the best show i saw at the edinburgh festival this year (and i only know of one other show that any of my friends thought was best) was nitwit by william andrews, a man i am lucky enough to know reasonably well. it was billed as a one-man sketch show, but in truth it was a great deal more than that. many of the scenes had real emotional truth and all of them were super funny. i had just read born standing up, steve martin's autobiography, and the show really put me in mind of its author's determination to let people decide for themselves. a couple quotes (from martin) about his work that i think apply to will:
“i was seeking comic originality, and fame fell on me as a by-product. the course was more plodding than heroic: i did not strive valiantly against doubters but took incremental steps with a few intuitive leaps.”he had an... um... unfortunate time at the festival. all the reviewers came on the same day when his (massively tech-heavy) show went wrong... so people didn't find out about how wonderful the show could be. he is supposed to be doing a show this year, but his resolve his weakening. i hope that he continues down the path...
“another rule was to make the audience believe i was fantastic, that my confidence could not be shattered. they had to believe that i didn’t care if they laughed at all, and that this act was going on with or without them.”...of comedy righteousness. his reward will be great in comedy heaven.
