Sons of Susan on their apocalyptic black comedy BIRDS: 'We're applying latex for hours every day'

“It's a sort of camp comedy,” explains Hines, “but then it descends into this absurd, post-traumatic play.”

“It starts as two strangers who meet on the beach,” adds Stafford, “it's definitely very light-hearted, but you get the sense that they're both not particularly great people, but they're also very lonely and they find sort of a friendship The show barrels into this sense of impending doom with climate catastrophes happening and massive jumps in time where the women just decide to never leave the beach, because it's their happy place. They're just trying to escape the outside world.”

Clearly inspired by the generally hellish state of the world right now, BIRDS also grew from the duo's shared love of Samuel Beckett's absurdist existential masterpiece Waiting for Godot. “A massive influence,” says Stafford. “I love the structure of that play, the sort of cyclical nature of it, and the chatting about nothing but also avoiding and waiting and the deeper meaning of it all.”

So what can they tell us about the characters of Shayna and Beverley?

“Shayna's the rich multi-divorcee heiress countess,” says Hines. “She's come to the beach to fly her eagle after her entire family has died in a blimp crash. And Beverley is just trying to get away from this domestic prison she's built for herself with her twelve boys.”

Stafford: “Beverley is a working-class woman. I've taken one of my boys to the beach and I'm just hoping he'll continue to swim in the sea and not bother me. A lot of women in my life have painted nails the same colour as their eyeshadow and their lips, with cigarettes in their mouths. It's that sort of vibe.”

BIRDS debuted at the Melbourne Fringe last year after Hines and Stafford received a $10,000 arts grant to create a new work.

“And it was a smash hit!” exclaims Hines. “Which was crazy and surprising.”

“It really was a surprise,” agrees Stafford, “to sell out our first run of the show, because you don't know if it's good until there's an audience really. We usually make good stuff, but it was really nice when we got that first laugh. Oh thank f***!”

Hines and Stafford often write and perform solo shows, albeit usually under the collaborative Sons of Susan guise. They've both directed each other on stage. So why Sons of Susan? Where did that name come from?

Hines: “We got a review on our very first show, 'It was woefully under-directed by Susan Stratford.' Instead of Sarah Stafford. So we just doubled down on that! We decided to make that our mother-ship name.”

Without wishing to generalise, I think it's fair to say that the UK and Australia have a sense of humour in common. There's certainly a mutual appreciation of dark comic grotesquerie, absurdity and camp.

“Yes,” says Hines, “and those are such strong pillars of the show, this kind of celebration of the grotesque. And the camp? What's so marvellous about these characters is they're so huge, the wigs are big, and before it actually descends into theatrical absurdism, they live in the absurd anyway. These women, these characters, are so heightened and camp. The show is kind of stressful with what it deals with, this impending sense of doom, but I think it's so fun to escape to this camp tropicana, this bright, colourful world where it's warm and delicious. I think that's a way of bringing the audience in.”

Stafford: “And I think the full shocking nature, and the truth behind the jokes, is what makes it so funny. I really think it'll read well. I hope so anyway.”

Hines: “I guess we're about to find out!”

Although BIRDS is the first time Hines and Stafford have appeared on stage together at the Fringe, Hines performed her Stafford-directed solo piece, Putting on a Show, in Edinburgh two years ago.

“I feel like even when you do the Edinburgh Fringe,” says Hines, “you're not prepared to do the Edinburgh Fringe any more than you were the first time. Every artist that I've ever spoken to is like, every time there's something new!”

“I've been twice as a punter and absolutely loved it,” says Stafford. “I've seen some of the best theatre I've ever seen, and I've always been like, 'Oh it simply could never be me though, I haven't got it in me. And look! Here I am!”

READ MORE: Canadian comedy couple explore grief and memory in Fringe show Big Stuff

BIRDS is part of a wider season of shows presented under the House of Oz banner. Now in its fifth year at the Fringe, House of Oz provides a vital platform for Australian artists abroad. Highlights from this year's roster include Daddy, a playful and provocative dance extravaganza by acclaimed Aboriginal choreographer Joel Bray; the cutting-edge VR experience Concerts of the Future, which invites you to perform alongside the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; and, back by popular demand, the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Bestie award-winning kids show The Listies: 110% Ready.

As for Hines and Stafford, spare a thought for them working in a sweaty venue under these conditions.

“It's such a crazy way we're going for it,” says Hines, “just in terms of the drag make-up and the body horror aspect. We're applying latex and body paint for hours every day before the show. We're convinced we'll have to see a dermatologist at the end of this run. But go in, go hard girls!”

BIRDS is at The Box at Assembly George Square from 1-31 August at 7pm as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This feature was produced in association with House of Oz

The Scotsman’s arts newsletter is now sent twice a week - subscribe today

Want the latest Scottish headlines sent directly to your phone? Sign up to our new WhatsApp channel here