It's Coming To An End

Date: 26/08/11
Author: Peter

As De La Soul sang, (often as entrance music to accompany unwitting audience members who happened to stumble across Maggie’s Chamber at 4pm anytime during the last month), ‘Three Is The Magic Number’. And today’s performance marked the third last time we’ll ever have to perform this play.

I imagine the penultimate rendition tomorrow will be one of the best we do, hopefully to a response of laughter, awe, and applause, followed by the final on Sunday, where, lets face it, half the cast will be drunk, and I might play ‘Stevie’ Northern Irish (usually the character’s accent is London based, with a few other regional hints thrown in; he’s been around the country in and out of care, up North and in the West Country). Ah pointless back-story; Making actors everywhere believe their performance is worth something.

Two more shows; it’s a very strange thought. This play has marked the year 2010-2011 for me. It’s probably been the biggest piece of work I’ve ever helped create, and one of the biggest commitments I’ve ever thrown myself into. And I don’t regret it at all. The play didn’t turn out to be the festival stormer we all secretly hoped it might be, but over 500 people have seen the thing live, and hopefully been entertained. I mean, at the end of the day (as Jezza Kyle participants constantly remind us) that is the whole point isn’t it?

Obviously I’m looking forward to the comforts of home, but I’ll definitely miss Edinburgh, with its amazing architecture, rich history, and horrible weather. It’s been incredibly fun to spend so much time with the Mechanical Tiger lot, as well as my old school friends Ben, Jake and Alex, and others such as Ben’s housemates Kenny and Huw. Huw and I were best friends between about 1995-1998, before both moving school, losing touch, living in different continents, going to Uni, chatting a bit on facebook, and then ending up staying in the very same flat this month. It’s bizarre how similar we’ve turned out; there’s every reason we shouldn’t get along so well, I mean the last time we properly saw one another was when we were about 8! But I’m very glad to have had the opportunity to top up an old friendship, especially with someone who I completely ‘get’, and completely gets me, and seems to mirror my life in a weird alternate dimension way which cannot be explained by science as we know it.

I look worse physically than I have done for about a year; my eyes are deep set behind heavy bags, I haven’t jogged or been near a gym for too long and I’ve put on considerable weight. I now know how Robbie Williams feels after every tour.

My return home will mark a bit of a detox (more exercise, less booze etc) in a vain attempt to look presentable by the time Uni starts.

Apologies for this rambley and sentimental blog; I should be making the most of my time here, rather than mourning it before it ends. Right then, pub.