Ha ha, I’m so clever, I came up with a title that reflects my performances at both the short and long fringe this week. I should do this for a living. Think of all the money I could make writing titles for other people’s blog entries that people don’t read.
Last night I did the Best of Week show at the Short Fringe. I was a bit gobsmacked to get the call late Friday night to say I’d been selected. Erik was doing his ‘told you so’ bit, as he’d predicted this happening earlier in the week. Fortunately we didn’t place a bet on this one, I already owe him enough.
The show was fun, packed house again, lively audience. I’m so glad I’ve been able to do the short fringe this year, I miss being with other performers and I miss the smallness of the Hyde Park Theatre and its oddly shaped stage. I think the word I wanted there was intimacy but that’s one of those words that makes me shudder.
Barry had an odd time. My throat had felt really dry and kind of sticky all evening and by the time Barry was up on his soapbox my mouth really started drying out. I forgot to take a swig of water beforehand and really paid for it. I was desperately trying to find some moisture, doing lots of swallowing and trying to conjure up some spit, to loosen up my tongue but there was nothing. I think the word I need here is lubricate, but see above.
I could hear myself starting to slur my words because I couldn’t move my lips properly. I’m sure this is how a stroke probably feels. I almost ran off stage to get water but not even Barry is that weird. So I stayed up there in my plastic mat, sweltering and pulling the strangest lip movements and hoping they wouldn’t notice too much.
Yet another lesson learned. No lattes’s before a performance. Get some gum. Drink more water. Thanks again universe.
I didn’t stay around for the rest of the show, just too tired and didn’t want to face any questions about Barry and his bizarre lip contortions.
This afternoon is the last show, the one that’s supposed to fall somewhere between v. good and brilliant. I’m excited about it, but a little sad too because I’ve become very attached to my characters and love discovering new things about them. But I want to get on with other projects and I need to get back to being a good wife, with all that it entails. So I’ll give Barry, Catherine, Jane and the rest of them a good old send off this afternoon and then they can all bugger off back to wherever they came from.