Yesterday, I had two shows left of my 2012 Edinburgh Fringe, and after the first one I thought I would be heading home on a low and needing several packets of biscuits.
We had 15 people in for our 6.20pm show and it was another case of interaction with the audience being received better than material. In this case, it was quite a contrast. I started off pretty well and managed to get a decent level of laughs, but then I just seemed to lose the audience halfway through my set and then couldn’t quite get them back. I’m not entirely sure what went wrong, but even lines that always serve me well received little more than a mild chuckle after the midway point. This was disappointing and probably hurt more than any gig up here this year. Still, we did received £20 from them.
I was also relieved to have finished this particular show as I have found it difficult. As is it is a venue slightly out of the way, it has meant I have had to put in as much flyering as I have done for Dirty Laundry, and with my depleted energy levels at the end of the Fringe it has not been the easiest thing to do.
With a poor penultimate show, my hopes for finishing my run with a flourish rested with Dirty Laundry. I was determined to give it everything to go out on a high. We had 30 people in, but for a variety of reasons we lost eight, including two women in the front row who remembered five minutes into my set that they had a flight to catch. I know, I’m always forgetting when I’m meant to be on a plane too.
Our deserters didn’t matter at all, as the 22 people we had left were really up for it. They were a really receptive audience and one of the very best we have had. They were certainly our best large crowd.
It was really good fun, I managed to find some energy from somewhere. We both did well and got some big laughs. And we also had our largest collection, with a massive £70 in our bucket.
So there we have it. Against all sorts of factors and obstacles, such as venue locations and a widely quieter Fringe than usual, I have reached the end of the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe. Out of 27 shows I was due to do, 26 went ahead and I only had to pull one. This is an achievement I am proud of. I have had to work harder than I have ever worked at any festival I have been to. I have had some great shows and received some really positive feedback from audience members who have come out of their way to say nice things.
Tomorrow, I have to get on the train back to London at 6.55am tomorrow. This isn’t ideal but it was the cheapest ticket available.
I will write a review of my Fringe experience as a whole in the next day or so, as well as what I have in the works for next year.