Another No-Show.

Sadly, tonight's preview was cancelled, as only one person turned up. 

It was a shame, as the Water Poet has the perfect set-up for the show. There's a projector rigged, and the room (The Cellar Bar) is lovely. It was strange to be in control of the space, when I've been there so many times to do open mic spots. If nothing else, it will make me feel more comfortable next time I'm doing that; I'll stroll in with my best Gallagher swagger, issuing demands left, right and centre (or not, as the case may be). 

In some senses, not doing the show was a blessing and not a curse. I had a late night last yesterday and didn't sleep well, so I wouldn't have been at my best. That said, I was hoping to use tonight to whittle down the running time to a tight hour for Monday's preview at The Etcetera Theatre, which can't overrun as there's a show immediately after it. I started doing a run-through, but it felt too weird, as my wife would've had to sit through it for the second night running, and the bar staff would have felt forced to laugh, so I abandoned it. This also gave us more time to pack down so we could get an earlier train back. 

The biggest pain was having to bring so much gear with us, to then have to take it all back for nothing. We got a taxi from King's Cross to Liverpool Street (using the spoils from last night's charitable on-the-door donations to pay for it) and then a tube and train back, all for the craic. I'm adopting a selective deafness to the amount of money I'm spending in the lead-up to Edinburgh; before long, I'll be selling my vital organs at a meat raffle.

The other frustrating thing was having to cancel Phil Kay. I hate doing this, as he'd kept the date free in his diary, but he was very good about it. I was looking forward to seeing him too. It was annoying, as the gig should have done well with him on it, but we were probably scuppered by a hot day and the fact the flyers I'd ordered to promote it arrived so late. At least today's expenses were tax deductible, but I'd rather have done another show into the bargain; you don't become a performer for financial gain. 

Popular posts from this blog

Shakerpuppetmaker.

Image
Have Parker from Thunderbirds and Noel Gallagher ever been seen in the same room? The resemblance is uncanny. So much so, I think something’s afoot. If my suspicions are correct, I've stumbled across a secret that will blow the music and puppet industry wide apart. In the mid-60s / mid-90s at least. It doesn’t take long to see the signposts. There’s the similarity between the name of Oasis’ first single, Supersonic, and Supermarianation, Gerry Anderson’s puppetry technique. The Gallagher brothers would often wear Parkas . Live Forever was clearly a reference to Captain Scarlet and Standing on the Shoulder of Giants to the size difference between Noel and his bandmates. The more you think about it, the more brazen it gets. It’s fishier than Area 51, Paul is Dead and JFK's assassination put together. The only glitch to the theory is scale . According to Wikipedia, Anderson’s marionettes were 1’10” and Gallagher is 5’8”. How does he maintain an illusion of avera...
Read more

Stevenage: A (Tiny) River Runs Through it.

If ever a river was mis-sold, it’s the Roaring Meg in Stevenage. I just walked past it on my way to the retail park that has taken its name. They’re similarly uninspiring. The river is less of a roar and more of a dribble; cystitis sufferers produce greater flow. The retail park is soulless. What was once a thriving enterprise is nearly devoid of atmosphere, save an underlying essence of emptiness and despair. With a Toys R Us. When it was first built I was excited. Back then, the thought of a bowling alley, an ice rink, a Harvester and a Blockbuster Video within a small surface area was enticing. I celebrated many birthdays on site. There was an indoor cricket pitch there for a while where I once had a joint party with a friend. Why someone with an almost pathological fear of sport would agree to such a venture is beyond me, but I did it. Now, there’s very little at the Roaring Meg of note. The river would be a metaphor for the shopping ce...
Read more

Hoo-ray and up She Rises.

So much has happened since my last post in March that this blog risks sounding like an itinerary. The main news is that Hitchin Mostly Comedy will return in the summer at a new venue, the Queen Mother Theatre . The road to this decision was convoluted, though enough fell into place en route to leave me optimistic about this new start. The catalyst was a survey I ran via our mailing list a few months back, in which I asked, "If the club returned in the current climate, with tickets still around £15 (and with similar line-ups), would you still attend?"; the response to which, in simple terms, was a resounding yes. Nearly 250 mailing list subscribers responded in a single week, with around a hundred also taking the option to leave some feedback. And only two people were abusive, which counts as a win when you consider they posted their comments online anonymously. Imagine how many more insults we would have received if the comedy club was a woman. Particularly if she was Diane ...
Read more