselves as the villain. I think 2026 is the perfect time to rethink our relationship with jealousy and recast it as a normal human emotion rather than something we have to be ashamed of.
As a culture, we get really uncomfortable around jealousy. You can easily say to a friend, “I’m angry at this person,” but you rarely hear people saying, “I’m jealous of this person.” The only touchpoints we have for jealousy are villains getting jealous and doing horrible things, so we never want to cast ourselves as the villain. I think 2026 is the perfect time to rethink our relationship with jealousy and recast it as a normal human emotion rather than something we have to be ashamed of.
How will you mentally and physically prepare for a run at the Fringe?
A lot of vocal warmups and breath work. Speaking for an hour non-stop is hard! I’m praying I don’t completely lose my voice by the second week. My wonderful director also blocked out an entire workout scene so I’ll be doing a lot of cardio to make sure I can get out the lines while I’m
doing leg lifts.
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?
I’ve been fantasizing about printing a real newspaper and having the top story be about Gigi and Bella falling down the stairs at the gala. I love fake news articles and I’m just itching to write one and get it on that thin, inky paper.
What is the one item in your Fringe Survival Kit that you can’t live without at the Fringe?
My water bottle. I take a water bottle everywhere even at the expense of my poor shoulders that have to lug around a heavy tote bag all the time. My worst fear is being somewhere and feeling that dry pang of thirst and having nothing to drink. I’m like a old timey sailor in that way.
My water bottle. I take a water bottle everywhere even at the expense of my poor shoulders that have to lug around a heavy tote bag all the time. My worst fear is being somewhere and feeling that dry pang of thirst and having nothing to drink. I’m like a old timey sailor in that way.
What would you deem as success at the end of the Fringe?
This is my first Fringe so honestly just getting through the entire thing in one piece would count as a huge success for me! And if even one audience member came up to me after and said, “You know, your show was one of my favorites I saw this year,” that would be huge.
Other than your own show, are there any other shows you would recommend at the Fringe this year?
Yes! Brendan Scannell: The Abyss and Parking Spot: The Musical!
What is one Edinburgh spot that you would recommend people to visit when they're not watching performances?
I personally love the Portrait Gallery, it’s the only museum I’ve seen with bright red walls and visually, that’s very cool. And a little scary. I think more museums should try to freak me out with their paint colors.
Can you describe the show in 5 words?
Celebrity sibling tries her best.
What keeps you inspired?
The obvious answer is theater - there’s nothing I love more than seeing a show that feels like it’s pushing the genre in some way, or breathing fresh life into old material. But sometimes you need a break from theater, especially when you are a theater artist, in which case dipping into other art forms is the way to go. Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte and Nickel Boys by Colton Whitehead are two books that immediately come to mind that really floored me in their writing, and Chris Fleming’s comedy is a consistent source of joy for me.
What would you hope someone takes away from seeing the show?
I hope they feel a bit more comfortable saying, “Sorry I’m grumpy, I’m just really jealous of this person.” I know that’s a really weird thing to say because jealousy is an emotion for evil witches and cartoon villains but the more we can actually get it out in the open the better we’ll be.
When and where can people see the show?
Clover Studio at Greenside at Riddles Court August 7-9, 10-15, 17-22, and 24-27.
Tickets are available from https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/hadid
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