Today proved how much better my show works with a bigger audience, something that's probably not that surprising, though it was lovely to have it confirmed.
I didn't have that many in - probably about twelve, though a few more were shown through about ten minutes before the end when it was far too late to do a recap so God knows what they thought I was on about - though the impact on the atmosphere was huge. Suddenly, there were laughs to ride and the chance to have fun with the material, and I felt like a standup again too, which was a bonus.
That's one of the positives to doing a lot of shows to small audiences on the Fringe: by the time you're back in front of a more substantial crowd, you quickly see the benefit of all those gigs when you had to work for a reaction. This was the case when we filmed my last show, 'David Ephgrave: My Part in His Downfall', a month after the 2018 Fringe. Putting it in front of a packed crowd felt like a treat, and the fact I was match fit post-Edinburgh meant I could give the material a fair crack of the whip.
The only downside to today's show is the size of the audience won't be reflected in my takings, as most of them turned up last minute and didn't have time to go to the box office. The front-of-house staff asked me if I was happy to let them in, and I, of course, said yes. I could have done a bucket collection at the end, but I was too busy packing up. Obviously, the money matters far less than making the show work, though it would go towards my settlement. It would have also made my sales look better to the venue, which helps me should I want to return. Either way, it felt nice to get a buzz from performing again and be reminded why standup is so exhilarating when it works.