A musical weekend....part one

I was shopping in town with Laura when I got the call..was I free to do followspot that night? I hadn't done followspot for about two years, where at one time I was working at the theatre two or three nights a week....I just gradually cut down until I didn't go any more, and they stopped asking me. You must be desperate if you're asking me, was my response! Well, yes.... Oh, ok, I had nothing else to do with my Saturday night, and for £5.90 an hour..how could I refuse? By the way, what's the show? The Motown show. Oh, ok, bring it on....

So I squeezed into my theatre blacks, and went to work. I forgot how hot and tiring it was standing, concentrating and pointing a followspot at various lead singers who move out of range the minute you take your eye off the ball.. or the singer. The music was ok...I remembered all the songs the first time round in the 1960s and 70s. One side of my face burnt from the heat of the lamp, the other side was pressed against the wall air conditioning unit which was pouring out freezing cold air, and occasionally, when I had the followspot at a certain angle, my head was trapped between the two. The show was due to come down at 10pm, but they managed to drag it out until twenty to eleven. Too much talking.

The rest of the crew were moaning about the get-out, the amount of equipment there was to pack up, lift off the stage (no lift or ramp) and load into the truck..they would be there until way gone midnight. I used to do all that. Now I thought, bugger it, too tired, I was only asked to do follow spot so I gave my apologies, too old, too tired, too feeble, signed my timesheet, and drove home. Did I mention I was driving again? Oh the independence of it.....