Lauded as cabaret’s brightest rising stars, the Sugarcoated Sisters are making their Edinburgh Fringe debut with their show Bittersweet, directed by Laura Corcoran from critically acclaimed cabaret/comedy act Frisky & Mannish. The comedy duo, from Hertfordshire, are made up of real-life siblings, Chloe and Tabby Tingey have gained huge recognition on TikTok, we chatted to them switching from TikTok to live performance, checking in on yourself and winning Best Newcomer at this year’s Musical Comedy Awards…
Funny Women: Tell us about your show.
Sugarcoated Sisters: Bittersweet is the true tale of two sisters who move back to their hometown to discover unfinished business lurking around every corner. Armed with original songs, a guitar, and double bass, no musical style is off-limits as ammunition for their scathing revenge on everyone who’s ever wronged them!
FW: Are you excited to debut at Edinburgh Fringe?
SS: We are so excited! Transitioning from TikTok to the live comedy scene was terrifying. Even though we grew up playing and singing together, we hadn’t done it properly in about 10 years! After winning Best Newcomer at The Musical Comedy Awards a few months ago, we started to believe in ourselves a bit more, and now we are raring to go! It’s such an incredible opportunity, and what better way to fully immerse ourselves in the amazing community of live comedy than by taking our debut show!
FW: Do you prefer performing on TikTok or live?
SS: They are two separate beasts for us at the moment, and we love both of them! We adore the community we have found on TikTok, but we also adore making people laugh in the room, in the moment! Without TikTok, we never would have started on our comedy journey. We will always be super grateful to it for giving us a platform to share our creativity in a way we hadn’t explored before. Performing live is in our souls as well though, and we wouldn’t be able to create the content we do if we hadn’t sung so much together in our youth! After the awesome announcement that TikTok is partnering with the Edinburgh Fringe this year, we are SO excited for these two worlds colliding and all the incredible opportunities that will create for performers! We can’t wait!
FW: Have you got any tips for comedians going up to the festival for the first time?
SS: We’d say look after your mental and physical health! Chloe has bipolar 2, and Tabby has type 1 diabetes. We are huge advocates for checking in with yourself and recognising when you have reached your full capacity. There can be a huge pressure put on performers at the Fringe to go to see as many shows as you can possibly cram in, network with everyone you can, stay out late with friends, keep grinding and never stop and also deliver a fantastic show every day. Don’t get us wrong – that is definitely part of the fun and thrill of the month! Of course, do as much of it as you can. But if you need to miss out on something to prioritise your own well-being, don’t feel bad about it! You do you!
FW: Who are the funny women are you hoping to see in Edinburgh this year?
SS: Shazia Mirza, Angela Barnes, Rachel Parris, Sikisa, and Lara Ricote, who we had the absolute joy of seeing win the Funny Women Awards last year! She was hilarious, and her show looks brilliant!
Sugarcoated Sisters make their debut with their show Bittersweet at the Just The Tonic Caves – Fancy Room at 8.50pm from 4th – 28th August for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
