What if Hannah Montana was a working-class Scouser trying to survive Cambridge University… and not a secret pop star? That’s the brilliantly bold starting point for Eat The Rich (but maybe not me mates x) – the debut play from writer and performer Jade Franks, heading to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer.
Funny, furious, and full of heart, the show draws directly from Jade’s own lived experience navigating the elite world of Cambridge while working as a cleaner to make ends meet. It’s a sharp and satirical coming-of-age story that dives headfirst into class, identity, and the contradictions of trying to ‘make it’ in a system not built for you.
Ahead of her run at the Pleasance Courtyard, we caught up with Jade to talk titles, double lives, and what’s next after you’ve invited the audience to eat the rich… just maybe not your mates.
Let’s start with the title – ‘Eat The Rich (but maybe not me mates x)’ is brilliantly cheeky and pointed. What inspired it, and how did you land on that tone?
Jade Franks: The title actually came to me after walking back from meeting a Cambridge friend I’d had a bit of a disagreement with. There were quite a few moments during my time there where I had to hold a lot of compassion for the people around me, to understand that while I might not agree with some of their politics or their privilege, they’re still kind, funny, and human. Sometimes even…me mates.
So yes Eat The Rich, absolutely. But also, it’s complicated. People are products of their environment, just like I am. I wanted the title and the tone of the show to reflect that nuance and that tension between anger and affection, protest and empathy. It’s a bit chaotic, a bit cheeky, but honest. Because most of us are just trying to figure it out.
The show draws on your own experience as a working-class Scouser at Cambridge. How close is the protagonist to you, and where does the fiction begin?
JF: A lot of Eat The Rich is rooted in my real life and things that genuinely happened. I did go to Cambridge, and I did work as a cleaner while I was there. I dated posh people, made posh friends… all of that’s real. But of course, some parts are fictionalised. Every character apart from my sister is a mash-up of people I’ve met. That’s partly to serve the story, and partly because a lot of those people have lawyers in the family.
What shows or artists influence your comedic voice and approach to storytelling?
JF: I think the comedic voice in the play and the approach to storytelling is inherently scouse and influenced by the people I grew up with, but also by Liverpool writers like Michael Wynne and Luke Barnes.
I have had the utter privilege of assisting directors Vicky Featherstone and Milli Bhatia who have also been completely formative in the way I think about story and form.
I’m on the writers programme at The Liverpool Everyman at the moment, so I have also had brilliant notes from them and the other writers in the group. Shout out Tommo Fowler ya legend.
You’re working with an incredible creative team, many of whom you met while working at the Royal Court. What has it meant to collaborate with people who understand the world behind the scenes as well as on stage?
JF: I am so lucky that they wanted to come on this mad journey with me. Jasmyn (JFR Productions) and Ellie used to work in the Education department with me so totally get what it means to create work with a foundation of inclusion, support and accessibility.
Tatenda Shamiso coming on board to direct gave me confidence that this story mattered. He understands what it means to platform underrepresented voices without diluting them through his own one person show No I.D. and from working on For Black Boys…. Tatenda’s support meant I didn’t have to tone anything down, if anything, he encouraged me to go further with the mess, the politics, the hypocrisy, the joy.
What advice would you give to other young writers or performers from working-class backgrounds who feel shut out of the industry?
JF: There are more and more community groups, young people’s courses and development programmes emerging to support your growth as an artist. Get in touch with your local theatre for help on where to look for this kinda stuff – often these people will be really happy to help. Sometimes we aren’t good at taking up space or reaching out cos we feel weird about it. But I promise just do it!!
Beyond the Fringe, where would you love to take the show next – or what stories are you hoping to tell in the future?
JB: My mates from home aren’t gonna trek to London or Edinburgh to see me showing off for an hour – they get that every weekend for free. So, I would love to take the show to Liverpool. London as well, but I do think there would be something so special about doing it at home.
I’m writing another play at the moment about reality TV and dating shows – I want to write something that makes me feel how my girls group chat feels when a lad takes a bombshell to the hideaway without chatting to his girl first.
I want to keep telling stories that feel relevant, funny and human. They will probably always have some element of class critique at their heart, but I don’t wanna be known for solely that. Although I’m aware with a debut play title of ‘Eat The Rich’, it may be hard to escape that.
Eat The Rich (but maybe not me mates x) is on at 14:15 at Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker 1), from Wednesday 30 July to Monday 25 August 2025 (not 12th, 19th August).
Book tickets at: pleasance.co.uk/event/eat-rich-maybe-not-me-mates-x
Follow @jadefranks_ on Instagram for updates.
