22 Angela's Party Turn

Angela’s Party Turn

The Parkins’ garden pond has had fish and toads. For a party Angela was invited to give a five minute turn. This consisted of challenging the audience to guess whether she had three self-playing pianos inside a large tote bag. She did.

She could not play happy anniversary (the smallest piano had six self-playing tunes. So she played Happy birthday to you. Somebody in the audience had a birthday.

Angela followed this by a chat with a hand puppet frog. It nodded and agreed that the Parkins were excellent neighbours, who provided good food and drink. The family had had plenty to drink so they were in a good mood and were a good audience and laughed a lot.

Alice and Loudon also came to watch Angela perform at the talent show organised by the Moon & Sixpence pub, on the high street, where comedian Barry Cryor regularly goes to drink and socialise. Barry was going to introduce the evening and Angela was confident that the audience would be attentive and appreciative. Unfortunately, the pub discovered at the last minute that they needed a music license because two or three of the acts were singers.

The event was postponed until the following week and to a change of venue, the Lawn Tennis Club in Clonard Way. This was down a suburban street, with a hidden entrance. Torrential rain was not encouraging for the performers, supporters, audience, or parking. Parking was on the muddy field. We parked near the venue, then hemmed in by other cars. A walk across an unlit field to the clubhouse which was not open when we arrived so we sat outside until somebody with a key turned up.

Barry Cryor did not appear as originally advertised. We did not know whether he had taken umbrage or was not available because of the change of date. Angela’s first act which took place sitting down could not be seen or heard by those at the back of the audience. The organiser suggested that a volunteer needed for the act should be a child contestant, who was tongue tied so there was no jolly repartee. A final reading of a comic poem could not be heard because people were shouting drinks orders at the bar.

Angela then appreciated how important it is to have a ‘good’ audience like Alice and Loudon’s family.