With a sharp wit and a poet’s flair, Georgie Wedge has become a standout voice in London’s spoken word and comedy scene. Her hit show Per-Verse takes audiences on a hilariously relatable journey on a typical city date, blending poetry, comedy, and cabaret to unpack the highs, lows, and outright absurdities of swiping, ghosting, and awkward first encounters. After a successful Edinburgh Fringe run, Georgie is bringing Per-Verse to Riverside Studios this April. In this interview, she shares the inspiration behind the show, the real-life dating disasters that shaped it, and the unexpected joys of performing to everyone from pub quiz teams to church groups!
Per-Verse takes audiences on a journey through a typical city date—how much of it is based on your own experiences?
All of it! It was developed from stand-alone poetry pieces about my real-life dating stories which form flashbacks or the “ghosts of dating past” in the show. The overarching story is the “live” date I’m on, which also draws on my own experiences and specific details I’ve encountered – from dating app bios to the objects in my date’s flat.
The show’s title, Per-Verse, is a clever play on words—was that always the name, or did it take a few iterations to land on it?
I’m an absolute sucker for a pun, so I always wanted one in the title and that was the first one I landed on. It was my dating stories per verse, but more often than not, dating is also this intensely sensory, unexpected and strange beast – so hopefully it’s fitting!
The show had a great run at Edinburgh Fringe. Did audience reactions surprise you in any way?
The audience reactions were really lovely – I honestly thought I’d be drunk heckled with a late-night slot, but all the interactions were very encouraging and warm. I was pleasantly surprised how the show had a real mix of audience demographics. My mum lives in Edinburgh so it was also quite funny to have her different friend groups pop along to the show – from her pub quiz team to her church group!
Who are your biggest comedy and poetry influences? Any unexpected ones?
It’s a real mix. I was pretty influenced by Jacqueline Novak’s ‘Get On Your Knees’ and how she volleys between the silly and smart with a really poetic, philosophical comedic voice. Performers like Cat Cohen and Ruben Kaye who mix comedy and cabaret; comedians like David Mitchell, James Acaster, Mae Martin, Sam Campbell, Katherine Ryan, Ed Night… to name but a few.
You play with the idea of “the ghosts of dating past” in Per-Verse, if you could go back and give your younger self dating advice, what would it be?
Don’t do it, ever. Just joking, do it more! As cheesy as it sounds, don’t be afraid to fully be yourself, enjoy and relax into it. The show is about the performativity of dating but also the joy in finding different versions of yourself as you’re doing it, so be open to those – even the bad ones. There are one or two people I’d be telling myself to swerve though.
Do you have a favourite moment in the show - one that makes you laugh every time, no matter how many times you’ve performed it?
All of it… I’m an absolute delight (!) There’s a few puns in the show I particularly enjoy and moments of physical comedy that crack me up in their sheer ridiculousness. I’m looking forward to seeing what bits of new material for the Riverside shows I can interact with the audience on – including friends who will remember me telling about those events at the time.
If you could perform Per-Verse for a dream audience, who would be in the crowd?
All my best exes, friends, strangers on first dates, Harry Styles and a Netflix commissioner. But honestly, everyone with an open mind looking for a laugh. During Edinburgh Fringe I spotted a dad with his two teenage sons in the audience, which I thought was amazing – so more of that too!
Per-Verse is at the Riverside Studios in London from 3rd- 19th April 2025. For more information and to book tickets, click here: https://riversidestudios.co.uk/see-and-do/per-verse-160739/
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