Crazy!

Tickets for LA and NYC at brendanscannell.com

5 more shows to go

6 shows to go

It will be different without Holy Shit, and I’m nervous about selling tickets without the bump it has provided, but we carry on!

Tonight we sold out with the help of some Gilded Balloon artists who came to support the show and fill up our room.

This show sits differently in the US versus UK, a country with its own health care issues but a baseline level of expected care from the NIH. In America, our access to healthcare is dictated by our jobs or our partners jobs, so telling the story of my sibling who cannot work and therefore does not have health insurace being refused care at a private hospital before being locked away in a state psychiatric facility hits differently here. There is a sense of horror, correctly so. Whereas in America, this story is met with a sense of resigned understanding.

Xo

My partner Joe has been visiting the past few days. Jet Lag has hit him and I am recording this from the hotel hallway. Tomorrow he flies to Italy and I go back to the dorms. It’s been a great three nights of sleeping in a hotel bed and showering in a place where I am not afraid of every surface.

The show tonight was another great audience. I can feel myself becoming a stronger performer, a better storyteller in this process. The show continues to become sharper and is now moving at a pace that suits the material as I slowly draw my audiences into The Abyss, the headspace I am trying to dance around and avoid in my day to day life.

We got a 5 Star review today from The List today and were one of 10 shows named to their “Best Comedy Show Longlist” for the festival. It’s truly a shock and I am hopeful this will help get even more people into our little classroom to see our little show.

https://list.co.uk/news/brendan-scannell-the-abyss-comedy-review-grief-beneath-the-surface-48876

Previously we’re received 4 Stars from The Scotsman and 4.5 from The Quintessential Review.

Presenting the last 8 years of my family’s experience with severe mental illness to a star-based review system is sort of bizarre, but the reviewers are seeing loads of shows and helping to direct audiences towards pieces that audiences might be interested in. So there is a function to it, I suppose. The article itself is behind a paywall, so check out some pull quotes below.

Xo

I think it’s hitting me just how many people in the past three months I have shared my family’s story with, at least from my perspective. When I get nervous I remember that all I have to do is go on stage and tell the truth and that is enough. And also be funny.

The Abyss went about as well as it could have. The show continues to deepen and shift as I get more comfortable with it. On Wednesday and Thyrsday’s shows, I flubbed small parts. But tonight, it was smoooooooth.

Ticket sales for Saturday are really good, so I’m going to flyer a little less tomorrow 🤫

Today I had my ninth performance of THE ABYSS, our second sell out. On Wednesday we had about 15 people and tonight we had 58. That’s a bizarre part of the roller coaster. The show includes audience interaction, and takes place in a submersible that we are all locked into. So the size the audience impacts the energy of the submersible and the experience, and it also impacts my performance. I like both versions of the show, and a good part of this experience is being able to modulate the show to the energy of the crowd will also being the one leading. It’s my job to create the energy in the environment in the room.

Tonight was my eighth show in a row, and i had a focus lapse to start the show. I’ve done the show 17 times and that had never happened before. I was able to recover and lock in, But it was a good reminder to do my preshow ritual. I spent most of the time between 8 PM and 9 PM fly today. It ended up getting some more people in the door, but I didn’t really have a moment right before the show to lock in.

Anyway, I gotta go to bed!

Brendan

Shoutout to two different Heated Rivalry musical parodies for having cast come to the show today. Truly lifted my spirit and filled out the room.

brendan

A week into fringe and I’m noticing my joke to laugh hit ratio just isn’t quite as strong as it is back home. Some of this might be cultural (my references, my accent, talking too fast) and others might be that the jokes just aren’t hitting the preferences of this part of the world. Some moments comedically are feeling a little unsteady.

Now that I know the show works, tomorrow Emily and I are going to go over the script and make notes on which comedic choices are working the best for each moment and try to build back in a little bit more of that comedy ahead of tomorrow night.

Xo

Brendan

Lovely crowd tonight. Smaller but connected. Felt like I got to talk to each person and create real intimacy. I also need to shut up and stop talking and save my voice. So with that, good night.

Brendan