Edinblog Day 17. Disaster Day.

Can we update the old saying to never work with children, animals or robots?

Richard Dunn

Ahh. Dammit. It's always the nice ones.

Dean

Thankyou, this is a lovely piece of perspective inducing story.

I hope they're happy with their new parents wherever in the ether they are.

A nice person innocently sent it to me in sympathetic outrage.

In 2008 (god, 10 years ago), I headlined a Fawlty Towers tribute show at the Fringe. It was the first time the show did Edinburgh and my 5th year in the role - for Tony Nixon (a bloody decent fellow and terrific actor) it was his 10th as Manuel. We were an Australian company and the woman who owned it, and who played Sybil on the tour (and every tour that there might be a paparazzo), was *very* keen to get as much possible promotion done in the time there. We did 2 (2hr) shows a day Mon-Fri, and 3 shows on a Sunday. Saturday was promo-promo-promo. You know how it goes. On the Wednesday of our 3rd week, 'Sybil' decided that we needed to go to a pub near Gretna Green (90 miles away) to promote the 2 nights we were doing there the following week. We got up early, we drove, we had photos taken for the local paper, we drove back - almost on the start time of the lunchtime show. That show went off without a hitch. After that show, there were radio interviews. For Tony and I, the show was very physical and, in that 2 hours, about 12-14 minutes was scripted, everything else was improv based on reactions/interactions with the other cast members, the waitstaff of the venue (always done in/on/around/under a real pub/restaurant/etc), and the punters - and for me, the aliveness required for that improvisation of the character in-the-moment every moment I was on the floor was just fantastic... electric... transcendental... exhausting, every show. The Wednesday lunch show went fine. In the show, to the cue of "you're fired", Manuel races off and comes back with a fire extinguisher. I wrestle it off him. I deny anything just happened to Sybil - much hilarity. One other thing was happening, quietly, increasingly, every day - the restaurant was putting down more tables and more chairs. 'Sybil' didn't mind because she was getting a 50/50 cut of the take. 'Sybil' also didn't do the physical (or the f#cking improv... a separate topic). But Tony and I did, and nearly every successive performance was preceded by a refiguring of our set pieces and the new performance spaces. But, that Wednesday lunchtime show was fine... actually, it was pretty good. But the newspaper critic didn't come to the lunchtime show. Her free ticket was to the dinner show. The newspaper critic came to the show where Tony and I were running on fumes, and running hard because both of us understood the importance of giving our all to people who had paid with money that they had earned. Value back for value paid. During the dinner show, and right in front of the critic, in wrestling the extinguisher from Tony, I hit him in the mouth with it and split his lip. Blood straight down his chin. God, Tony is good. He took the measure of the moment, played it as Manuel, got the laughs, and raced off. Of course the critic mentioned it. She had stuffed her face with free food, laughed as hard as anyone else, and then drafted a wry account of her evening with the mildly enjoyable Australian show. And 'Sybil' proceded to whip us with the review the next morning... but that's a separate topic. Alice, your head's on straight. As long as you're not causing someone's face to bloodily explode and you're treating the punters with a respect that comes from a good show well played (and you do), you'll be fine... after a nice lie down... and maybe a cup of tea... and a TimTam or, or possibly a lamington. Fly high. Be well. - Nigel (ex-Actor).

Nigel Bell

Do you know what happened to the files in the end?

antzpantz

I held my breath for most of this post. Knowing how intricate the exchanges are between you and ETHOS - that you were able to pull it together at the last minute, takes some sort of magic. As for the review, well...reviews are reviews. I thought you didn't read them anymore?

Dean