Route ends
We begin the second year of this blog with the announcement of the end of my tour, after (I think) 43 shows and an awful lot of tapping away in the backrooms of old town halls. Tonight it’s Middlesbrough Town Hall. I’m in a large high-ceilinged dressing room, normally used for receptions after council meetings I suspect, where everything is sort of pink and peach. There’s an ironing board which, as with the 42 shows of the tour, will not get much of a chance to shine. Giles, my ever-faithful tour manager, is sitting on a sofa across the room, studying his Mac with the usual dead-eyed concentration. It is the classic MW pre-show scene, but after tonight, it will never be repeated again. Except I start in Australia in two weeks. And after that there are a heap more shows this summer. And then loads more in the autumn. And so on, since this is how I spend most of my life.
So, not too much melancholy, but it will still be with a certain wistfulness that I close the show with the usual, immortal words – ‘um, right, so that’s pretty much it, hmm I should have finished by now really, right, well I’ll see you outside, er, thanks for coming, bye’. Great big thanks to everyone who has come to one of the shows since this began in Leicester at the start of October. Jeers to anyone who didn’t make it. (Not really; jeers recanted.) I’ll see some of you again in June or July or the rest of our lives…
Posted by Giles on February 20, 2011
This tour has been both a pleasure and a privelige. I raise a glass to you.
Posted by Lydia on February 19, 2011
I hope all the time difference stuff and blogging is easy to figure out.
And thanks again for coming to Torquay. That really was an awesome night.
Next time I see one of your shows, if I get to say hi I will try and stay for longer than 5 seconds AND not embarrass myself. Now that will be an achievement.
Posted by Linzy on February 19, 2011
I really enjoyed the Middlesbrough gig (how could I not with something involving both a game of British Bulldog and random maths quizzes?).
I think it was my fifth time seeing the show, all the way from when it was a midnight secret gig for the Five Pound Fringe at Edinburgh Fringe two years ago, and I think that was definitley my favourite version of it! I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I much prefer comedians when they go off-script so thanks for doing that quite a lot last night; it made it that little but more special.
Posted by Cat on February 19, 2011
Your Sydney theatre I have performed in many a time. I shall tell you about it when I next see you. xx
Posted by Tracey on February 19, 2011
Glad the touring is going so well for you. Tracey x
Posted by Joelle on February 19, 2011
I can’t wait to see you in Perth! Front row and pretty much middle are awesome seats
Add that with the fact that I’ve got Minchin the night before and Josh Thomas and Tom Ballard’s DVDs come out on the 2nd and you’ve got a pretty hyped up Joelle. If any teachers give me assessments on the Monday I will hit them over the head. Also it will be a nice pick-me-up if I fail my second driving test.
I hope the show went well and that you have a nice little break before your flight to Australia
Posted by Sarah on February 19, 2011
Thank YOU, Mark! I came to your Reading show last week and loved it. Today I finished reading my (signed!!) copy of Eleven – what a great book! I like that’s it’s somewhat open-ended. Such is life.
Also, this really belongs on the more relevant blog posts but congratulations on a whole year of blogging! I’m glad to be a small part of it. I normally read the blog on my iPhone and so have had some difficulty reading it for a while but it seems to be updating properly again now – yay!
Sarah x
Posted by alot of rachels on February 18, 2011
I hope the middleborough show went well tonight and that you’ve enjoyed all the shows the same amount as we enjoyed coming out to them
Posted by Ally on February 18, 2011
Australia! I am most looking forward to seeing your show
Posted by Misha on February 18, 2011
I think you meant june,july AND the rest of our lives. You don’t get rid of us that easily Watson.
Posted by Shell on February 18, 2011
Aw – hope it was a good one tonight and hello to Giles too *waves*
Congratulations on a successful tour pleasing your many long term fans and gaining lots of new ones.
It’s going to be exciting when you head to Aus and we have time zones to deal with…well I say ‘we’ when I mean ‘you’. I’m sure you’re up to that particular challenge however.
x
Posted by Rachael on February 18, 2011
You’re welcome. Thanks for coming.
Posted by Kevin Scollick on February 18, 2011
Chesterfield rocked last night with Watson! The theatre is crap but next week its foster and allen – hey ho
Posted by Jen on February 18, 2011
looking forward to Manchester show……tickets arrived this week…hoooray….av fun tonight!!!Jx
ps when do we get to see the blog anniversary extravaganza!?
Posted by Anji on February 18, 2011
June tickets on the calendar ready and waiting! Enjoy the last show of this bit
Posted by amycool on February 18, 2011
That may just have been my first first comment.
Perhaps I should use today as new year’s day as so far 2011 has been a big pile of bobbins. Today however, the car got fixed and the mortgage edged slightly closer towards being a reality. Okay so all the computers went down at work and I got a stress headache, but in the grand scheme of 2011, today was an okay day.
Posted by amycool on February 18, 2011
You certainly will. See me that is. When I get round to buying tickets.