First fringe show in the can. Asshole: 1 Christophe: 0

So the first show is done, and much like other 'first times', it felt good at moments, even if it was slightly awkward, but it wasn't completely without pain either. During the first 20 minutes of my act I had people walk in late on 4 separate occasions, which isn't great, but having the door right next to the stage makes it impossible to ignore. One particular guy came in late, sat in the front row with his shoulders hunched over and his hands folded together in between his legs. It looked so strange, so I asked him if he was okay, and he said someone about being a theatre critic, and everyone 'ooooed'. Then he then sat there, stone-faced in the front row the entire time. What an amazing specimen of a human. The lack of respect it takes to come to a show you didn't pay for late, sit in the front row, and then say you're a critic in front of everyone. As much as I'd like to say, I was able to move on with the show without giving him a second thought, I couldn't. It wasn't that I was suddenly worried about him liking the show, (I'm sure he didn't, and that's quite alright as I've never developed my act with disrespectful shitheads in mind) but the fact that he was just sitting there in the foreground of my vision, sucking the joy out of the room the entire time, got to me.
I don't know what it was. I've never had trouble with that kind of thing before. I've always been able to set foot on stage and do my thing, regardless of what's going on in the world outside my 4x12 foot stage. I've done a show where my recent ex who cheated on me was wading through the crowd serving drinks, and the guy she did it with opened the show, and I had probably one of the bet sets of my life. But I just couldn't wash this guy out of my mind this time.
If he does a review you will be sure to see it posted in a later blog.
It doesn't help that the lovely couple who I am staying with were at the show as well, and although most of it really went well, my ecstasy story in particular (which has been killing every night in Toronto and Montreal) absolutely tanked. It's a good story, it's not like the thousands of people who've already laughed at it are suddenly wrong and these 24 people are somehow right, but man it doesn't make it feel any better.
This really wasn't even that bad of a show, some parts of it were great. Although the more I think of it, it was probably shaped the exact opposite way you would want a comedy act to go, that of a giant decrescendo. It's bringing me down to that dark little place you get to as a performer when a little a voice tells you "Okay you've had your fun. But now it's time to hang it up and go get a real job. Aren't you almost thirty? This one show was a clear representation of your true limits as a performer. Time to join everyone else in the rat race if you ever want to own a piece of property or god forbid, support children."
Fuck you little voice.
It really didn't go that bad.
Sure feels like it though.