Fresh from a successful run of the hit show DOUZE at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, XNTHONY (Anthony Keigher) is back in Ireland and ready to debut a new show at Dublin Fringe Festival this month. Since 2010, XNTHONY has been working to get to Eurovision and maintain his status as “Europe’s favourite-ish pop star” through DOUZE, his queer cabaret, and variety nights such as XntoPanto and Lipstuck, as well as many other projects. However, now he is taking a new (straight?) path in The Power of Wow, which runs at Bewley’s Cafe Theatre at Powerscourt from 20th-23rd September, and we’re here to give you the low-down on what he’s up to.

So, I hear you and the Penny Slots have taken Edinburgh by storm with your show DOUZE, which premiered at the Dublin Fringe Festival a few years ago?

Anthony Keigher: Yes! We performed DOUZE a total of 27 times during the month, not to mention the bazillion other fun appearances we made at other events. Knowing Edinburgh Fringe and its ability to make or break a person’s character, we went in with very focused but realistic expectations. Luckily for us the show was a hit. Add a good dose of critical acclaim and we were set.

Being a show about Eurovision, DOUZE is quite a European-centred show (I’m remembering the giant glitzy European flag in particular). I’m not going to say the dreaded, worn-out word, but has there been a difference performing the show before the referendum and now? Would you describe your work as political at all?

Keigher: Without getting into the academic, I do view my work as political, and inherently of the punk lineage. I like to push and challenge — but also entertain — audiences. My work is about the body above all, though it’s framed as entertainment I believe the actions and commitments XNTHONY makes as inherently political, as crucial acts of self-expression, and a pushing of otherness.  As a maker I want to bring the politics of the day into my work, but often this isn’t the appropriate thing to do. Some projects you’re working on will reject that, especially if your intentions are simply for the sake of it and what you want is your voice to be heard above what is truly needed to be said. It’s hard to not feel the pressure to be political and loud at the moment. But working politically can be more nuanced than standing at a pedestal in the theatre. I also feel that I can’t speak on behalf of others. I can only speak for myself and what I have experienced. DOUZE suddenly clicked, to our regret, when Brexit was confirmed. We had worked on the piece together with the feeling that this could happen. And lo and behold.

Tell us a little about the creation of the character of XNTHONY, who also features in your upcoming Dublin Fringe Festival show The Power of Wow.

Keigher: XNTHONY as a persona has developed endlessly since his inception in 2010. The story of how he came about is one I’ll perhaps tell in a future show but for now it’s a nice little secret for me to hold. It is linked to trauma, sadness and the need to escape into a new persona as a way of survival. I laughed once when I read that superheroes are created as a result of trauma, and the XNTHONY creation supports that theory.

Though you wouldn’t necessarily feel it, my work has always been autobiographical. My impulse is to respond to where I am in my life. I believe our experiences are our own private power, and while XNTHONY is a public persona, for me there is a clear line between that public and private space. What XNTHONY does is influenced by what I am experiencing, hoping for, aspiring to, running from.

XNTHONY is a curious creature; not only does he exist within different shows, but also lots of different contexts such as clubs and cabarets. There’s something really exciting about a character which the audience (and fans) can follow in different contexts, guises and forms. I am also painfully stubborn. If someone says XNTHONY could never make a… let’s say… kids show… you can bloody well bet he’s gonna do it.

After Edinburgh you head off to Dublin Fringe to premiere your new show The Power of Wow. What we can expect from it?

Keigher: The Power of Wow explores the idea of the desperation to be liked, heteronormativity in a post marriage equality age, and fake authenticity. Having failed to reach the Eurovision, XNTHONY is rebranding as a straight man and has found a woman (Tiffany Murphy, co-collaborator on the project) with whom to seal the deal. He believes the loaded act of marrying a woman will will make him more likeable, more relatable. But of course we all know that just being ourselves is the best way forward, right? Essentially we are presenting the couple’s wedding, again and again and again, as they tour the world convincing people of their love and truth.

How has it been working almost simultaneously on two different shows which take in different points of XNTHONY’s evolution as a character?

Keigher: It’s exciting. Like eating from different plates of food at different time. I am aware that I’m an awful multitasker so I am still developing a healthy and practical way to leap between the different universes. XNTHONY has a clear narrative, and it’s all about building a following and a story, like episodes of a TV series. DOUZE presents one kind of experience, The Power of Wow something different.The two shows are sort of like sisters. Twins you could say. I have a twin sister. Maybe this show is dedicated to her.

You are from Roscommon, but work predominantly in London, I know you have brought shows home, and also performed a lot in Dublin. Do you find that your work gets a different reaction or reception in different places?

Keigher: I am obsessed with being from Roscommon. So much so that I am making a new project in 2018 about this. The show will explore rural and queer life following the rejection of equal marriage in Roscommon. It will take the form of a pop concert… sort of like bringing the field to the disco ball. It’s also inspired by my Confirmation booklet I wrote when I was 12. I am obsessed with giving Roscommon a good name. On my travels it’s really been hit home to me that Roscommon does not have the respect of the nation, and it’s hurtful. I see a correlation there though. Growing up as a queer boy in rural Ireland you would imagine a disconnect. But I was always supported through my journey, despite the disappointing result in 2015. In a way Roscommon has become the reject of the country, in the same way we would reject someone other than ourselves. I want to remedy that. And it’s gonna be great fun.

I often feel that we place the wrong expectations on audiences. We brought DOUZE to Roscommon in 2016 and people had such a riot. Oppositely you can go to somewhere which is supposedly a ‘savvy’ audience and literally not get the buzz of them. Like milking a stone. So… this relates to my general mantra across the board — ‘unexpect the expected’. Basically, get over yourself.  

Do you see the character of XNTHONY progressing further beyond The Power of Wow?

Keigher: XNTHONY exists in lots of different contexts. Almost like how Marvel Superheroes exist in a  multitude of different movies, XNTHONY works in the same way. This came about from my desire to develop a narrative for the character, giving it focus and also separating the character from my own persona more fully.

At the moment XNTHONY is of course, rebranding, getting married, questioning his purpose as a failed pop star — I mean…he isn’t even a real pop star — and with DOUZE he was looking for validation in the form of a show about picking a song for Eurovision. Across the next while, XNTHONY will continue to develop. Following Power of Wow XNTHONY might actually manage to get real. Or maybe he’ll just lend his image to a marketing company and they can do what they want with it… who knows.

A lot of your work has a strong social media presence; do you find that interaction important to your work? In what way do you see it influencing your work?

Keigher: I think social media is just an extension of my desire, or maybe compulsion, to connect with people. XNTHONY, as a persona, wouldn’t exist without his audience. If the audience turned around faced the other way I would wager he would all but melt. The same goes for a lot of performance and art in general, but I don’t think that is something artists are very comfortable having a frank conversation with themselves about. The social media interactions I create online extend within my shows too. Very often they include live streaming, sharing images, tweets usually in the guise of ‘getting more publicity’ but actually it’s about activation and pushing experiences out in a positive way.

And on the theme of social media, a final question; can you sum up your creative outlook/aims in 140 characters or fewer?

Keigher: Unexpect the expected. Never change yourself for anyone. Stick to your guns. Blow things up. Piece them back together. Have a conniption. You’ll be alright. Don’t be afraid. ■

Catch The Power of Wow in Bewley’s Cafe Theatre at Powerscourt from September 20th – 23rd as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival.