We’re going on tour!
We’ll be heading to the Edinburgh Fringe with the show opening on Aug 2nd, (with a preview on the 1st) and running through Aug 25th. You can get tickets here.
After that we head down to the Greenwich Theatre in London where we’ll perform Aug 28-31st. Tickets are available here
I’ll use this topic to write about rehearsal and the shows. Maybe I’ll drop the pix in a different topic. Who knows? I’m making this shit up as I go.
We made it!
Even if my iPad didn’t. But we’ll get to that.
We left LA on Sat. July 27 and landed first in London then made our way to Edinburgh. The flights themselves were pretty easy. LAX → HTR was great because the plane was too full so Ishika and I had an empty set between us. I don’t sleep well on planes, and I figured I’d try to power through, so I stayed up and watched a bunch of movies:
We landed in London, had to gather our things, go thru Customs, and go back thru security to board our EDI-bound flight. It was in the security line when I went to pull my iPad out of my backpack that I realized I didn’t have it. I’d left in on the plane from LA. So…after a slight meltdown, I went to Cust Service, explained the issue, and was told the plane had been cleaned, the crew wasn’t yet back, so they didn’t know if they’d found it, and to check online the next day. I did all that, found the entry online, making my claim…and now have been waiting 3 days for a reply. 
Thankfully I’m in the UK for 30+ days.
Ed. note: How did I leave it there, you ask? Ishika and I had an empty seat between us. I plugged in my iPad and put it in that seat’s back pocket. Turns out there was no power in any of the USB plugs. When I realized that a few hours later, I put the cable away…but not the iPad. Idiot.
2nd ed. note: Not 30 minutes after posting on Twitter…and here…about this…I got a note from BA asking for more identifying details. 
So…we landed in Edinburgh, got to our flats, and set about getting reacquainted with this gorgeous city.
I’m staying about an 18 minute walk to the Bedlam, which is a theatre near and dear to my heart, in a little neighborhood that’s full of great restaurants, with Tesco/Sainsbury’s and a Co-op nearby, and is quiet at night. At least in the days before the Fringe starts. We’ll see once it all picks up. 
I’ll be working some while I’m here, but it’s a much better setup than last time, which is when LASA really started to implode. But that’s a story for another time…over a pint. 
On Monday, we basically got acclimated. We met to drop everything at the theatre, put together some set pieces, and then go rehearse the show in The Meadows. As usual, we spent a lot of that time laughing and entertaining ourselves…but we did seem to entertain a lot of the passersby. Hopefully that turns into paid audience during the festival.
We also went over to Henry’s place for a little get together. Henry was the Bedlam venue manager back in 2015 when we did Big Shot there. He became our graphic designer and has done that since, along with building the TMB website. He’s great. He’s also a freakin’ genius. He’s about to defend is PhD in mathematics relating NLP for AI…and his fellowship at Princeton starts soon thereafter. So nerdy in the best ways…and totally loves theatre. My kind of guy. It was also cool meeting his pals, Georgia and Seraphina. Listening to Henry and Seraphina talk the ins and outs of AI modeling research was fascinating. Again…nerdy in the best ways. 
Tuesday we had our 3hr tech in the morning…which was much too short a time for all the things we have to figure out in a new space, but we’ll see how it goes. Then we worked on our busking songs, passed out some fliers, and broke for the night. Which was really nice because I’ve been tired. “Pushing though” didn’t work as I’d hoped in reducing the jet-lag.
With such a large group, we have multiple flats. The one for ‘The Gilmore Boys’ is pretty nice, with large bedrooms, an okay sized common eating area, but a very small actual kitchen. We seem to have a bit of a routine going already in terms of rotating who is using the kitchen when, as having more than one person in that tiny area is very difficult.
Our first preview is today, so we’ll meet up for busking at 4pm, then aim to be at the theatre by 5:30 for our 6:05 show. Some of the traffic patterns and holding areas for set pieces/props will be made up on-the-fly as we never got to run it, and we’re not really sure how much more space will be required by other shows in the very small wing space. It’s an exercise in ‘letting go.’
We’re open!
It’s been a fast-paced few days as we had a press launch early Friday morning, did some busking that afternoon and then opened on Friday to a house that was almost full. What a joy that was!
The show started off kinda manic as we’d never done the ‘get in’ in that space…or run the show there. Once we settled down/in a bit it was great. And the crowd seemed to like it, rising to their feet at the end, so it was a huge success.
We got our first review of the show from Fringe Review…and it was a rave…so that’s exciting.
This is a comedy musical that manages to hold gravitas in the themes yet be light entertainment at one and the same time. TMB have done it again. It will sell out at the Fringe just as the mayor and his cronies have done in their Tiny Little Town. Outstanding for its alchemical magic as physical theatre infused into a good ‘ol musical. A must-see, yet again, from Theatre Movement Bazaar.
During our down time, I’ve been seeing shows. I’m still working part-time while I’m here so my schedule has been a bit crazy. The plan is that I’ll work in the mornings, and then grab lunch, see a show or two and then go busk/do our show and see what the evening holds. That’s happened maybe once. I’ve been sleeping through my alarm, missing show starts, and been famished after the show so I grab a late dinner and Facetime Loretta. It’s a good life.
The shows I’ve seen so far are:
I also met Perry Daniel, the partner of my buddy Mark McClain-Wilson, with whom I just did Mix-Mix. She’s performing (as a puppeteer!) in a show here at the Fringe which I’m hoping I get a chance to see: I Sell Windows
We’re performing in midnight cabaret tonight at a C Venue space. Not sure which one. But that’s kinda the gig…and to steal a phrase that the Jailyard seems to have been using of late…‘The Readiness is All.’
3rd ed. note: Heathrow Lost Property is still claiming they haven’t yet received my iPad…a week later…even though I sent them the Find My… image of it still being in Terminal 5. 
My diet is all over the place. I knew eating keto-ish would be hard but it’s been really strange how as soon as the show is over I’m famished and craving carbs. It’s so humid, and the Bedlam of course has no a/c, so I’ve been sweating buckets. So far I’ve indulged in soup dumplings, a wood fired pizza, my favorite ginger/dark chocolate cookies, cheese twists, pita bread, and a cardamon bun. Hopefully as this goes on I can get a better grasp on this and slow my roll.
Although…speaking of Roll…my favorite brats in the world are here from On The Roll. They’re imported from Minster, Germany by Sabrina and her partner and have been in Edinburgh for 13 years. It also turns out that she’s from a small town in Germany that’s about 20 minutes from the town that my Dörr ancestors are from. Clearly it’s fate that I would find these brats. So I indulge every opportunity I can. So far…they’ve been open 3 days…I’ve had 3 brats. A streak like this, I can get behind.
Well…it didn’t take long for me to get sick. 
I started feeling a bit of a sore throat about 2 days ago. Figured it was just strain from the busking and the show. While that might also be true, I started getting congested and both last night and the night before I was unable to sleep through the night. And last night it was definitely a challenge.
So…I’ll be holding off on seeing any shows in the morning/afternoon so that I can conserve energy to busk and do our show. Since I’m also working p/t while I’m here, I can at least do that From my bed if necessary. Right, Régis? Once I feel better I’ll jump back in to seeing more.
Having said that…I did see the following shows over the last couple of days:
Our show is going great, and we’re getting amazing buzz. We’re being stopped in the street by other performers and general theatre-goers, telling us how much they love the show and asking for their autographs. It’s really nice. It reminds me of TRACK 3 where the buzz grew and we ultimately got sold-out shows and some awards. Fingers crossed we get that same kid of trajectory.
I’m feeling better. Whew.
I started taking some meds, and drinking multiple pots of ginger/lemon tea each day and that seems to have turned the tide. Though tbh…I’ll have to reconsider a pot of tea before bed next time I’m sick as that doesn’t facilitate a full night’s sleep. 
Eight Days of Fringe…6 Days of Brats.
We’ve gotten a couple more reviews, both of which really liked the show:
I’ve also gotten out to see a couple more shows:
Now that I’m feeling better, I plan to get out to see more things this weekend.
Both of the next two Mondays, the Bedlam is dark as they have to tech for shows that will be coming into the theatre. So I’m planning to see shows I can’t normally. I’m also planning a day-trip to Glasgow as I haven’t ever done that when I’ve been over here.
We’re just over the halfway point in Edinburgh!
It’s been a busy, tiring, and exhilarating few days.
Our audiences have been getting larger as more reviews come out and word of mouth spreads. Here’s the latest review:
We’ve had at least one more reviewer come, but that’s not out yet. I’ll post when it does.
We were also picked to be a part of Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe. We’ll be performing there on Friday prior to our own show. We did that for TRACK 3 and it provided a nice bump in audience so I’m hopeful we see a similar bump.
Later on Friday night I’m also taking part as a guest performer in Non-Player Character: Live Virtual Reality Musical. I have no idea what I’ll be doing as it’s improv…but I expect it will be loads of fun.
I’ve also seen a few more shows since last I posted:
And…can you believe this…I also had a day off. Wha??? I know. We NEVER get days off. However, this year Bedlam has a few shows that are on limited runs so they need to shut the theatre down so the new shows can tech. So we got the 12th and 19th off.
I decided to take a day-trip to Glasgow on the 12th. It was fun. Ishika came with me and we had a really lovely day taking the train over, hanging at the Botanical Gardens, including a fantastic afternoon tea there, and walking around the University and city as a whole. It would’ve been even better if the museums I’d wanted to visit were open on Mondays…but c’est la vie.
Then on Tuesday morning, I got up at 3am to join some cast mates on a hike up Arthur’s Seat to watch the sunrise. I’m glad I did it and survived…because I’ll likely not do that again. It was beautiful…when we could finally see something…and extremely windy at the summit. I had five layers on but unfortunately no gloves so my fingers were like ice cubes. Still…had a great time with the gang and I have pix to prove I did it.
Our last show day in Edinburgh is here!
The show has been steadily gaining audiences and recognition. It’s a real nice ego boost to be standing in line for another show and have people come over to tell us how much they loved the show, or it was one of the best things they’ve seen at Fringe. It’s happened multiple times to me, and many of us in the show. Reminds me of our trip to Russia.
We’ve also gotten a few more glowing reviews:
And…we won an award…a Merv Spirit of the Fringe award!
Sadly…I was a bit under-the-weather again for a while. Like a roller-coaster, my health has been a bit up and down as I get congested, lethargic and yet make my way through a show. I’ve been downing pots of ginger tea and hibernating a bit to conserve most of my energy to perform. So I haven’t seen as many shows as I would’ve wanted…but when I feel better I run out to see as many as I feel up to. Such as:
We had our usual Haggis dinner at the Molleson’s. It’s always a great time, with haggis, tatties and neeps, whisky and song. Their hospitality and hearts are enormous. It’s always a high point of the Fringe trip. I left after a few hours, trying to make sure I get some rest, and let the youngin’s do the late night carousing. From what I heard…they didn’t disappoint.
We pack up and head off to London tomorrow. That will be a quick week and I’m so excited to go back, but if I’m honest…I wouldn’t mind heading home now. I miss Loretta, Grey and my own bed. I know I’ll see them soon, and yeah…I expect I’ll have a great time in London…but I see the finish line and I’m digging deep for the home stretch kick.
If you have friends or family in London, tell them to come see the show. It’s a whole lot of fun.
Our trip is coming to an end.
We’ve been in Greenwich since Monday and the weather has been glorious! About 70-75˚and sunny…until today. It’s slightly colder and overcast, but it still beats the cold rain of Edinburgh.
The trip from Heathrow to Greenwich was a bear. It ended up taking us 4 hours from the time we landed to arrive at our hotel. There was a train outage on the line we were going to take, but we didn’t know that, so we got turned around a couple of times. And then there was an emergency evacuation from the Greene Park station just as we were getting off, due to ‘a reported emergency’, which caused a bit of a panic amongst travellers. I still don’t know what happened…and I hesitate to guess.
We started our performances on Wednesday. The houses have been increasing steadily, with the Friday audience being close to 200, I would guess. Perhaps that’s due to the busking we did over near the Naval Maritime Museum, or perhaps weekend theatre going is just something that happens here. Who know? In any event, it was a great crowd.
Tonight is our last show and that’s a bittersweet thing.
I’ve had a great time being back in Greenwich, especially seeing James and Serin again after so many years. 
The same for Edinburgh. Being back at the Bedlam was a true joy, and the staff there was fantastic. Hopefully I’ll find those kids on the socials so I can stay up-to-date on what they’re up to. It’s been fun to catch up with earlier iterations of Bedlam staff and see how their careers have taken off in whatever direction they’ve gone.
Having said all that…I’m really ready to be home. As I said before, I miss Loretta and Grey and my own damn bed. This Zedwell ‘hotel’ is not somewhere that I would choose to stay and I’m really looking forward to my last sleep here. Their pix are spot on…no cupboards, no closets, no tables/chairs. Just a bed on the floor, and a tiny bathroom. Oh…and no windows. It’s like you’re in a shipping container. A nice one…I guess…but I’m still not sure how having no windows is legal.
The other thing is there’s no little fridge or anything so we end up having to eat out quite a bit more. Everything here is a pound or two more than in Edinburgh, so that gets expensive real quick.
Anyway…I haven’t really done much sight-seeing here since: 1) I’ve been here before, and, 2) Loretta isn’t here with me. I did take the Uber Thames Clipper from Greenwich to the Globe so I could grab lunch and catch a matinee of The Comedy of Errors. I paid 10£ to stand in the Yard. It was fantastic. I loved the show and the whole experience of being a Groundling. tbh though…I would’ve had a problem standing if the show had been much longer than the 1:45 it was. All the walking on this trip, especially over cobblestones, has played havoc on one of my knees.
I’ll leave you with some pix and will likely do a wrap up of this trip in the days after I get home and can unpack everything…both physically and mentally.
