Monday 3 June 2019

Vauxhall & Brighton - 3 previews, with scissors & sellotape


Three shows in a row is a perfect way to develop a show, and that’s what the Socks’ Roll Up got with a one-off at Vauxhall Comedy Club on Thursday followed by Saturday and Sunday at Komedia Brighton.

And it was some proper scissors and sellotape editing, done in our hotel in Worthing on the Friday, that really knocked the show into shape. Since Halifax last week I’ve written two brand new songs, both good, and one way more successful than I thought it was going to be. With those, the loss of some material since Halifax and the introduction of more and, by golly, we’re getting there.


(That scissors and sellotape editing in full).

Material lost since Halifax: Gypsy Fortune Teller and City Of Stars Song

Brighton Running Order:

Intro gags good, Euro song teaser good
I’m A Sock

Greatest Showman music - ok
Gags Ringling, 3 Rings - ok (tightened after Vauxhall)

Philip Astley - not bad, music - good
Philip Astley part 2 - not working, has to go

NEW: Music Hall Medley - excellent
(Moved to earlier in the show after Vauxhall)

Gags - Cottle, Chipperfield, Burlesque - good
(Moved after Vauxhall)

Performance Artist - good

Audience Suggestions - good. (Vauxhall = human cannonball, also at Brighton 2; Brighton 1 = juggling & lion tamer; Brighton 2 also did contortionist)

Annie The Elephant - not bad. Better now it’s not first song.

Juggling Doctor Who - ok, variable for laughs

Magic - always excellent, now blends in cos we’ve had good laughs already by now.

Nicole Kidman 1 - good, tighter after Halifax
Lady In Pants - good, faster & shorter after Halifax

NEW: Reworked Clown, much funnier after Halifax. Shortened after Vauxhall.

Pagliacci - good. Possibly should be earlier?

Greggs Song - now with new costume, good

NEW: Clown Song - good. Some v good laughs

Nicole Kidman 2 - good, but lose the knob gags

Euro Brexit Song - good

NEWISH: Grand finale (all rewritten since Halifax) 
Props & LBJ costume - good. Got it right by Brighton 2
Moses & LBJ - good
Pilot - ok, could have more material
Nicole as Mary - good
Clown scene - getting better, keep making it clearer
Mixed up costumes - getting better
Nicole & LBJ resolution - getting there
Final gag - ok, but not the best punchline.

I still think we should end on a song, but that’s where we are right now. At Brighton 1 the audience were laughing brilliantly throughout, with a higher proportion of first timers, and people telling me it was the funniest thing they’d ever seen. Also lots of sock-selfies after the show, which is always a good sign. Brighton 2 was a smaller crowd but similarly appreciative. Vauxhall only had 5 people, but that was a good test of the material, so helpful.

Next stop The Harlequin in Redhill.


UPDATE: We gave them the same running order in Redhill, to great response. It's still clear that we could use one great new sketch to make the show perfect, and that some bits need trimming and are in not quite the right order. We moved the Magic routine by mistake to slightly later (between Clown and Pagliacci), still not quite the right place for any of those three.


The Scottish Falsetto Socks brand new show ROLL UP! is previewing Nationwide:

June 8 - Harlequin Theatre Redhill
June 17 - Grassington Festival Yorkshire
June 22 - Strule Arts Omagh
June 27 - Neath Comedy Festival
July 8 - Barnes Fringe
July 12 - Kings Arms Salford, GM Fringe
July 20 - Bedford Fringe
July 28 - Derby Bar One 

July 31st - August 25th, The Scottish Falsetto Socks ROLL UP! at the Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose 9.30pm, every night of the Edinburgh Fringe 2019. Sexy new venue, sexy new timeslot. Book now!

No comments:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...