Jayde Adams frowns on a group of annoyingly loud men. Their laughter drowns out our conversation, but she doesn't buy their laughter. "I know what a smirk is. It's a smirk," she said, furrowing her brow. "It's like, 'I'm trying to make the people I'm sitting in comfortable laughing.'" Become a sommelier. And she doesn't have time for her smirk. At the cue, the loudest man chuckles again. Adams rolls her eyes. "I can tell you. You know how. Because it's exactly the same every time. Quite a man laugh. He's sitting with a man and showing off."
Adams has been thinking a lot about men lately. In her latest show Men, I Can Save You, the Bristol-born comedian transforms into Russell's brand-inspired all-white outfit. A master of self-help. It will be her fifth time in ten years to appear as her stand-up show at Edinburgh Her Fringe. The world beyond the Royal Mile seems to be finally catching up. Her 2020 Amazon Prime Comedy Special Kylie Jenner's Ballad of Old Faces (renamedSerious Black Jumper "Don't Get Sued by Kris Jenner") is , Adams in the "famous" bracket of the fringe. The clip was circulated on her TikTok, garnering 156 million views and making her a star on the platform. Join her in gigs (Crazy Delicious, Snackmaster) and acting (Alma's Not Normaland the upcoming Take That movie) was shown. Her own sitcom Her Ruby Speaking will be released next year. And of course,Strictly Come Dancingalso has a spot on announced last week with-Strictly announced. After all, she was no joke.
Expect strictly fans across the country to fall in love with her soon. It is the hottest day of the year when we meet. Public transport in London dissolves in puddles. Adams arrives and she hugs me and apologetically explains in her strong western accent that she had to take a tuk-tuk to get here.
Despite this sweaty trip, Adams seems relaxed. She has confidence in not only her new show, but her place in the comedy world. These days, she's a self-proclaimed "shawn" who plays in theaters rather than her club circuit. Her audience bought tickets to see her exclusively. "She's been working in drag for a long time She hasn't been hijacked by a queen She's men She never went to the club," she says. of Bethnal Green. she nods. "The last time I was there, Scissors kicked her into PJ and Duncan's 'Let's Get Ready to Rumble' and damaged her ACL." ''
But these venues are a blessing to her stand-up comedians, she says. After all, there's nothing like a raucous audience telling you trading "little tricks" on your way up. "It's part of the job," she says. "Your job is to entertain people, and if you learn how to handle that, you'll be a better comedian. I don't want to preach to converts on a show I'm doing...and the fact that the audience is controlled, too." When you get them, they love them.In
Men, I Can Save You, Adams explores his own savior complex. For her, men were the obvious choice as the group that needed her help: "It's not women, women nail it. looks like they are," she said, pointing to a pride flag on the wall. "We're breaking it, baby... everybody's really coming into their own and men have to try a little harder."
" Adams (right) with Sophie Whelan on "Alma's Not Normal"
(BBC/Expectation/Matt Squire)
The problem she observed was , that men see the move towards equality as losing their position. They then feel injured. "Your average man doesn't know he has privilege. And now everyone is like, 'You got it and we want it back.' .Man Bash Show". But she learned one thing from Serious Black Jumperand people online who accused her of bullying Kylie Jenner. white men. If I start joking about Greg Wallace, no one will follow me. ''
Adams puts her tongue to her cheek and says plainly: But the special has a more serious side. It also taps into the very real topic of loss. Adams describes herself as "somewhat of an enthusiast" on the subject after her older sister Jenna died of brain cancer in her 2011.
(Jordan Rossi/Hunger)
As children, Adams and Jenna entered freestyle disco dance competitions together . They remained close throughout adulthood. The comics talk a lot about the death of their sister on stage, always with the mindset that neither should be sympathetic. To this day, she still remembers their bond through her story of Jenna punching her in the face. "Everyone was like, 'Oh my God, she must have been an angel,' but she was... tough, working-class, and a bit of a thug at times," she said. say. "I refused anyone to be romantic about her."
There were moments during her lockdown when her perspective softened. Adams paints a perfect scene for the movie. She's staring out the window as she writes her libretto, playing Wagner's Tristan und Isolde Her Part 3 on her headphones. "The music at the end [of the Baz Luhrmann film] with Romeo and Juliet swimming around in the water...I thought it would be great for a working-class character to die in the arms of the one he loved. It's a cinematic epic moment, and then I realize that my sister actually died in the arms of the one I loved, because she died in my arms."
She got better. “In that moment in 2020, I realized I was totally focused on loss and these funny stories. I've been looking for love, but when I understood what love was, I had it and I had it in the purest possible form, so I didn't have to look for it anymore. All that has been loved has been taken away, and now I must stop looking for it, I just need to start living.
Sorrow is themastermind. 80} would be the expert subject of a "very sad" episode, she says. "The early stages of grief are the most intense, romantic and brutal stages, but what happens to loss and grief 11 years later? For me it turns into love and confidence and confidence."
83}I have been loved. Life Must Start
A week after her interview, it was announced that Adams would be Strictlygoing to the dance floor . To me after all these years of watching the show, she seems like a shoo-in for the glitter ball. We speak again and she admits that audiences may not like her dance background, but says, "If Ashley Roberts of the Pussycat Dolls can be on the show, Jade Adams is on the show." I think I can join in. I don't have a dancer's body anymore.It's going to be a lot of work for me, just like it was for Bill Bailey."
She's 2022 Comedian Bailey was the first thing that came to my mind when I heard I was going to attend a class on . Bailey was the dark horse and eventual champion of the 2020 contest. Adams as well, he's confident he can make it to the end. After all, she "never entered a competition she thought she couldn't win...she freestyled disco when she was 11. She had ambitions as big as when she danced." I am in this competition," he said.
"'Strictly' is everything I've been striving for."
(Jordan Rossi / Hunger)
She said, "One of the visually striking things about me is that I'm not light, but I have lightness...for my size, so No.” She pauses, choosing her words. "I didn't discuss this with Bill Bailey or anyone else, so I don't want this whole trip to be about my size. They didn't talk about it with men." Adams' triumph, which shows that can move and can be a talented dancer, is a breakthrough. "I think it's going to be a very powerful message about body positivity," she said.
And, of course, dancing was a big part of Adams' relationship with his sister. It's easy to see how much it must mean to her to compete strictly at. It's an objectively great sign of success for "everything I've ever worked on." But for the comedian and her family, the feelings behind it are profound. She remembers her childhood. In fact, "the last time I danced with someone was with Jenna," she recalls. ``So this is a big deal.''
Jade Adams will be performing at 8:20pm from August 3rd to August 28th as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Cabaret. Presenting the show "Men, I Can Save You" in the bar's Plaisance Courtyard. Details and tickets here here
