This was another treat to myself to celebrate my retirement. Ordinarily, I couldn't have attended as the doors opened at 6 pm and closed at 6.30 pm. I've been to a few of Frankie's WIPs, and they've always been good. He's relaxed, reads the jokes from a clipboard, and the expectations are lower. Generally, the audience is less boisterous.
Our allocated seating was far enough from the stage to feel safe but close enough to have a great view. A few tables were empty despite it being a sellout. Two loud gentlemen transferred to the table behind us, explaining to those beside them that, as the doors were closed, the people who'd paid to sit there weren't coming. One of them didn't appear to own a volume control for his voice.
Ray Bradshaw, as the support act, performed a fun twenty-minute set with material about Glasgow, his deaf dad, and attending an American bachelor party, amongst other topics. His style was effortless, almost conversational, as if the routines had just come to him. He was excellent.
Frankie, shorn of beard and dressed in a brown, undersized sweatshirt, looked like he'd come from a gym (without going in), instead choosing to sample the wares of the nearby Greggs (that's unfair - he has been making an effort to get into shape - he just didn't explain what shape). He is carrying a copy of his new book, "A Short History of the Apocalypse", with specific pages tagged. He also has a clipboard with pages of printed material attached.
When Frankie came on, the gentlemen behind us clapped and cheered loudly. This was their statement of intent. They wanted to be part of the show, also known in Glasgow as 'being a cunt'. I cringed. This was not going to go well.
During the show, a rogue heckle from elsewhere in the room emboldened them to contribute, but their comment didn't elicit a Frankie putdown. What did draw his attention was the guy's laugh, which was so loud and forced that it always finished with him falling into a fit of viscous coughing. Frankie suggested the last time he'd heard a cough like that, it was from his uncle, who was dying of cancer. The cougher thought this was an intro to a two-way conversation, but Frankie wasn't having it and continued with his prepared material. Later, though, the guy's cough became so loud that it prevented the audience from hearing one of Frankie's setups, causing Frankie to interrupt the joke to call him out. I would have liked to have seen the guy waterboarded.
This was Frankie's second WIP. He did a lot of old material, read a couple of sections from his book (the first was funnier than the second), and tested the jokes he intends to use on "The Last Leg US Election Special" next month. One that might not make the broadcast is "The US is fully behind Israel's two-state approach to Gaza, those states being a solid and a gas." As that show is broadcast live, it'll be interesting to hear what material he uses.
After the show, the two loud guys paused as they left to take selfies with the stage Glee logo in the background, a memento of their excellent night ruining the show for the rest of us.
Cunts!
Ticket Price: £15 x2, plus £2 x2 booking fee direct from The Glee Club.
No comments:
Post a Comment