So-so Soho

I'm pleased with how tonight's Comedy Project gig went. 

I've mentioned before how I find Soho Theatre Upstairs a difficult venue to play. It's not a comfortable room for comedy. It's hard to maintain attention. Glyn and I have tried everything there from on-book to off-book sitcom readings, stand-up shows, sketch shows and comedy plays. It's never been easy. The only way to keep the audience focused on you is to let off a flare every few minutes - and even then they'd only do it out of fear.

The piece which was the best received was Doggett & Ephgrave's Comedy Shorts, which was half an hour's worth of filmed sketches. It's far easier to home in on specific detail on film. The Balloon Debate went well too, despite us being trapped in a 5' square wicker basket for the duration.‎

This morning, I told myself to push all these perceived challenges out of my head and to try to not to over-think it. I'd use it as a chance to tell some stories and try stuff out. I wouldn't enter into it expecting too much. I'd also do my best to take my time, even if I felt it wasn't going well.

This definitely made a difference. I went into the show more relaxed than I should have been in the circumstances. It's the only time I performed there for so long without Glyn. He was present for support and to give feedback, but he wasn't on stage, which was a big difference. My next step is to write more material for my hour-long Brighton show in May. If I performed tonight's thirty-minute set twice in quick succession, someone would notice. ‎
‎ 

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

Comedy That's Worth a Letch.

Today, I nipped to Letchworth to meet with illustrator (and one-time - two-time - comedy poet) Mushybees, to discuss an event Mostly Comedy will act as surrogate parents to as part of Letchworth’s Arts Takeover in a couple of weeks. Months ago he got into contact to see if we’d be up for co-organising a comedy stage as part of Letchworth’s weekend of arts-based attractions in July; something I’d provisionally said yes to, before things got hectic in the lead-up to Edinburgh and we didn’t take it any further. Despite not getting down to the nitty-gritty straight away, we managed to pull a line-up together in a back-and-forth of emails yesterday, leading to me getting Glyn’s blessing and us deciding we’d officially go ahead with it (whatever ‘officially’ means in this context). In reality, it’s not complicated: from 12pm until 6pm-ish on the 22 nd July, Glyn, Mushybees and I will host four Edinburgh previews from four acts (including me), before Nor...
Read more