My Festival

There are so many shows I want to see but can’t because they’re on at the same time as me.  Demetri Martin is clearly this year’s hit, but he has the same day off as I do. I saw Alex Horne do a preview of his show and it was fantastic; I’m sure it’s even better now, but I can’t see that either. I saw Flight of the Conchords last year and they were stunning, but I have to miss them this year, too.

One thing I have managed to see is Adrian Poynton’s play about Graham Chapman, A Very Naughty Boy. I read a Chapman biography about a month ago and was fascinated. Although Poynton doesn’t look like Chapman, he’s absorbed the spirit of Monty Python and the play feels really authentic, especially because he adapts Python sketches to create biographical scenes. I’ll probably get struck off as a comedian for saying this, but I’m not a fan of Monty Python.
But this is such an amazing story, and such a stunning piece of theatre, that you don’t have to be a fan at all.

Another show I really enjoyed was Jude Simpson’s – she does performance poetry.
I’m trying to see some different stuff while I’m here: some theatre, some dance, some poetry. It’s also a really good time to catch up with what other comedians are doing.

But the festival is such a social occasion that catching up and drinking is as important as actually seeing shows.