Skip to main content

My Final Downfall.


To end my run with a cancelled show because just two people showed up was a bit of a damp squib, but at least it meant I could pack up in a more leisurely manner.

The only shame was it meant turning away the technician from Glyn's and my first Fringe run, Craig and his girlfriend - as they were the people who’d come to see it - though they of course understood it couldn’t go ahead, particularly when they were shown through about ten minutes late, when we were about to pack up. Frustratingly, it was their second attempt to see it too, but that’s the Law of Sod, which follows me around, though I’m very grateful they persisted.

The point is I need to be on at a better time if I’m going to do this again, as midday's far too early to do me any favours. I knew this before I came up, but despite being prepared for it, it was still a blow, particularly as my numbers suffered this year more than ever and it probably had a bearing on me getting reviewed too.

Once we’d decided we weren’t going ahead, my techie Rob and I packed everything up and carried it down to the venue’s entrance on Cowgate, where I bade Rob farewell and brought my taxi booking forward using their handy app (because we’re living in the future).

Have show, will travel (back to Hitchin, ideally).

Rob was definitely the run’s biggest asset and I’m so glad I asked him to upgrade from flyerer to button-presser when it became evident things weren’t working out with my first technician (which annoyingly come to a head on the same day I had press in). As with last year’s techie Michael, I struck gold with Rob, who was always on the ball and had just the right temperament, plus he was just good company; the last thing you want is to spend a month where the only other common factor each day is someone you can’t get in sync with.

Spin forward to the evening and my Downfall After-Party was enjoyed over a couple of glasses of wine and The Simpsons; who says debauchery's dead? Not me.

My wrap party (anarchy).

Popular posts from this blog

Not The Bayeux One.

The Carole King album Tapestry has been my 'getting-ready-in-the-morning' soundtrack for the past few weeks.  It's been a favourite album ever since I was a student, which makes for a pleasantly gentle way to usher in the start of a day. I've always been a fan of a well-crafted song, which is something of a Carole King hallmark, ever since she started writing with her first husband in the early Sixties. Tapestry may be an unimaginative choice for a favourite LP, as it suggests I haven't delved that far into her career, but it's still an undoubted classic; anything with '(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman', 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?' and 'You've Got A Friend' on it can't really fail; if nothing else, it proves she likes writing songs with long titles.  Next month, she's set to perform the album live in its entirety for the first time at a gig in Hyde Park, which I would have loved to have gone to, if it weren...

Hitchin is Mine.

As of six o’clock tonight, I take over the Hitchin is Yours Twitter account for a week; a stewardship I’m anxious to get right. I’m proud of my hometown. It’s a great place to live, with so much going for it. I've always sold it to my non-Hitchinite friends; so much so, that a lot have gone on to move here. Any town expansion plans are partly my fault. Feel free to picket outside my house. I love its history and architecture. Take St Mary’s Church, for example. The building is beautiful inside and out, and huge for a town of our size. There has been a place of worship on site since the 7 th Century. Much of the present building dates from the 1300s. You wouldn't get that in America. (Don't forget the British Schools Museum too.)  Hitchin is a hive for creative people and a hub for the arts. It boast two theatres, two comedy clubs, a couple of art galleries, a festival for world music and a thriving music scene. This drew...

'Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream..."

While I’ve been practising meditation for quite some time now, I’ve recently taken to using the mindfulness app 'Headspace' . If you’ve never meditated before, or you’re an old hand at it, it’s a great resource, offering daily ten-minute guided meditations that create a sense of progress, rather than stagnating and going through the same process every day. Until I started using the app, I’d often listen to a handful of audio guided meditations I have on my phone in case of a brain emergency. If you see me with my eyes closed and my earphones in on public transport, I’m probably doing this (unless I’m sleeping and using this blog as an elaborate alibi). While the tracks on my phone are great, they can get a little repetitive as I become too familiar with them and start to anticipate everything the person on the recording will say. This is where Headspace is great, as it offers you a daily course with a different focus each day, as well as pl...