Lessons large & small

This Edinburgh has led me to the following conclusions: -

• Improv comedy has a way to go to be seen as a credible alternative to stand-up, musical and sketch comedy

• Younger performers cannot be relied upon to manage their own scarce resources of energy and focus

• Double-acts need both personal chemistry and decent writing. No excess of either excuses an absence of the other

• The sooner you accept that there's always a cooler party / bar than where you are the happier you'll be

• Very few performers can deliver on stage drunk or even tipsy. I am not one of them

• The best way to destroy a pair of suede shoes is to wilfully ignore the fact that an Edinburgh Fringe is a month of fliering in the rain