When you go out to see a mate’s band, you don’t expect them to get you to go up on stage and do a turn.
But that’s just what happened to me this evening at the Free Times Cafe. My dear friend Pelayo Matute was performing with his excellent a capella trio Kirsten Sandwich and since Pelayo has been such a mentsh and been to loads of my gigs I was very excited to be able to return the favour.
However, because my dog Farfl had just been spayed three days ago I wasn’t sure until the last minute if I would be able to make it. Luckily Farfl is a little trooper and has been running around this afternoon as if nothing was wrong. I was good to go!
Kirsten Sandwich were superb – gorgeous three-part harmonies of deliberately cheesey covers, a beautiful old Italian piece and some great original work. I whooped it up with everyone else and thought that was it. Pelayo had other ideas.
The second half was a little light on content so he asked me to sign up for the open mike. I called my kid to make sure it was okay for me to get home late (her dad’s in New York playing at Carnegie Hall tomorrow night) and she said I could stay out! Hurray! So I quickly wrote a set list and waited my turn.
It’s first come, first served for the open mike and two comics had signed up right before me so I had to go after Mark DeBonis and Dave Merheje – doh! Both excellent and I was a little worried, especially since I’d never done a set before without running my material first.
Luckily it went splendidly – I did some of my original set and it worked a treat – despite slightly cocking up the first part. No one was any the wiser.
It’s lovely to do something unexpected and have it turn out well – I had a great time and would love to play there again. Thanks, Pelayo, for making me do it!
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Marilla who?
I am a British-born actress and stand-up comic who does lots of voice work (for commercials, cartoons and corporate clients) and sometimes, when I'm very lucky, tv and film. When I was in England I did mostly theatre. Now I'm in Canada I spend the majority of the time writing and performing stand-up. When I'm not making episodes of Talking Bollocks, that is. And that's me for you.