Many shows today will have had pranks and japes and things differing from the norm. Edinburgh is a long run and it gets easy to be bored, so the last one of the run is a chance to kick back and have some fun.
For the last two years a certain comedian named Andrew O’Neill has been doing my teching and has pulled minor last night giggles on me. In 2005 the last Romantic Comedy had a new end song, instead of Blurs wonderful to the end as it had been the other 25 nights I walked off to the Dallas theme (or it might have been Dynasty – it certainly wasn’t fitting, but it was very funny).
The last Pulp Boy last year didn’t have it’s normal pre-recorded voice off a CD pretending to be a dog called Spike – but instead a live rendition was done by Andrew.
This year my lovely girlfriend Claire has been teching my show, I figured there wouldn’t really be a similar last show thing, I was wrong, very wrong. She did something very different and very unexpected.
Looking back all the signs were there, but thanks to a stonking hangover and an easily massaged ego, I saw none of them.
So, the last show began, it was busy, this is always nice for the last show, go out on a high. What was doubly nice was that a load of friends had come down, some not for the first time. And a load of Underbelly staff were in. Also Jon was videoing it for “touring purposes”.
As the show progressed it got busier, there were people stood at the back and more underbelly staff had come in.
I should have guessed something was up, but my hungover ego was soaking it up, honestly thinking that they were all there just because they loved me, or to show up what a fragile person I really am, becuase they loved the show and had to see it one last time.
But no, they were all there because they were in on it.
Come the end of the show I figured it would be good form to do a special little wrap up.
As I started there was a flurry of coughing and pointing. The unironed bedsheet that had the shows pictures projected on it had a new message. Claire had changed the last slide to simply read…
Terry will you marry me? One day we can retire in a bungalow
I said yes.
I’ll youtube it soon
I’m a little bit happy
she’s sneaky that claire…