Interview with Nick Abeel

Ahead of bringing KEVIN!!!!! to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026, I caught up with co-creator and performer Nick Abeel from Recent Cutbacks to chat about transforming one of the world's most beloved Christmas films into an outrageously inventive theatrical parody. We discussed the company's signature blend of precision and playfulness, the creative challenge of parodying a comedy classic, and why Home Alone continues to capture audiences' imaginations more than three decades after it first hit cinema screens.

I'd love to start by asking what first attracted you to KEVIN!!!!! And what made you want to be part of this wonderfully exotic production? 

Home Alone might be the first movie I remember seeing in a theater as a kid and it was always one of my absolute favorites. As a company, Recent Cutbacks likes to challenge ourselves with each new show to try something new. We’d had success with the minimalist style we found for Hold On to Your Butts and refined for Fly You Fools. So for KEVIN!!!!! we wanted to go in a completely different direction and create a maximalist production - puppets! miniature sets! technology! We all love this movie so much and agreed that a Christmas movie seemed like a good fit for a show with a lot of stuff. We were also interested to try our hand at parodying a comedy - our previous movies take themselves pretty seriously (especially lotr) which makes them easier to parody. So as a co-creator, I was curious to solve these challenges.

You're constantly switching between characters, puppetry and physical comedy. How demanding is that as a performer?

Kevin... is a tough show. There’s so many moving parts. You’re using a lot of different parts of your brain. A million things can go wrong or break. It’s a mental feat. 

I love that Recent Cutbacks celebrates these films rather than simply spoofing them. How do you strike that balance between parody and genuine affection? 

Well, we start with movies we love and know very well. That helps. But then we talk about the things we remember most from the movie and try our best to achieve the feeling of that line or shot or scene from the movie. We’re trying to help the audience remember how much of the movie they remember, to help them remember what it felt like to watch the movie for the first time.

The technical precision of Recent Cutbacks' work is extraordinary. What has impressed you most about the company's creativity since joining the production?  

As a co-founder, I guess first I’d say: thanks! Second, I think the engine that drives our creativity is play. I always say “we’re not fooling anyone” - the audience understands we’re just pretending and that gives a performer great license to have fun, to really sink into the commitment of the performance, to really be in the movie. 

Nostalgia is such a powerful emotion. Why do you think audiences continue to connect so deeply with this particular story? 

This movie has a lot of nostalgia drivers - a story about a kid discovering his independence and coming of age, set at Christmas time which holds such a huge weight in the memory department. Plus, the slapstick comedy in the attack on the house is so much fun and that kind of hilarity stays with you. 

If someone has never experienced a Recent Cutbacks production before, what do you think will surprise them the most? 

I think they’ll be most surprised at how intricately we’ve recreated the shots from the movie. Our director, Kristin McCarthy Parker, hand-crafted every single set and puppet and the level of detail is incredible.  

I'd love to know whether performing a show like this has changed the way you watch the original film now. 

We always have to cut a lot from any movie we parody so rewatching the film now, I always forget about the scene where the family is in Paris and they’re watching It’s A Wonderful Life in French. The scene is completely unnecessary to the forward action of the story so it was an easy cut, but there’s memorable moments in every scene!

When audiences leave the theatre, what do you hope they're talking about on their way home?

I hope they’re talking about how much fun they had, and thinking about what movie they would parody!

Finally, if I gave you just thirty seconds to convince someone to come and see KEVIN!!!!!, what would you say?

If you want to see a show that will warm your heart and blow your mind, come see Kevin!!!!!, a “shot for shot” parody of the greatest Christmas movie of all time.

A huge thank you to Nick for taking the time to chat with me. KEVIN!!!!! looks set to deliver everything audiences have come to expect from Recent Cutbacks: remarkable theatrical ingenuity, infectious humour and a genuine love letter to a cinematic classic. Whether you're a lifelong Home Alone fan or simply curious to see how one of cinema's most iconic stories can be recreated with puppets, miniatures and endless imagination, this promises to be one of the Fringe's most inventive and joyfully nostalgic experiences. Catch KEVIN!!!!! at Pleasance Courtyard from 5th–31st August (excluding 13th & 24th) at 12:20 pm. Ticket information here: KEVIN!!!!! | Edinburgh Festival Fringe