We arrived in Edinburgh sometime last week…..no, er….actually, it was …..last….night.

Jonathan and I shirk the glitz ‘n glamour of the Festival and head home early after a drink with former Red Shift designer Neil Irish. I’m not yet ready to face the hullaballoo. That’s for tomorrow, I concede. Today was technical get-in day at our Pleasance Beside venue (2 portakabins bolted together, then attractively dressed with several hundred glittery toy windmills). After lunch, as our allotted time approached, we managed to cajole the Pleasance tech crew into finding us a warm-up space – in an adjacent theatre, Beyond. While limbering up, throwing some shapes, flexing the epiglottis, a company troop into the auditorium for director’s notes in advance of their own afternoon show. Suddenly I’m conscious of looking like an utter knob, but distracted somewhat by firstly the director’s refrain to his company tantamount to – “Just do it faster!” and secondly by the rich, fruity voice soaring o’er everyone else’s (and everyone’s Elsies) which i soon realise belongs to dance and light entertainment legend Lionel Blair.

I resolve to continue my vocal pirouetting in the stairwell.