Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Day 17

Along with the inevitable lows of the Edinburgh Fringe, there is also a wall you will hit at some point when all the energy you have been using and ridiculous lifestyle collide with your immune system.

Last night I hit that wall, on stage and during my set. I was lethargic and there was nothing I could really do other plan plough on with my material. I consider it to be my worst performance of the run. I didn’t die; I got laughs, but a fair number of lines fell flat.

We had eight people in, including Gwilum. There wasn’t a great deal of energy in the room, but as a comic you have to take responsibility and try to rectify that. I didn’t, and when I finished my set, I was sitting at the back of the room and struggling to stay awake.

Paul did much better than me for a change, despite having been working all day. We made £8.60 in the collection bucket at the end, so perhaps the show wasn’t quite as bad as it was in my own head.

I am also fairly certain we had a reviewer in. He was a Scottish man, probably in his 40s and on his own. He came into the pub just as the show was about to start and left as soon as the show finished. He also had the demeanour of a man who had watched too much comedy in the past couple of weeks. But he did laugh, so that will surely count for something. But if he was a reviewer and I do get slated, I at least know I was on the worst form of the run.

I think I have the Edinburgh lurgy good and proper now. It has been threatening to take grip since I arrived here, but it has upped its game and added a wheeze and sleep prevention to its powers.

Today, I start my show with Gwilum.  So I will be putting my faith in energy drinks, adrenaline and flu medicine. I just have to hang on in there for six more days.

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