Diaries 1969-1979_ The Python Years - Michael Palin [72]
Friday, April 27th, Southampton
Woke about 7.00. Slept fitfully until 8.15. Feet sweating, but fairly calm. A bath and breakfast. It was a fine, sunny morning, so we walked to the theatre. In the distance we could see the enormous liners in the docks, and some way ahead, the steel letters on a grid high above the surrounding buildings read ‘Gaumont’. Altogether rather an epic place to start the tour. There was an almost tropical feeling – as if we had come 700, not 70 miles south from London. I became aware of blossoms everywhere, of lush chestnuts in bloom, and a warmth in the air, with a healthy sea edge to it.
The sound is clearly going to be a difficult problem, for, in addition to music and sound f/x on tape (now being worked by André), we have film and animation sound from the projector, voice-overs from two off-stage mikes and six radio mikes, all to be mixed and controlled by Dave Jacobs, a short, dark, grey-eyed young guy, who has had about six hours’ sleep in the last three days. In fact everyone looks tired, but the adrenaline of an imminent first night keeps everyone going.
Graham was using more than adrenaline to keep him going. He arrived at 10.00, already a little bleary from drink, and violently angry that he had not been told where to meet us. Gradually he calmed down, but unfortunately the damage was done – what everyone feared might happen, but hoped that for once it wouldn’t, did happen. By 6.00 Graham was very drunk. We finished a dress run-through at 5.15, with many imperfections still not sorted out, and some difficult costume changes keeping us all tense.
The first house was just over half-full and was happy, rather than ecstatic. But it certainly couldn’t be compared with the reception we’d had at Coventry. Perhaps most amazingly of all, ‘Silly Walks’ went by with an almost embarrassing lack of response, and there were many cases of mikes not being switched up, etc, etc. There was only half an hour before the next house, so there was only time for a cup of tea and a sandwich before we gathered on stage for ‘Llamas’. John, Eric, Terry G, Terry J and Neil resplendent in their Spanish gear, Carol in her sequinned leotard, and me in an old mac with ‘Eat More Pork’ written on the back, and my Gumby gear underneath.
As soon as the curtain went up for the second house, the atmosphere was one of wild enthusiasm. Favourite characters – John in the Llama sketch, Gumby, Terry and Graham as Pepperpots, Eric as Nudge-Nudge, and Graham’s Colonel and Ken Shabby – were given rounds of applause, and ‘Pet Shop’ at the end was as self-indulgent in performance, and as hugely popular in reception as it has ever been.
But Graham was far gone. He had missed his entrance in ‘Argument’ twice, made ‘Custard Pie’ a dull shadow of its former self, and slowed down many a sketch. Only his own ‘Wrestling’ had been done really well.
Upstairs in the restaurant of the Dolphin, Graham and Eric reached a point of explosion and Eric threw down his napkin with a rather impetuous flourish and left the restaurant. Later Graham, Eric and John had ‘full and frank discussions’, in which John told Graham straight out that he had performed very badly in both shows and if he went on like this every night there was no point in him continuing on the tour. For my own part, I feel that Graham’s condition was the result of a colossal over-compensation for first-night nerves. He had clearly gone too far in his attempt to relax – maybe now the first night is over he will no longer feel as afraid.
Saturday, April 28th, Brighton
At 10.00 we left Southampton and moved along the south coast to Brighton.
The first house was not brilliant – there were severe sound problems, late cues and sketches which went on too long.
The second house was better, with a big audience response, but again difficulties with sound and film. Helen was there to see it, so was Maggie,1 Barry Cryer, Ronnie Corbett, etc. Very few congratulations flying around – a sort of tacit approval