Me, You, You and You.


Today’s show had just to two real people in, plus my new flyerer (who’s a real person too) who unfortunately had to leave before the end; something I was sure to mention at the beginning, so the two genuine punters didn’t think she was walking out.

It was once again a lovely show and the pair in were very receptive, but of course it’s frustrating to do a good one and have so few people see it. Basically, I’m falling victim to a terrible start-time, as when I arrive there’s essentially no-one about, but when I leave the venue at 13:20pm, The Caves is bustling with people going to watch the mixed bill show Afternoon Delights or some such.

I sincerely hope this picks up, as I don’t want a show I’m proud of that’s starting to settle despite a difficult genesis (like Phil Collins' stroppy band) to be seen by next-to-nobody and to just get a single and largely inaccurate write-up, like the one from The List that popped up yesterday, which bizarrely suggested I got the title of my show wrong twice mid-performance, which I can only take to mean that they thought when I paraphrased the name whilst discussing the show’s theme I'd forgotten what it was called and was making a mistake, which is absolutely ludicrous as I’m not a complete idiot.

But back to the positives; for one, the show has a more comfortable running time now and is no longer a fight to-the-finish to get everything in. I also feel like people are enjoying it. The links feel quite relaxed, and while I may occasionally undersell some of the material so it doesn’t sound overstated when performing to a small house, it’s falling well for the most part. Best of all, my wife’s up tomorrow, so I get a break from the whole Edinburgh mindset. I only hope I haven’t forgotten her name like I allegedly have with my show; you would have thought with all the preparatory work I did for the Fringe I would have learnt what it's called; it is Adventures of Hucklebury Finn, isn't it?

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