It’s the only children’s party where the audience are advised to leave their wee ones at home, as two rival entertainers mash-up magic, grime and nursery rhyme for a night where the grown-ups get to be the kids. In String v SPITTA, Ed MacArthur plays Sylvester String, an upper middle-class clown who rules the kids’ party scene. His nemesis, Ghosts star Kiell Smith-Bynoe is east London’s MC SPITTA, String’s beatboxing opposite. Having first met at the Fringe, the duo are returning to Edinburgh with a show that’s been years in the making.

‘I play the bossy character who’s all about structure, order and compliance,’ explains MacArthur. ‘Kiell plays a freewheeling, free spirit who’s just in the moment and improvises. I think that’s a reflection of what we both bring. Backstage before we go on, I’m doing my breathing exercises and getting my diction sorted. Kiell’s just sort of noticing that he’s not had breakfast yet, but it’s 9pm.’

‘It’s been a while since I’ve done the Fringe,’ notes Smith-Bynoe, who fittingly woke up six minutes before this online interview. ‘I feel like it’s going to take some getting used to. Fringe is like its own time zone. Especially if your working day starts at 8pm.’

The performer will also be hosting a late-night improv show, Kool Story Bro this August, which justifies a few lie-ins. The pair, who do seem to embody their characters in real life, met at MacArthur’s one-man show during the Fringe in 2016. ‘If I may speak on your behalf, Kiell,’ he says to his friend, ‘you found it funnier than everyone else on that day. We chatted afterwards and discovered we were both children’s entertainers at one time. And we decided to make a show. It’s kind of wonderful the way we’re bringing it here finally.’

String and SPITTA’s humble beginnings were fuelled by the duo’s friend and producer Adam Brace, who sadly passed away earlier this year. The pair dedicate their newest version of the show to him.

‘He was just this amazing strategic mind, and very creative,’ notes MacArthur. ‘And he kind of kept the momentum going long after we’d thought “maybe this has run out of steam”.’ Brace got the boys into two work-in-progress runs at Soho Theatre in 2017 and 2018, and after the pandemic, String v SPITTA has enjoyed two stints at the theatre. 

‘This is probably the longest gap that we’ve had between shows,’ adds Smith-Bynoe, thoughtfully. ‘But it’s OK, we’re not worried about it!’ he adds with more than a tinge of gleeful panic. ‘I think the lesson we took from the work-in-progresses,’ his co-star chimes in, ‘is that people enjoy the chaos. And that’s possibly more fun to watch than it being too slick.’

As if having just finished a run at Soho Theatre followed by this tail-end-of-the Fringe appearance isn’t enough, the showbiz twosome are currently drafting a script for a possible BBC pilot, that could (fingers crossed) take String v SPITTA to our screens. ‘Oh yeah, we’ve got to get that finished today,’ MacArthur says, as if he’s just remembered. ‘I'm never going to be rude about any television ever again. Because it seems to be so difficult to make everything make sense. And also funny.’ 

‘We’re not just putting a theatre show on TV,’ adds Smith-Bynoe. ‘But we do want to have that sort of idea that anything could happen. We’re working on it like a bit of a jigsaw puzzle to see how we can fit all those things in. The main thing is that it’s fun.’

Despite the current Fringe and Soho Theatre dates being the pair’s first shows since their friend’s passing, they can’t wait to hit the stage. Now a parent himself, MacArthur is looking at the looming marathon of performances with a fresh pair of eyes. ‘A wider perspective is that this used to be the most important thing in the world,’ says the new dad. ‘And it's still important; but there are no real stakes attached. With a baby, you do kind of go, “well, you know, if our show goes well, then great. And if it doesn’t, there's always tomorrow’’.’

String v SPITTA, Pleasance Courtyard, 18–26 August, 8pm; Kiell Smith-Bynoe And Friends:
Kool Story Bro, Pleasance Courtyard, 21–23 August, 10pm.