Plans are afoot.

So the plans for the grand opening of 'LONG LIVE COMEDY*' are ongoing, and indeed going on.

A meeting at the weekend had us planning out the format - hopefully next time it'll be a bit more of a writers meeting, and we'll work out what we are actually going to say. At the moment we've got a scribble saying 'intro - 10 minutes', that won't mean much until we actually stand up and say funny stuff for 10 minutes.

Still, we've got a framework, but I'm slightly worried that it's already beeing diluted and if we bottle out any futher it won't work. We're acting on 3 basic principles, the first of which is 'be different'. We know we're beginners and if we try to do the same thing as happens at most clubs -4 comics and a compere- we'll just be a pale imitation. So we want to have props, sound effects, costumes, characters, audience participation, sketches, interaction between acts, themes, recurring characters, jingles, catch phrases. Most of this could fall flat, but whether it works or not, it will be different.

The second principle is we want to do new stuff every week, and the third is we want to be an open night spot, where anyone can have a go. -Actually thats just one - it's open night, and we allow ourselves to be on as well. So a third principle -it's got to be funny.

What I'm a little worried about, is if in making it an open night, we can't guarantee it's going to be funny. We've agreed between us that we work as a kind of comittee as regards our own material, i've got a new character - but I'll do the piece in its finished form for Al and Cal and if they don't like it, it's out. But at the same time we've agreed that for newcomers - anything goes.

But we can't lose the open mic ethos. That's the only reason we started this - with the end of the Chilli and the Egypt we didn't have a guaranteed gig every week, so we had to make one.(Although it's currently every fortnight) Now it seems Northbynortheast are planning a gig in Newcastle - but I assume they want to duplicate the success of the royalty, so we could probably only get on every couple of months - and total beginners would still have nowhere.

I guess the answer is for me, Al and Cal to pull up our socks and make sure our bits - which should make up over a third of the show- are really good and follow the ideas we originally discussed. Then the rest can be a real hotch potch, but we'll still have an overall flavour and can guarantee some of it's going to be great.

MY NEXT GIG:
TUESDAY 7TH MARCH. 8.00.
THE BIG ONE, THE FIRST NIGHT OF 'LONG LIVE COMEDY'
THE DOG AND PARROT (UPSTAIRS) -OPPOSITE THE CENTRE FOR LIFE, 2 MINS FROM CENTRAL STATION.


*No, we couldn't think of anything better.