Tonight’s
work-in-progress show felt like a world of difference to last night’s gig; people laughed and everything.
Dare I say it, I enjoyed
it. It’s the first time I’ve performed a sizeable chunk of what will eventually
become my Brighton & Camden Fringe show ‘…and Ephgrave’ in one piece.
Tonight’s response made me feel that I’m at least on the right track.
Being in an
intimate venue with a comedy savvy audience makes the world of difference. It
helped me scale down my delivery, to make it more conversational. I didn’t have
to fight for attention. I still need to find where the laughs are in the
material, so I can sit back on it, but the fact that there were laughs has given me a confidence boost.
It helps that I’m
sharing the work-in-progress dates with the lovely Peter Broughton-Rates (I’m a
poet…etc). He has an exceptional knack for positivity. As we left, I apologized
for the fact I’d only had two people turn up to watch, when he’d supplied the
other eighteen.
‘That’s still ten
percent of the audience’ he said. His optimism perfectly offsets my in-built
pessimism. He’s also very easy to watch. He has excellent comic judgment. I
like how he can be both brazen and ‘out there’, while also being subtle and
naturalistic. He’s a good chap, that chap.
I’m looking forward
to our next date, now I know the feel of the space. I’m sure both of us will be
more relaxed for ‘Meet Here’ / ‘Work in (Hope of) Progress’ #2. Date to follow shortly...
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| Setting up at The Actors' Temple. In the 1970s, apparently. |