Chic Eleanor and fellow theatre lover Del and I went to see the stand up comic Mark Steel tonight.
Known for his left wing humour, Steel concentrated his set on his recent experience of having throat cancer.
Humble, honest, incredibly funny and poignant it was refreshing to hear a man celebrate his friendships which saw him through the darkest of times. But real life took an even darker turn when after he noted the demographic of the audience and told a story of how one member collapsed during his show , as he was almost finished , an audience member in the Gods suddenly collapsed and I think died
We left after the stage cleared and the house lights were turned on.
Died laughing?
ReplyDeletePerhaps
DeleteI'm glad you, Chic Eleanor, and Del had a good time at the theater - at least until the abrupt ending. Died laughing as was said above? There are worse ways to go, and that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteHugs!
That must weigh heavy on the performer.
ReplyDeleteI listened to his Mark Steel's in Town radio shows on (I think) BBC Sounds. Don't know if they're still available, but well worth a listen.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shock for everyone in the theatre, but, as Barbara Anne said, there are worse ways to go. xx
Yikes! Audiences will be talking about the Curse of Mark Steel now.
ReplyDeleteohh my comment disappeared.
ReplyDeleteThat is shocking. What a sad conclusion to a good evening.
ReplyDeleteDeeply unsettling, and a bad week for you spending too much time reflecting on mortality with a suicide and with the pressures of your work so much to the fore. 'In the midst of life' etc has times when it is just too pointed. Hope Mark is OK too; with everything he has been through this touches a nerve. A strange week all round, John.
ReplyDeleteWe went to see Tom Robinson perform last year (he was great!) and had to spend over an hour sitting quietly while paramedics worked on someone who had collapsed in the audience. He was eventually carried away by ambulance and the show continued.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend who died in a bus. He just went round and round the circular route, as people just thought he was asleep!
ReplyDeleteA great aunt of mine died laughing. Let's hope the poor soul last night went with a smile on their face.
ReplyDeleteA friend of ours died at the racetrack running out to the track to get his photo taken with his winning horse. At least he died where he loved to be. Gigi
ReplyDeleteIf I die laughing, please laugh with me.
ReplyDeleteyet another blog entry thats obsessed with death
ReplyDeletecounseling didnt work too well huh?
Anon 12:19 pm, not sure what your point is. One of my favourite sayings, and no one forget it: "In the midst of life we are in death".
DeleteHow can you deduct from John relating the fact someone snuffed it during a stand-up gig that "counselling didn't work too well"? I am the first to call bull when I see it - your comment is plain mean.
Ursula
I've just read, "Waiting for the last bus" by Richard Holloway.
ReplyDeleteIt's an excellent book. Highly recommend.