Athena Kugblenu escaped her job as a project manager in London in time to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. An appearance at the International Comedy Festival in Johannesburg in 2017 was followed by an acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and she has been gaining recognition year on year ever since. She has toured withDaliso Chaponda, Nish Kumar and Fern Brady, writes for several British TV comedy shows and has her own podcast, Keeping Athena Company.
Afrikan Boy (Shola) is one of the most important artists in the British hip-hop and grime scene. He became famous with the discount store anthem “One Day I Went to Lidl”, which he wrote as a 16-year-old and which became a viral hit on YouTube. He is famous for his energetic live performances and has shared the stage with Paul McCartney, John Paul Jones, Baaba Maal, Damon Albarn, Seun and Femi Kuti, The Noisettes, Fatoumata Diawara and Mark Ronson.
Q: What kind of performances do you love making?
Afrikan Boy (AB): I love making music performances that include the use of different mediums.
Athena Kugblenu (AK): Anything that makes people laugh, then makes them think when they are done laughing.
Q: What are you most excited about this production?
AK: The audiences. Going on tour brings a whole new energy to the show, and I’m looking forward to seeing what people think of it.
AB: I am most excited about how the music, performances, lighting and stage directing all come together to create the show. I am excited to see how the audience respond to the music and the performance.
Q: What have you discovered or learned during the process of making the show?
AB: I have discovered that surrendering to the process allows for the creative flow to take place. Perfection has an ugly gaze. The music is never finished. Each creation whether they ended up being used or not still contributed to the process.
I discovered that the most important thing to do is just to get started and the right way will find itself born out of action. With that said you can’t rush the process either. Creating is a beautiful balance of faith and confidence.
AK: That circus artists are really brave and suffer more for their art than writer/comedians do! I will never complain about a long drive or solitude again.
Q: The show premiered in Berlin last year. What was that experience like, and what are you most excited about bringing the show to the UK (and Deptford in particular)?
AK: Watching German crowds get involved in the competition was hugely satisfying. But, this is a British show with British humour and we can be much more playful now the language barrier has been removed, even though a lot of Berliners speak English really well there was a lot of banter we just weren’t able to get away with!
AB: The premiere in Berlin was amazing. I love Berlin, it’s always been one of my favourite cities in Europe. I’ve done live music performances and other theatre shows out there before so it felt nice to be back in the city taking part in a new show.
I am excited for the show to come home! The premiere at the Albany is nostalgic. I grew up in the area so getting to see this happen with my involvement is amazing. I’ve been waiting for this moment since we began! I feel like the UK audience will receive the humour differently, after all it is written by Athena who is based in the UK so naturally I hope for the nuances to connect more with the UK audiences.
Q: What do you hope audiences take away from watching the performance?
AB: I hope they walk away thinking “oh my gosh that music was amazing” haha. I also hope it helps to reshape the perception of the circus.
AK: Thematically, I’d like them to think about what ‘representation’ means, and how it might be used to disguise other, more serious inequalities. Also to really appreciate the circus artistry on display. But mostly to have a brilliant time! It’s a roller coaster of a show.
Q: Can you describe the show in three words?
AK: Hilarious, spectacular, important.
AB: Enchanting, energetic and engaging.
Q. Showdown explores the idea of “healthy competition”. Are you competitive? And if you were to compete in a talent contest, what would your special talent be?
AB: I’m very competitive! My special talent would be making people laugh through music.
AK: Nah, I’m more of a collaborator than a fighter ;). However my special talent would be matching quotes from The Simpsons to their character and episode.
Showdown has its UK Premiere at the Albany from 1-3 May 2025. You can find out more about the show and book tickets here.
Watch Common Ground, Upswing’s mockumentary about searching for a new Global Majority star to rebrand circus for the 21st Centure.