BEAN VS. THE ROBOTS: A SOLO SHOW MUSICAL

 

A weird little musical about grief 

​

“These kinds of shows depend almost entirely on the performer's personality and wit, and Lema has plenty enough to get her through.”

- LAist

“...a lively, likable and witty performer.” 

- The West Australian

 

“...incredibly heartfelt, while still remaining beautifully silly…”

- Binge fringe

 

Bean is trapped inside her spaceship, and now you’re trapped with her. Unfortunately for you, Bean lost her memories and must play sad little songs on her keyboard in order to get them back. While she sings, you start to lose all sense of time. But don’t worry, in space, there’s always time…or is there? As Bean unravels, she remembers why she (and perhaps you) needed to go to space in the first place!

 

MEDIA ADVISORY DETAILS:

 

WHERE: 

TheSpace at Surgeons’ Hall - Theatre 2 

Surgeons Hall Museums, Nicolson St, EH8 9DW 

 

WHEN: 

August 7-15 at 10:45*

August 17-22 at 13:45

August 24-29 at 20:45

*(2 for 1 tickets on Monday, August 10 & Tuesday, August 11)

Duration: 50 mins.

 

HOW: 

Purchase through Edinburgh Festival Fringe: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/bean-vs-the-robots-a-solo-show-musical

 

Purchase through theSpaceUK:

https://tickets.thespaceuk.com/event/911:5348/

​

​

PR INQUIRIES // INTERVIEW & PRESS TICKET REQUESTS: 

Andrew Gerhan / Shark Party Media / ag@sharkpartymedia.com

​

MORE ABOUT BEAN VS. THE ROBOTS:

The sequel to Midge Lema’s Bean, named “Best of Hollywood Fringe, 2011”, and called one of the “top ten shows not to miss” at the 2012 Fringe World Festival by The West Australian.

Bean vs. The Robots is a weird little musical comedy solo show about grief. Written and performed by Michelle “Midge” Lema, with music and lyrics by Midge Lema. Directed by Riley Rose Critchlow, co-produced by Alison Zatta and Riley Rose Critchlow. Additional music and backing tracks by Maxton Waller. Poster design by Iman Salehian and Kat Wong.

 

In Bean vs. The Robots, space travellers get to board Bean’s spaceship for exactly 50 minutes. Bean has been flying her spaceship for so long that she lost all of her memories from Earth. Except memories that involve The Robots. Bean will take the space travellers on a ride, perform her favorite songs for them, and maybe even cast them as characters. Space travellers will hear strange songs like "Space Travel Is Hard" and "Space Vampires Are Sad." But even Bean won’t be prepared for the memories that pop up along the way.

 

Bean vs. The Robots lives in the space between absurdist sci-fi imagination and genuine moments of grief, asking how time shapes the memories of the people we’ve lost.

 

Says Lema: “As a kid, I tormented my family and classmates with little pop-up plays and monologues, usually set in a spaceship, always containing a character inspired by Elijah Wood. I would sing creepy little songs that probably still haunt everyone who heard them.” Still at it as an adult, Lema wrote and performed her first solo show Bean in 2011, and (Refried) Bean in 2014. 

 

At the time she worked in several creative roles at Disney, and spent nights and weekends performing in theatres and comedy clubs. This blissful, sleepless routine was interrupted in 2015 when Lema experienced a significant loss. It was a horrifying, beautiful, and oddly humorous time. The experience was the seed for Bean vs. The Robots, although it would take a decade to get the show launched into space.

 

After this loss, Lema moved into a role at Disney as an editor and host, writing and conducting on-camera interviews of many luminaries across the entertainment industry. For nearly a decade, Lema launched herself into this work, as some memories began to slip away into space: “...all that mattered was my life at work. I didn’t even write one weird little song. My keyboard lay under my bed, crusted over with dust. I felt the grief would never go away, and I didn’t want it to. But then came a new grief for a weird little kid who sang songs about space.” 

 

This new grief drove Lema to return to developing her own work, including Bean vs. The Robots. She dusted off the keyboard and started writing sad little songs about space travel and Elijah Wood. One seemingly random song became the driving force for the show. She realized why she retreated into that imaginary spaceship as a kid. The weird little songs came at a feverish pace.

 

Workshopping Bean vs. The Robots in 2025, Lema felt she was back where she belonged: “all I want to do is to continue performing this show, absorbing the energy of the audience, and keep making it weirder… and always a little sad, for anyone who likes those types of things.”

 

​

ABOUT MIDGE LEMA:

Michelle “Midge” Lema is a writer, performer, producer, on-camera host, and founder of Lemabean Productions. Lema earned a degree in theatre at the University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts, and spent a summer studying Shakespeare at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England.

 

Lema worked with Disney for over a decade, most recently as Manager of Creative Brand & Development, overseeing content development for Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Disney+ digital and social platforms. She was previously the editor and head writer for Disney News and Oh My Disney, as well as head writer and host of The Oh My Disney Show. She managed editorial calendars and writing staff, oversaw content strategy, and wrote countless articles and scripts. She also appeared on-camera interviewing Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel Studios talent at press events, red carpet premieres, in-studio interviews, and the Oscars. Lema and the team she worked with earned multiple Webby and Shorty Awards.

 

Lema has written, directed, produced, and performed in numerous plays including productions in Los Angeles (REDCAT Theatre, Open Fist Theatre ), Scotland (Edinburgh Festival Fringe, This Bridge Theatre), Germany (International Shakespeare Festival), and Australia (Fringe World Festival). She first travelled to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as a student when her high school was invited to participate in the American High School Theatre Festival. She later joined a professional theatre company, This Bridge Theatre, and performed in four shows in rotation at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, one of which she co-directed and one of which she co-wrote. In the Los Angeles theatre scene, Lema was a member of the Open Fist Theatre Company for many years, taking on numerous directing and performance roles, as well as serving as Fundraising Director.

 

Lema also writes screenplays, specializing in the sci-fi and comedy genres. In 2024, her sci-fi comedy television pilot script Space Correspondent! was a Quarterfinalist in the ScreenCraft Comedy Competition, a Semi-Finalist in the Emerging Screenwriters Action & Adventure Screenplay Competition, and a Semi-Finalist in the Filmmatic Sci-Fi & Fantasy Competition. Her very first play, which she co-wrote as a teenager, was originally titled Shakespeare Made Easy and is now called Shakespeare for Kids. The play was published and has been performed by students throughout the U.S. and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

 

Currently based in Los Angeles, Lema occasionally writes entertainment coverage for the popular media brand The Everygirl, which reaches millions of women around the globe. She also produces and hosts the ongoing live show Space Stories: An Open Mic and appears in the live sketch comedy show This Week This Week.

 

Lema originally wrote and produced her solo show, Bean, in 2011, which was awarded Best of Hollywood Fringe and called one of the “top ten shows not to miss” at Fringe World Festival by the West Australian in 2012. She went on to produce her second solo show in 2015. Her newest solo show, Bean vs. The Robots: A Solo Show Musical, is currently in workshop performances and will be debuting at the Hollywood Fringe Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe later this year.