Snake Boy Takes Manhattan

This show features Alexander Richmond as a boy raised by snakes, who at the beginning of the show is unable to speak, walk or move beyond slithering along the floor. Throughout the evening, the audience assists Snake Boy in becoming a ‘real boy’ and helps him on his physical (and metaphysical) journey to the big city, where he will make his dreams come true (once he figures out what ‘dreams' even are).

Alex began performing as Snake Boy in 2017, as part of his show, One Man Titanic, at the Sydney Fringe Festival. Since then, he has toured the character all around Australia and the UK, constantly evolving the performance and building off of each iteration.

As a performer and a clown, Alex values the dialogue that exists between the character and the audience and aims to create a safe space where both can interact without fear of recrimination or embarrassment, shaping the show and the story. Alex has previously performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with his solo character show One Man 12 Angry Men, which explored his experiences as an autistic performer who mostly does character comedy. This new show still explores the experience of being autistic but in a more subtle way, with Snake Boy’s naïveté towards complex social cues and communication designed to mirror the experience that many neurodivergent people have when first navigating the world.

Alexander Richmond is a London-based comedian and writer with over ten years of experience in sketch, improv, clowning and theatre. He has toured solo shows all over the world and works as a screenwriter and freelance script editor. Most recently, he has started a role as a script reader for the BFI. In London, he runs the monthly alternative comedy night The Normal Formal. This year he is a recipient of the Keep it Fringe funding initiative.

Snake Boy Takes Manhattan is taking place in the Wee Yurt at Hootenannies at Potterrow at 6:25 PM from the 15th - 25th of August. Tickets are Pay What You Want or can be pre-purchased here for £8: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/snake-boy-takes-manhattan

“Lightly interactive, Richmond has a knack for unthreatening participation”. - Fest Mag.

“Richmond's performance also shines. He conjures a breathless, hesitant manner for Snake Boy which, coupled with his weird, otherworldly intonation, he employs to add heightened hilarity to his punchlines and score hearty laughs for throwaway comments”. - Great Scott Media.

“Richmond’s terrific timing, physical comedy and self-awareness accompanied with this inventive concept, keep his audience enraptured throughout”. - Collage Adelaide.