I looked back on last night's drunk, shouting and then sleeping woman with a sense of nostalgia this evening. For the second time so far on this tour the dynamic of the room was changed by a large group of people in the theatre who had come to drink. I had been forewarned of possible disruption via tweet, with an audience member warning me that the group of men behind him had just ordered 40 cans of Becks for the first half. Of course it would depend on how big the group was, but it was unlikely to be more than 10-15 men, so they were planning on getting through 3 or 4 cans of beer in the first half.
It surprises me that people will come to a theatre comedy show with this attitude. It's something that comics have to put up with at clubs in the weekend, where some of the audience might turn up with the intent to get plastered, heckle off an act or two and chat with their mates. And maybe that can work if the comedians are doing short gags or up for banter, but I am doing a 90 minute show, with a story and some quiet and serious bits. And not many things that a man too drunk to comprehend language would recognise as jokes.
I don't know if it counts as a trend or whether TV comedy is giving people the idea that they can just rock up at any show billed as "comedy" wherever it is and the act will be a mild distraction from the boozing. Why not just go to the pub? I suspect that maybe one of the group was a fan, perhaps enjoying the podcasts and thought that this show would be similarly rude and maybe improved by alcohol. But I am not sure. Someone later suggested that maybe they were sports fans who had come because of my snooker podcasts. You nevrer know.
As it turned out the men were not the kind who wanted to join in or even chat amongst themselves too much. But due to being bladdered and many in number there was hardly a moment in the first 50 minutes where someone wasn't getting up and going to the toilet. I later described it as a tag team toilet trip and wondered if that was what they'd actually come to the theatre for.
It was only a distraction, but one that unsettled the rest of the audience and threw off my timing a bit, because I feared leaving a pause for effect in case there was another interruption.
Some people think comedy is all about the act dealing with hecklers and are overly impressed by a comedian's ability to do this. It's actually pretty easy to be funnier than a drunk idiot who isn't funny even when they're sober. It's usually just tiresome and breaks the flow. If everyone wanted me to just fuck around and make stuff up on the spot I could do that. But it's more satisfying for me to do the show I've worked hard on. If you've got to drink yourself into oblivion to get through my stuff (which I can understand), then at least have the foresight to wear some kind of nappy or urine bag. Think of your fellow audience members.
It was merely an annoyance and didn't wreck the show, but I think everyone else was grateful that they left in the interval, though someone tweeted to say they had called me a cock. I am being compared to the male member rather a lot this week. If you want a drink there are better places to go than a theatre - think of all the drinking money they wasted on tickets. Thanks for the money though fellas!
Comedy fans might be interested in this interview I did with
The Send Away The Tiger website and there's something for sports fans there too with the first ever interview with Me1 and Me2.
