Linus Karp

Linus Karp
Karp performing Gwyneth Goes Skiing at 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Known forDirecting, producing, acting, comedy, one-person shows
Notable workGwyneth Goes Skiing, Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story
StyleCamp, drag, comedy
AwardsOffFest Award for Best Play - Edinburgh Fringe 2023

Linus Karp is an actor, director, and writer from Sweden best known for theatrical productions that comment on pop culture. He has created the shows How to Live a Jellicle Life, Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story, and Gwyneth Goes Skiing. Karp has acted in the films Hope of Deliverance (2014), Mile End (2015), and A Fistful of Karma (2022).

Career

Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story began as a 60th birthday gift for Karp’s mother-in-law.[1] The show follows Princess Diana, who narrates the events of her life from Heaven.[2] The show has had a UK run, a London residency at The King’s Head Theatre in spring 2024[3], and a sold-out run at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Diana played at the 2024 Fringe Festival.[4]

Karp was inspired by the 2019 movie Cats to write How to Live a Jellicle Life during the COVID-19 lockdown.[5] The show played at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has been performed in London.[6]

Gwyneth Goes Skiing played at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.[4] Inspired by the 2016 skiing incident featuring Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow, the show featured Karp as Paltrow and Joseph Martin as Terry Sanderson, with original music by Leland, an American singer-songwriter who has written for RuPaul’s Drag Race and Troye Sivan’s Something to Give Each Other.[7]

Karp and his partner Joseph Martin co-created Awkward Productions in 2017 in part due to a desire to play roles he would not have been otherwise selected for (such as Princess Diana), due to his identity.[8][9]

Notable works

  • How to Live a Jellicle Life
  • Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story
  • Gwyneth Goes Skiing

Awards

  • OffFest Award for Best Play - Edinburgh Fringe 2023[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ QX (2024-04-18). "Linus Karp writes about his show, Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story. King's Head Theatre, 17 April - 5 May 2024". QX Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  2. ^ Karp, Linus (2023). Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story. Reconnecting Rainbows Press (published May 26, 2023). ISBN 978-1915893055.
  3. ^ "Cult Hit DIANA: THE UNTOLD AND UNTRUE STORY to return to Edinburgh Fringe for 5 nights only". West End Best Friend. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  4. ^ a b Hall, Margaret (April 2, 2024). "Fringe Favorite Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story Will Make Edinburgh Fringe Return". Playbill. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "Edinburgh Fringe 2022: Linus Karp". The New Current. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  6. ^ Akbar, Arifa (2020-12-16). "'Rum Tum Tugger is the sexiest': one-man Cats show claws through film flop". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  7. ^ Staples, Louis (2023-12-20). "'Gwyneth Goes Skiing': Gwyneth Paltrow's Ski Trial as a Gonzo Musical". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  8. ^ Heyes, Katie (2022-11-05). "Linus Karp Discusses His Upcoming UK Tour of 'Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story'". The Indiependent. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  9. ^ "Awkward Productions | Old Fire Station, Oxford". oldfirestation.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  10. ^ "FLO London | DIANA The Untold and Untrue Story at the King's Head Theatre review". FLO London. 2024-11-07. Retrieved 2024-11-08.