The correct answer to the joke for those of you without google is "Just before someone screams".
Sorry if you feel it was unfair for me to move the goalposts, but I thought it better to reward originality and many of you came up with jokes about Ghost Watch, in the mourning, when it's least expectred etc so the two I chose were the best. My decision is final. Bad luck. Someone else is getting the junk.
After a nervous day of waiting for show one, where I still seemed unkeen to do any writing work on the bits that needed looking at, I finally got underway tonight.
And although I felt a bit tense and talked too fast I had a very satisfying opening night. The audience were enthusiastic and laughed heartily and there were about 130 of them in, which is an excellent start and a little bit up on last year, apparently, so very encouraging. There were certainly bits that need to be looked at a bit more closely, but as I think I knew in my head the only way to get them really right is to do them on stage a few times until I find exactly what I want to say. I could do with planning some of it a bit more, but the rawness is a positive on the whole and it's an important step for me to be going on with ideas and expressing them differently every night. It was a massive relief to get through it relatively unscathed and to have such a positive reaction.
Typically a good performance banished all the doubts and fears of yesterday. I am very much looking forward to the rest of the run and improving and refining what I have. With a bit more work it could be a very special show.
I have made a decision to try to not read my reviews this year. I have always obsessively searched them out before, but I am not sure it helps much. So I am going to try not to look. I would appreciate it therefore if you don't email me reviews or comment on them in the guestbook. I will have a look at them all when the Fringe is over. If I can hold out that long. Which I seriously doubt. But I know what needs work and what is good and I want to try and concentrate on the show without getting distracted by good or bad responses.
I got an email today from Joel from JK and Joel who I had been fairly disparaging about during my rundown of
The Simpsons premiere. He responded in a measured and dignified way, which is also the way I generally try to respond to criticism and it is good to see how effective it is, as I feel quite bad for being so rude about him. This is what he said, "Sorry I must have pissed you off at the premiere..
Got a call about 2 hours previous to do them a favour as none of the cast were there which I thought was strange.
Do enjoy reading your blog a lot of the time though
All the best
Joel"
Of course I had really been trying to heighten the feelings of disappointment about the whole experience by describing the Joel aspect of it (and it would have been as bad for the audience if they had been subjected to Herring from Lee and Herring before a totally unconnected film), but I emailed him back to apologise and to admit that I had little excuse as I had just been rude about him. I promised that I would redress the balance by slagging off JK at some point. And at least Joel had turned up, unlike his feckless colleague who doesn't even have a real name.
It's the danger of the internet and I know how dispiriting it can be to read an unpleasant review of something one has done, especially when one has been trying hard to deal with circumstances beyond one's control. So although an apology won't really make up for what I said, I did at least want to give Joel's side of the story and to acknowledge the fact that I feel chastened at least.
I just hope Morris Mitchener doesn't get in touch, telling me how I have scarred his entire life.
So anyway, suddenly life looks more positive again. Prepare yourself for some rapid twists and turns on this emotional rollercoaster.
It probably won't be my last Edinburgh either. Sorry for being so theatrical. But it's an arts festival, right?
