Kev F comic art: Procrastinating while writing Roll Up!

Tuesday, 5 February 2019

Procrastinating while writing Roll Up!

These images are from the Edinburgh Fringe programme (below) and the Joint Venture Brochure (above) produced by Gilded Balloon, Assembly, Pleasance and Underbelly. Yes, this week we confirmed our booking for the Gilded Balloon 2019, and we have an interesting new venue and timeslot, about which you'll learn more soon.

Getting stuck into writing the new Socks show ROLL UP!, with less than two weeks until I’m supposed to preview it, I’m going into my annual panic about not having written anything yet. So I remind myself of the consolation that’s to be found in looking back at where I was this time in previous years.

How much of Superheroes did I have written when I did the first preview in Feb 2018? I did two previews, a week apart. Here’s what we gave them.

Week 1:

Christmas v Superheroes - all went

Motion Capture - stayed

Nursery Rhymes - went (though not till one gag had won the Bath Best Joke Award)

Peter Parker Song - went

Science - some stayed

Horror Song - went

Racist Brother - stayed

Joker - stayed

Superman - stayed

Dead Ringer - stayed

Baby Jesus - went

Cross Channel - stayed

Return of Brother - much changed

All By Myself - shortened

Xmas Carol - Went

Week 2:

Steed & Mrs Peel - went

Not introduced till later:

Wonderful World

Bechdel Test

Thanos

Infinity Reel

Fantastic Four

Finale

So 2018’s show started with less than half of the show complete, and some of its show-stopping material not even a dream. And as for 2016’s Shakespeare show (which, I may have mentioned, is still my favourite show we’ve ever done). In Feb 2016 we gave the poor folk of Leicester a mish-mash of some new Shakespeare material and the best of the previous year’s Minging Detectives (which, I may have mentioned, is my least favourite show we’ve done). We gave them:

Minging Intro

Shakes gags - Pericles / Yorick / Coriolanus

I'm A Sock

Leicester City routine (Leics only)

Shakes gags - Alls Well, Lear, Claudio

Gangsta (from Minging)

Tie A Yellow Ribbon (Minging)

Sherlock/Shylock - a routine we didn’t keep

Richard 3rd - New part "Now" - First bit to stay in the show

Old part "Hump & hairpiece" - Also stayed

Walk On Wild Side - Old piece, not in show

Z Cars/ Morse/ Black & White Minstrels / Gangsta 2 /Poirot (all from Minging)

Shall I Compare Thee - stayed in the show as the opening routine

Magnum PI, NYPD / The Killing (Minging)

Othello - Most of which didn’t stay in the show

Well Did You Evah - stayed

In conclusion, in 2016 we gave them 8 new items out of 21, only half of which made the show, and in 2018 we gave them 15 new items, 8 of which made the show. Frankly I have nothing to worry about. Now shut up, I have writing to do!