Joe Stilgoe is a singer, pianist and songwriter of old-school panache and new-school zing. The son of the lyricist Richard Stilgoe and the opera singer Annabel Hunt, he grew up in Kent and got his big break when Cleo Laine and John Dankworth asked him to appear on their Radio 2 show in 2006. Since then he has released four albums and performed with The Horne Section, the comedy jazz troupe, with whom he created a memorable morris-dancing version of Beyoncé’s Single Ladies. Stilgoe, 36, has just finished a run in High Society at the Old Vic as a piano player who comments on the action. His new Edinburgh show, Songs on Film — The Sequel, is a another celebration of music from the movies. 4pm, Spiegeltent Colombino, Assembly George Square Gardens (0131 623 3030), Aug 26 to 30
Pitch your show in 140 characters
A romp through my favourite musical moments in cinema, and how important it is for great music to accompany these images.
It’s a sequel to last year’s show, isn’t it?
Yeah, it’s one of the good sequels, like Toy Story 2 and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The show is all my favourite movie songs, which will therefore be all your favourite movie songs. It goes from the ear-cutting scene in Reservoir Dogs through to Oklahoma! That beautiful moment in Toy Story 2, where Jessie sings that heartbreaking Randy Newman song; those moments lift a film. You can’t make a crap film great with good songs, but you can make a good film great.
On to High Society. Maria Friedman, the director, created your role for you, didn’t she?
Maria asked to see me and my wife said: “She’s going to offer you something massive”. I said, “No, she’ll want me to teach her son how to play the piano, or to walk the dog or something very menial.” Maria said: “I want you to be Louis Armstrong in High Society.” I said: “You’ve definitely got the wrong guy, in many ways.” But she explained that the stage show has never had that character, who in the film was sort of a Greek chorus, and made it seem like a party.
It’s a bit closer to what your father is known for . . .
Comparisons to Dad are more apparent when it’s just me at the piano and using whatever wit I’ve got, which is nothing compared to him. People always say: “You’re a chip off the old block”, which my mum minds a lot, because she’s part of the block. She was an opera singer until I arrived and ruined her career. She was at Glyndebourne, a fantastic singer.
Advertisement
Any childhood memories of showbiz encounters?
Some, which I’ll probably need therapy for. Because of Dad’s standing in the world of theatre, when we went to see a show, we’d inevitably end up backstage to see the star, who had only just come off stage. So I met Ian McKellen half undressed, Anthony Andrews. Judi Dench was clothed, I think, but only just!
Tell us something we don’t know about Kevin Spacey, the departing boss of the Old Vic.
He wears golf shoes as casual attire. The first time we met he walked in and said to me: “Nice shoes!” I said, “Thank you Mr Spacey. Nice shoes you’ve got there yourself. Are they golf shoes?” And he ignored me. But they were.
How many Edinburghs is this for you?
This’ll be my seventh.
Favourite Edinburgh gag?
It’s got to be Tim Vine: “Crime in multi-storey car parks. Wrong on so many levels.”
Best-kept Edinburgh secret (no longer!)
Everyone goes up Arthur’s Seat, but there’s a better view on Blackford Hill. There’s a great observatory and you can see the Forth Bridge.
Advertisement
Who will you be seeing this year?
Loyal to my previous employers, I’d say The Horne Section, of course.
Edinburgh in three words?
Massive liver failure.
Who’s the greatest Scot?
Living: Andy Murray. Dead: James Watt.
Circus is a big theme this year — if you ran away to the circus, what would you do?
I’d like to work with the lions. I don’t even know if they still have the animals, especially after Cecil. Yeah, lions, or if not, some sort of high-wire act, with a net.