While many people will be familiar with Fleabag as one of the edgiest television comedies of recent years, it was as a stage play that it first established its credentials, making an award-winning debut at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2013.

Whether on stage or the small screen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who wrote the original monologue and played the lead role, has become synonymous with the show. So when Maddie Rice was asked to take over the part for the touring production of the play, one might have thought it would’ve been a daunting prospect.

“When I was auditioning for it, I remember saying, ‘Well, this isn’t intimidating at all,’ recalls Rice with a strong hint of irony.

“I’d seen Phoebe do it, loved her in it and was a massive fan of the play. Phoebe being in the room while I auditioned was actually really good, because she’s so affable, and one of her massive qualities is that she made me feel really comfortable and was really supportive.

“Obviously there’s a huge amount of pressure following someone absolutely phenomenally talented, but I’ve got all the support there, and I’m really chuffed to play such an amazing role. I think focusing on that means that I’m enjoying it more than feeling the pressure.” 

Fleabag follows the lead character as she faces up to the pressure of dealing with modern life in London. A number of tragic events lead to a series of promiscuous encounters that are described in graphic detail on stage - a task that could’ve proved to be quite a challenge. Rice admitted that she was a little apprehensive at first.

“I remember feeling very, very nervous about the audience reaction, because it’s a very different thing doing the play in rehearsal to doing it in front of an audience. It’s written as a confessional monologue, so it feels a bit like the audience is the other character.

“It’s almost like doing a play and not knowing who the other actor is until the day of the performance. It’s incredibly exciting because it makes every show really different. It means I could do it for ages and wouldn’t get bored of it.” 

One aspect of the character in Fleabag is her loose interpretation of morality. Rice has noticed that this personality trait has generated mixed responses from audiences.

“Because Fleabag the character is really honest, brave and unconcerned about what’s considered crude or too much information, I remember when I first did it, some audiences were maybe slightly more judgmental of certain behaviour and some audiences were onside. It changes every time, because she does a lot of things that aren’t really considered to be polite or morally okay to do, so I think sometimes you can feel vulnerable because you’re getting a reaction back from the audience that’s like, ‘What have you done?’ or ‘You can’t say that’. 

“I think the structure of the way the play is written is so clever that it means I’m never left too vulnerable, but because I have to connect with parts of myself - as an actor, to play this role - that are quite vulnerable, that’s quite difficult.” 

Anyone who’s seen Fleabag on stage or TV will be aware that the play’s eponymous heroine is quite prepared to push the boundaries of humour to the limit, and this honesty has resulted in a wide range of audience responses.

“There are laughs of recognition because they’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve done that,’ or ‘I know someone who’s done that’, or people laugh at things that Fleabag says or does that are really taboo, that you shouldn’t do in a play. People love the naughtiness of that.” 

In the same way that some theatregoers are surprised to discover that the stage version of Academy Award-winning movie Shirley Valentine was originally written as a monologue, Rice has encountered Australian audience members who were unaware that the original production of Fleabag didn’t contain multiple characters.

“There were a few people who’ve seen the TV show who asked me, ‘What part are you playing?’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s just me’. And this is the great thing about this show, because at one time there was a kind of preconception about one-woman shows that they were a bit preachy or a bit serious, but recently there’s been a whole new wave of amazing one-woman shows that are so exciting. I think shows like Fleabag make it really exciting to see one person taking you through this whole story in a big world.”

The character in Fleabag constantly seems to straddle the line between tragedy and comedy - and it’s this conflict that Rice believes is key to the success of the play.

“Fleabag treads a really clever line between theatre and stand-up because it’s confessional and there are so many jokes, but a lot of the jokes are hiding something more tragic from the audience - and that kind of structure is really clever. Everyone’s ready to listen and is feeling excited because of the humour, and then, towards the end, they’re listening to the tragedy and the truth.

“The show is a window into a young woman’s mind, who’s struggling to deal with living in a metropolitan city, coping with recent tragedies. She’s doing that by using humour and sex and shocking people, to hide from the true struggles that she’s going through. So audiences can expect a really funny hour of truthful and sometimes disturbing storytelling, and to hear things  that they’ve probably never heard on stage before.” 

Fleabag shows at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, from Tues 8 to Sat 12 May.