Mary Kennedy, New Fiona in Shameless, brings her one-woman Irish funeral comedy to Three Wise Monkeys: four shows, 22 October to 1 November, £13, ages 16+.
Mary Kennedy, the American actor who played New Fiona in Shameless, is bringing her one-woman show Hail Mary, None of the Grace to the Colchester Fringe this week. She plays four nights on the top floor of Three Wise Monkeys on the High Street, starting on Thursday 22 October and finishing on Sunday 1 November.
The show is about her mother’s death, and it is billed as a dark comedy. “No Irish Catholic story is complete without a mention of a good Irish funeral,” the release says. “Join Mary as she lays her mother to rest. Through her mother’s dying, Mary learned how to live.”
The billing also leans on her surname. She is, in her words, “one of those Kennedys, third cousins twice removed; all of the tragedy, none of the money.” The show itself she describes as “a rollercoaster of awakenings for Kennedy, which has created the woman she is today.”
Edinburgh, then the US
Hail Mary, None of the Grace is directed by Charlene Ward. It opened at the Edinburgh Fringe, where it ran for 26 performances, and then had its American debut at the Whitefire Theatre. There it was named Best of the Fest at the theatre’s Solofest 2026, according to Kennedy’s release. The Colchester run is billed by the festival as the show’s Colchester Fringe debut “following hit Edinburgh Fringe run”.
Kennedy’s television work, as listed in the release: six episodes of Shameless as New Fiona, then two episodes of the spin-off Shameless Hall of Shame in its final season. She was a recurring sketch actor on CONAN on TBS, appeared in Welcome to Chippendales on Disney and Hulu, and recently did a sketch on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with guest host Ike Barinholtz.
Dates, times and tickets
All four performances are on the top floor of Three Wise Monkeys, 60 High Street, according to the Colchester Fringe booking page (checked 20 October):
- Thursday 22 October, 8.30pm
- Sunday 25 October, 7.30pm
- Monday 26 October, 8.30pm
- Sunday 1 November, 7.30pm
Tickets are £13 a performance on the booking page. The show runs 55 minutes and the festival rates it suitable for ages 16 and over.
Two things to know before booking, both from the festival. There is no lift to the top floor of Three Wise Monkeys: it is five flights of stairs, with handrails and places to rest between each flight. And the venue’s licence does not allow anyone under 18 inside after 9pm, which matters for the 8.30pm shows.
The Colchester Fringe runs from 21 October to 1 November. The full programme is on the Colchester Fringe website.
Sponsored feature for Hail Mary, None of the Grace, Mary Kennedy’s one-woman show at the Colchester Fringe.
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