12th August 2013 Pleasance Court Yard
12th show in the run
Length 55mins
Before Gig
The day after tomorrow is my day off and I am feeling in a slightly “schools out for summer” mood. All shows in the run are of equal importance at the Edinburgh Festival. Anybody could be in the audience in any night. There should be the same pressure on me every night but the truth is I don’t feel the same about every gig. Not every gig feels the same importance to me. Perhaps thats to do with the night of the week it falls upon or whether somebody I know will be in or how well the last show went or just my mood on that day? I don’t know but tonight does not feel as pressured as other nights. I’m not sure why. I am excited about performing the new “Feel the Fear” Section.
During Gig
It is a full house. I am relaxed at the start. I am open minded to the possibilities of the gig. I am ready for anything the gig will throw at me. Scrub that. I am unfocused at the start and somewhat lackidasical, I have mistaken being ready for nothing for being ready for anything. A woman at the back waves to me as I take to the stage and I talk about her wave and no one else has seen it. So why mention it at all? I have to mention that I shouldn’t have mentioned it but even that may have a mistake. The start feels ill disciplined. When I finally launch into material, I can feel the obvious relief of the audience as they see that I know what I am doing.
The initial “We all gamble section” goes better than any time in the run. I am adding bits into “The lottery” section all the time and I like it. It has a real momentum now and acts as a springboard for the start of the show. The audience are already really onside. It now feels like this is going to be the best gig of the run. The audience are up for it. They are there for the taking. They are so on board that I am already worrying if it will even be possible to raise them further for the end. The audience are already at max power. But suddenly they are not. Once I go into “Betting shop” there is a noticeable drop off of energy and almost a palpable air of confusion in the room. It makes me wonder if they didn’t hear a key word or something. I struggle on “Professional Gambler” the audience have deserted me. I don’t think I have ever known an audience to go from so supportive to nothing without some obvious faux pas. Now they suddenly get back on board. Changes to “Demons” works well particularly bit about Demons being timely and punctual but this is still work in progress and needs more improvements.
They love “Mirapex” and then “Vicious Circle of Debt” back to nothing. I am very relaxed today even in the bits they aren’t going for. But when I launch into all the sugar material I don’t seem to be able to pick them up. I decide I have lost them now. It will slide away from here so I deliberately alter my delivery, I bring the performance down and suddenly they are there again.
There is an American in the front row. I refer to him a lot - too much. There are American references in the show and there are British references and Scottish references. I keep saying things like “You’ll know about this” “You won’t have heard about this” “These guys know this” Its all pointless. I should just get on with the show.
Dad Embarrassment the end punchline on autism gets nothing and I let it hand there. I make it obvious that was a point to laugh. I then tell them I knew they wouldn’t go with it because I have drop in teasers earlier but i decided to go ahead anyway due to my extreme arrogance. The audience just stare at me as though I are arrogant and maybe I am? And now they are away again. The kids material struggles but then I bring the performance down again and back on board they come. They are really start stop. I always seem to be able to get them back but never able to keep them. They keep wanting to be won over again.
Reworked “Feel the Fear” flies. I incorporate new changes but also tag on bit about it being the best book i have ever read. The routine works well but perhaps more in the enthusiasm of something being new rather than something actually being good.
Ending best yet. I adlib a rant about Nate Silver not being an artist and being a cold hearted man of commerce. I find this on stage today and realize that it is a door I can push further. This added on to the previous rant. So this builds nicely now to conclusion.
After Gig
Felt like theatrical rather than club crowd but generally couldn’t work them out. They were not easy to predict when they would enjoy stuff and then they wouldn’t. They were very stop start. The gig promised so much at the start and didn’t quite deliver. There was a feeling of not fulfilling it’s potential throughout.
I was reacting to too many things in the room tonight and went way off script too frequently. Too many asides. Too easily distracted. Too unfocused. Bad Stephen.
I moved about the stage too much. Too much walking.
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