Edinburgh Fringe 2018: Days 1-3

Edinburgh Fringe 2018 is now underway and I am going to avoid using the obvious pun of saying it’s been A Mixed Bag so far, because it’s actually been pretty good.

How to Win a Pub Quiz has been selling out pretty much every day so far, which is amazing. I’m in Stand 2 this year, which is one of the very best rooms at the Fringe.

Nevertheless, I am missing the terrace out the back of Stand 5, where I would sit for many an hour after my show and was often bought pints by audience members. But from a time and health perspective, it’s something that I can’t really do this year.

The three HTWAPQ shows so far have all been really fun. The new set is getting there, but I’m still tweaking with every show. There is still room for improvement, but it doesn’t require quite so much drastic editing as last year.

For Stop the Press, I Want to Get Off, I’m back at the Kilderkin for the first time since 2015, with a brand new show for the first time since 2014. When I left there, I was playing to packed rooms and turning people away.

Then for my first show Saturday, I had ten people in and two walked out. It didn’t feel quite so much like a triumphant return to my spiritual home, especially as it was a Saturday. But I have to detach myself from comparing it to HTWAPQ. This show is a different animal, albeit a less successful animal. And you really don’t know how something’s going to go until you give it a try.

One disadvantage I have this year is that I have to get the room set up every day an hour before my show starts, which cuts into vital flyering time. I need to figure out a way around this.

The first show itself was a good start. The eight people laughed a decent amount at mostly the right points, I didn’t let the energy dip and made it through the entire set without looking at my notes or even writing my set on my hand.

The second show was much better. I must have at least 20 people in and they were great. There were some big laughs throughout. The show isn’t quite where I want it yet, but it’s getting there with every performance. And it now feels as though I have an actual show on my hands instead of an unsuccessful side-project.

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