The good news is that I have committed myself to doing the Edinburgh Fringe again this year: I've even got a venue and a time-slot pencilled in. The bad news is that I don't really have a clue about what my show is going to be about. I sat in Cafe Nero this afternoon trying to formulate some ideas (hoping that a large injection of caffeine would help things along), but nothing has reached out and grabbed me as yet. Usually by this stage of the year I have a basic concept, at least and probably even a title, but although there are a few themes that are interesting, there isn't one preoccupying me completely.
I was thinking of doing something about weight loss and my recent sporting endeavours (possibly self-referentially called "Richard Herring is Fit"), but although potentially commercial as an idea, it would ultimately be a bit similar to "Talking Cock" in that it would be about body image issues. I think I fancy doing something a bit different and maybe more personal. Though on the other hand there is part of me that is aware that it would be useful to create a show that I was able to tour and that might actually make me some money in the long run (I expect to lose at least £5000 during the Edinburgh run and this year I don't have any TV work to finance such profligance).
Something at least partially based on Warming Up itself isn't totally out of the question. Possibly just picking up on the themes of paranoia or isolation that I've played around with in these pages. The phone conversation I had last week about my broke legs would make a great start to a show and there's a part of me hoping that it leads on to more adventures just so I've got something to talk about (providing they don't break my jaw too... Brilliant I'll get to shout "Not the face!").
I've got a vague idea of attempting to do something based on the Biblical story of Job, who God did all those horrible things to to prove to the Devil that Job would love Him whatever. It's such a brilliantly insane part of the Bible, but I also like the idea that I think the minor persecutions being visited upon me are some sort of divine test. There might be some interesting broader themes about how people automatically think of themselves as the centre of the Universe and how ideas of deities help accentuate these self-important feelings.
But would that be funny?
Who knows?
It's still early days, but this year I am keen to get the show written well in advance so I can test it and adapt if before the Festival itself. Ideally I'd like to have something together by the beginning of June. So I've got three months and all I have to do it to decide what I am going to write about and then write about it.
Or maybe I should just wait til the day of the first performance and make something up.
Hope you'll all buy a ticket.
