The last two shows ensured the run finished on a high. Although even if they had been horror shows, this still would have been a successful fringe. The penultimate show felt like I was properly in the groove from the start. The audience were on board straight away, and the flow of material felt as good as it has this fringe.
At the start of the month, the second half of the set was relatively untested. This is a really stupid position to be in when performing in one of the best comedy clubs in the world in front of paying punters. But it was a position I found myself in nonetheless. I knocked things into shape very quickly, dropped the bits that weren’t working, and rewriting others. By the end, the new bits of material on music and film, which still aren’t two months old, were getting some of the biggest laughs of the show.
For the first time ever, I also performed my final show on the last Monday of the fringe. In previous years, I finished things on the Saturday or Sunday. But I was offered a Monday this year and thought: ‘why not?’. I didn’t quite know what a Final Monday crowd would be like, but I needn’t have worried as they were equally as lovely as Sunday’s audience. Well, as lovely as an audience can be they can also boos you. Admittedly, I did deliberately engineer a situation that would result in then booing, and I make no apologies for it.
After my show finished, I had an idea about filming a recreation of the ending of Breaking Bad. This involved me collapsed on the stage with the camera panning out and rotating, accompanied by Badfinger’s Baby Blue. It was all filmed on my phone, and I have to say, I am rather pleased with the results. You can view it on my Instagram page @howtowinapubquiz.
In another first, I finally made it to The Stand’s wrap party in the six fringes I have been doing shows with them. In previous years, I have been heading back to reality on the Monday. I was hesitant to go this time, partly as I don’t know that many people there, and also thought there was a strong chance I would fall asleep after one pint. I went for a couple of hours, chatted to a few comedians and important folk, had two free pints of stout, then got the train back to my accommodation. I understand the party went on for a good few more hours after I ducked out, though.
I am now very disappointed to report that I am back in my flat in London and my fringe is over for another year. Given a choice, I would have stayed up there performing. Unfortunately, there likely wouldn’t be an audience at 11.45am most days, and the venue wouldn’t be open. Yet these are but small obstacles. I will write a longer summary over the weekend about this year’s Fringe. It has been a tough old August, but I have loved most, if not every, second.