While getting to Brighton today was a
little stressful with a cancelled and delayed train along the way, it was worth
the effort as the show was a lorra fun (sorry Cilla).
My wife and I arrived at the venue less than an hour before kick-off for the usual frenetic set-up, which ended with me putting on my show clothes all sweaty and stressed. Seconds after changing my underwear a punter walked in, which led to a completely crossed-purposes conversation with me trying to explain the house wasn’t open yet that I pitched a little too aggressively. I managed to call him back for some damage limitation, which wasn’t exactly the best way to get into a show mindset.
Despite the stressful lead-up, when I started the gig things thankfully clicked. It helped that the audience were onside from the off and seemed more than happy to go along with my off-the-cuff tangents. I love it when it’s like that as gives you something to bounce off of, and gives material the life it often lacks in rehearsal.
Like last night, the first ten minutes seemed to draw people in pretty quickly, which definitely gives me a sense of how to approach the rest of the show when I redraft it. That said, a lot of the material shows potential; it just needs a little edit. What’s most promising of all is I’m starting to enjoy myself and be playful with it, which is exactly what I need after a difficult few months.
My wife and I arrived at the venue less than an hour before kick-off for the usual frenetic set-up, which ended with me putting on my show clothes all sweaty and stressed. Seconds after changing my underwear a punter walked in, which led to a completely crossed-purposes conversation with me trying to explain the house wasn’t open yet that I pitched a little too aggressively. I managed to call him back for some damage limitation, which wasn’t exactly the best way to get into a show mindset.
Despite the stressful lead-up, when I started the gig things thankfully clicked. It helped that the audience were onside from the off and seemed more than happy to go along with my off-the-cuff tangents. I love it when it’s like that as gives you something to bounce off of, and gives material the life it often lacks in rehearsal.
Like last night, the first ten minutes seemed to draw people in pretty quickly, which definitely gives me a sense of how to approach the rest of the show when I redraft it. That said, a lot of the material shows potential; it just needs a little edit. What’s most promising of all is I’m starting to enjoy myself and be playful with it, which is exactly what I need after a difficult few months.