After what I can only describe as two of the most juxtaposing professional experiences I’ve had in all my 12 years as a professional entertainer, I feel nothing short of compelled to write again and tell you all about it. If you want to hear.
Clearly so much can occur in two nights.
Wednesdy night was my second show for the Tobin James wine charter group on board the yacht and after the musical pitch invasion and subsequent merriment of Monday evenings show I had decided to subsitute formality for joviality, donned my best Tina Turner-esque shimmery knee-length number back combed my crown and set out to smack them between the eyes with a repertoire of soul, disco and rock and roll.
What awaited me in the venue was definately a somewhat more subdued set of vino lovers who actually wanted to listen and pay attention to what I was doing, and much to my apparent surprise, were incredibly encouraging. In telling the audience directly that I hadn’t really been expecting this muted sobriety from them I inadvertedly opened the comedy flood gates by inviting anyone who chose to to join me on the floor for a dance to the pointer sisters classic “Raining Men” .Two ladies took me up on my offer and sprinted for the dance space with fervour and vigour. One such lady was clearly incredibly excited to be there and possibly unbeknownst to her was about to instill exactly the same feeling in about half of the male members of the growing crowd. Unaware as to whether she’d forgotten her knickers when dressing that evening or possibly forgotten her lack of them whilst dancing she treated the entire lounge to an eye-level display of all her femininity.Bounding around in celebratory abandonment the other crew members watching the show to my right sponatenously gasped and laughed in equal measure as i tried desperately to keep my face straight and my voice intune. Stifling a laugh with a cough whilst singing at a previous humourous employment had induced only “Tommy Cooper-style” comparisons so i just went with it and let the audience do the laughing for me. After further musical festivities, a spot of line dancing, an Axle Rose impersonation and three men in 80’s mullet adorned sweatbands I finished the show with a positive reaction from my crowd and a huge sigh of comedy relief from myself.
Yesterday I hot footed it across to the sister yacht the “windspirit” for a 6.30pm show before our own yacht departed the berth in St barths at 9. Captain Bond (I mean John…) came to collect me in the speedboat again and with my fancy frock tucked up the inside of my lifejacket (i insisted on one this time) we bobbed and bounced over to prepare for the show.
They don’t have cabarets on the Windspirit as the yacht only holds approx 140 guests at capacity but as a special billing for the repeat passengers party I took myself and my backing tracks to the intimate and well laid out lounge bar and into the unknown really.
I enjoy my job… pretty much 100% of the time these days but seldom have I ever enjoyed a show like last nights. The audience were warm and receptive, appreciative and participatory. Never before have i been given standing ovations mid show and similarly such a hugely warm response from the entire crowd on my conclusion. It gave me great pleasure to perform for this awesome crowd infront of Captain John who had managed to secure me my employment with Windstar cruises by recommending me initially to the company. I still feel like I cant thank him enough but he seemed more than pleased with the outcome of our mutual arrangement and I came back to the Windsurf on the tender boat full of the joys of my profession and with a restored belief in my ability to target a show correctly on occasion.
The two shows couldn’t have been more different, I couldn’t have been more different and I think I learned equally from both. There is no such thing as being prepared in this industry. You never know what an audience has the ability to throw at you. But my tact I guess is just to roll with it… go with it… embrace it… then blog about it!
