One thing I've not written about is our flat mates in Adelaide, which is a ludicrous oversight I must put right. So let's begin with congratulating the award winner. Rob Broderick, aka Abandoman, was nominated in the Adelaide Fringe Awards as both Best Comedy and Best Comedy - Emerging, and on Sunday night won the Emerging category. Hooray, it couldn't happen to a nicer chap.
Here he is (above) at one of the barbecues we enjoyed in our apartment building. Rob was with us in the flat for two weeks, which means he performed for only one week of the Adelaide Fringe (the Garden starting its programme of events a week early), and still he wins an award. In Edinburgh they force us to play for a whole month to even be eligible, madness. Rob was probably the hardest working act in the flat, though there was stiff competition. All through the day he'd be testing out new equipment, he debuted the solo version of the Abandoman act in Adelaide and developed routines with a Keytar and looping sampler doodah (didn't get the technical details) all of which means his act was changing dramatically every day, even before he hit the stage where, if you're not familiar with his act, every word he utters is brand new that second. If you've not seen Ireland's foremost improv rapper, you'd better hurry. After he wins the Edinburgh Comedy Award in August he'll be off to conquer other planets.
Tom and Liesl Binns (above) were our flat mates throughout the month, taking the wedding suite in the flat, as this trip was an extension of their honeymoon, having got married at the end of last year. Together they produce the Ian D Montfort show, which Tom performed every night in the tent next to mine in the Garden. Tom also managed to play at least one extra gig almost every night, and one a number of nights would clock up four gigs, including appearances as Ivan Brackenbury, which means he easily scored the most stage time of anyone in the flat. Like Rob, he was always developing his act, and we were all used as experiments for his magic tricks and mind games. As well as this, Liesl put a lot of work into developing her tan, the trick to which, we are assured, is to sometimes not wear sunscreen. We've come home hopelessly pale in comparison. Tom's new BBC TV show, of which we've had tantalising glimpses, stars Ian D and Ivan and will be on in the Autumn, after which he'll be off conquering those planets with Rob.
And last but by no means least came our flatmate Craig Hill, seen here (above) with the card Heather made him for his birthday, which fell on his first week with us (Craig arrived when Rob left and went on to play two sellout weeks at the Fringe). No testing out tricks and samplers for Craig, he contented himself with singing songs to Hev before jetting off to gigs on a pushbike he found from somewhere. Hev and I had our best night out with Craig when we were waylaid by a fan who knew him from the telly (Craig was a regular on Aus TV's Good News Week) and ended up putting the world to rights in a corner pub till 2 in the morning.
This is the first time I've shared a flat since the Sitcom Trials shows in Edinburgh and the first time Hev & I have stayed with strangers ever, and I'm delighted to report the whole month went by with no dramas, no tensions, and no complaints. I'm not saying it's not fantastic to be home - being able to go to the loo for a wee naked without having to parade through a flat full of other people is a luxury we've missed - but we will long have fond memories of our month in Adelaide with our new found pals.
And how do I sign off my blogs now? I've been so used to plugging my show every night - 29 consecutive nights, including one proper sellout and half a dozen more that would have been sellouts in my usual Edinburgh venues, none too shabby - and listing our quotes. Oh well, here goes for starters...
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre tour the UK from April and play the Edinburgh Fringe in August, tickets and details here.
Four & a half thumbs-up review from The Punch
"Roll up roll up" - Adelaide Advertiser review
"Side-splitting laughs" - FIVEaa review
"Delightfully silly and thoroughly enjoyable" - The Heckler
"Head-slappingly funny" - Festival Freak review
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