With two shows cancelled for Stop the Press on the bounce due to having two in for audience and then a day off, I was going to pull a third. Only to have the three people who had made the effort to be there be very insistent that I give them a show.
So I did, even though it was more of a chat than a gig, but I’m still counting it as a gig as they also insisted on giving me money afterwards.
The penultimate show saw my audience double to seven, who were a more receptive than many other audiences I’ve had for this run.
Then the final Stop the Press show gave me my biggest ever crowd for the show and my largest Kilderkin audience since that crazy run in 2015. As a finale, it was okay, but nothing outstanding. It started off pretty well, but soon descended into mediocrity.
The best thing about the final performance was the euphoria of finishing a show that I haven’t enjoyed performing much. It was my first experience of performing an hour without the involvement of any quizzes and at times it was just painful.
There were some good shows, but a greater number were a struggle. Although the show was in a better shape by the end of the run, I couldn’t get it to where I wanted and I still don’t know exactly what the ending is meant to be even after performing it for a month.
It has been consistently difficult to build momentum throughout the show. When something got a laugh, the next bits often didn’t and there were far too many blank faces throughout, which I have to take full responsibility for. If I’d been able to do more previews, it would have certainly helped.
The show only really flowed when I incorporated the audience into it more. This kind of defeated the object of doing a show that was intended to be more about the material and not the interaction, as I already know I can do that. There have been a few enjoyable gigs, but it’s mostly felt like a chore.
As I said in an earlier entry, it wasn’t exactly a triumphant return to the Kilderkin. It felt much more like the 2013 run there, which wasn’t much fun but ended up being the catalyst for How To Win A Pub Quiz. So perhaps something will similarly emerge from the ashes of Stop the Press. Nevertheless, I have learnt a lot and now have much more material. Maybe not a solid hour, but certainly enough to draw on for a club set.
The more of a struggle Stop the Press became during the run, the more fun I had with HTWAPQ. Even after four years and five Fringe runs, the show still feels as fresh as when I first performed it at The Roadhouse in Birmingham in May 2014. One of the best things is that a number of people come back to watch it every Fringe and always really enjoy it.
It’s almost become the holy grail of an Edinburgh show for me. One that I didn’t have to do any flyering for, I have no media profile, no reviews or PR, but still managed to sell 99% of tickets. I may have been in a 50 seater instead of a 60 seater this year, but that’s still not bad going at all. I’m not taking any of this for granted and am well aware that I can’t do this forever. HTWAPQ will certainly return to the Fringe and other venues, but it does still pose the question of: what comes next?
I’ve got a few ideas for new shows floating around. But whatever my new show will be, I’m going to make sure it’s fun. Because if it’s not, the Fringe is always a lot harder.