The 2014 leg of Infamous starts on Tuesday in Brighton. It’s all very exciting. If you’re coming to see it, I really hope you enjoy the show – a lot of work and love goes into it. In the past I’ve always done my best to come out to stage door after and sign things and say hello, but this year, the eleventh year (I think) of touring, I’m going to have to stop doing that. This is a big shame, at least for me, as I always enjoy meeting people after the shows and I’m so grateful to anyone who buys a ticket and comes out to see it. The reason is – as some of you will know who have come on nights when I haven’t been able to come outside – my voice. Last year I had to cancel a couple of shows in the West End which is an appalling business, and I’m determined not to let that happen again. For weeks before that, my voice was a mess and I was back and forth to the hospital getting fixed up as well as I could. Looking after my voice is a big part of the show – hence I do a lot of vocal training and the like. And this is the longest tour I will have done. The moment my voice gets tired, I have to go into shut-down mode: no hanging around outside, no talking, a strangely monastic existence until the next show begins. The result last year was that on about, I don’t know, a third of the tour dates I couldn’t go out afterwards. Whereas I used to find 10-20 people and I would spend proper time having a nice relaxed chat, the numbers are now more like 60-100 people, which is amazing and wonderful, but I can no longer chat and sign AND be sure to keep my voice in shape for a six month tour of a two-hour one-man show six nights a week.
I apologise hugely to anyone who was hoping to say hello. I hope you’ll understand even if it’s a bit disappointing. There’ll be some who for whatever reason will be unable to summon any understanding, and will treat this as me just ‘not being bothered’. Most times I’ve apologised in the past for not coming out to sign, I’ve read similar comments telling me I’m just selfish and lazy, and that I owe it to my fans to spend time with them afterwards etc. That’ll happen again of course, and there’s not much I can do other than offer this explanation and apology. I promise that in the past I’ve spent far more time after shows with people than any other performer I know. This isn’t a lazy choice, and the thing I definitely do owe to fans is to put on the best show I possibly can, which is what this is about preserving. Any of you who work in theatre will already understand how this voice business is, and I hope any others of you who had hoped to say hello will understand too. And above all that you enjoy the show.
Dxx