Edinburgh Moment: Surprise Audience Member
Kai Humphries, 2009 So You Think You’re Funny? finalist, returns to Edinburgh this year with his new show Bare Faced Cheek. Here Humphries dares to bare one of his festival memories.
The moment I stepped on stage I was put off by the 90 year old woman in the front row of a packed room with her knitted cardigan and the 2 walking canes by her slippered feet, I thought to myself, “this might not be the show for you!” Although my show starts quite fluffy I knew it would get to some toilet humour and dick jokes that might not be her cup off tea. With this in mind I felt a bit tense, but when I got to a particularly filthy joke I committed to it, expecting the slowest walk out in Edinburgh fringe history. But she belly laughed so hard any tension that was in the room was instantly dispelled – as I back referenced my anxiety of the situation and explained my relief, “Anne” became an integral part of my show. The crowd really bonded on this and the show hit the ground running from this point. At the end rather than diving behind the curtain I said “Anne I need to give you a hug before I go”. As I embraced the lovely old lady to a round of applauds I heard from the back of the room “Where is my hug?” The lights lifted and I recognized the blast from the past as another Anne, Anne Noble (Mrs Noble) my teacher from school. “I could tell some stories about you” she said. I bet she could but it was stories about her son, Ross Noble that I really wanted to hear…
Kai Humphries: Bare Faced Cheek runs at the Underbelly Wee Coo from the 3-29 August (excl 17) at 22.30.<
