 When you work in the events and PR industry, it is extremely difficult to attend an event or show without checking out the production from a professional level. Simple enjoyment of a show without looking for all these things is extremely rare. However, for many years I have long been a fan of Billy Connolly. His observant comedy about everyday situations and his ability to cut through the fluff and get straight to the point does sometimes make you wonder what the world would be like if he was in charge. As is the case working with celebrities what you see in public is often very different to what you get in real life, although not always. So for this very reason I vowed not to work with him, as I did not want my illusion shattered. He was mentioned on numerous occasions for Inquisitive Minds and yes I could see how that would work brilliantly - but I simply could not bring myself to cross over the line. So he went on my Bucket List - a list of things I want to experience before I die and seeing him live was one. So when I heard he was heading to Perth I was thrilled and immediately decided that Hubby and I would make the most of the evening and get a baby sitter, enjoy a drink and then take a detour home via RPH to get our sides stitched up. However, the reality was very different and I have to say slightly disappointing. After reading a review in The West for the show the previous evening, I had held high hopes. We had looked forward to the night for over 6 months and I have to say it was not cheap. We arrived at Burswood and enjoyed a drink and then had a view of the Merchandise stall. The programme was charged at $20 a piece and not worth the money at all. Most pages were single illustrations of Billy with quotes on. Not what I expected to see for $20 and to be honest as a customer, I felt a little cheated of my $20 !! As for the show, well we had good seats and the show was value at just over 2 1/2 hours long with no interval but I found Billy to be tired. He seemed to be suffering tour fatigue...whilst at times he had the flashes of the comic genius I loved, on the whole I did find him more like a moaning old man. Come 10pm both Hubby and I were, I'm afraid, bored and left the show feeling a little disappointed although overall we did enjoy his witty observations on numerous topics such as Tony Blair and Canberra. Also at times he had to refer to his notes, which I have never seen him do before. Also I felt the audience didn't really 'gel' that night and friends of ours went to the same show a few nights later and said the atmosphere was great so who knows... A few days later I did have the pleasure of meeting with his agent and we did discuss the Perth show, the contents of which shall remain between us, but I do hope Billy returns to Oz for another tour, as he is without doubt still a comic genius just perhaps a little tired after three months on the road. |
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