mostly david ephgrave

My favourite line from Channel 5’s ace (no card-pun intended) documentary on Paul Daniels last week was, "It took twenty years for Paul to become an overnight success." That’s a statement most people in the performing arts industry can relate too, and a sobering reminder of just how much work and commitment is required to sustain a long career. These things don’t just come overnight, and if they do, that’s not to say they’ll stay. It’s a fickle and often-thankless world to be a part of, save for those few moments when you’re onstage and things fall into place. But Daniels career is testament to the fact that hard work does pay off; in his case, the years of effort he put to the cause prepared him for the success that followed. What underlined this for me while watching the programme was seeing footage of one of Paul’s earliest TV appearances, on the variety show The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club in the mid-1970s. He kicked off his set with exactly the sam...

It’s hard to find the drive to commit to seeing a run through to the end when you’re rehearsing a solo show alone for your own benefit. I’ve made a point of going over my Edinburgh show once a day for the past two days to keep it in mind for the dates I’m doing later on this month - and while today’s run felt a lot better than yesterday’s, it’s very easy to go off the boil when you’re talking to no-one for an hour. Not only is it tempting to stop when you’re doing it, you can also start to lose faith in the content. Again, today’s rehearsal felt a lot less like this than yesterday’s, as I made a point of taking my time with the material so I could connect with it, but even when doing this, the lack of feedback can make the whole thing seem desperately unfunny if you let it. I guess the key is not overthink and / or over-rehearse it; to do just enough to make sure you still know it, without getting bored with it. I’m on holiday next week, so...