The last of the previews

And there we have it, my previews are at an end. Next stop: Edinburgh.

Well, it will be the next stop for the show, I will personally have other stops in between over the next few days. I was due to have another preview tonight, but it ended up being cancelled. In a way, I am sort of glad, because I will just get a chance to have a rest this week and Friday’s was a good way to sign off.

For what turned out to be my final preview, I returned to the Big Green Bookshop in Wood Green. It was where I did my first ever Edinburgh preview for anything in 2011 with A Mixed Bag. Why I ever thought that was a good name for a show, I will never know. At the time, it also was the longest performance I had ever done. Clocking in at 23 minutes (if I remember correctly), it felt a shock then to be doing anything longer than ten minutes. That particular night went well enough to give both Langton and me a false sense of security in our show. Reality of how tough the Fringe is came crashing down on our naive heads later.

At my preview there on Friday, I once again did my longest ever performance, of one hour and nine minutes. This time, it didn’t feel like a shock to be doing so long. If anything, it didn’t feel long enough.

The show went very well, but can still be further improved and I need to do some ruthless editing. As much as it pains me, I probably won’t have time for my bit on assassin donkeys and information on the history of the adjustable spanner. This is probably just as well, because neither of these were going down particularly well.

I am really looking forward to Edinburgh this year. I will be on my own for the first time and it will all be new and exciting again. I wonder how this optimistic entry will compare with what I write at the end of the Fringe.

I’m aware that I could be utterly delusional, but I feel I’m well prepared. I’ve tested my show in various conditions: on a canal boat, in front of three people, in a bookshop, and for a tired and sweaty audience.

I know what I’m letting myself in for and although it will be tough, I feel ready.