The show tonight clocked in at 2 hours 45 minutes. A whole 15 minutes shorter than last night and this despite the fact we actually did more of the play. Apparently last night a whole page or so was skipped (in a scene I wasn't in I hasten to add).

Part of the tightening up might be due to the pep-talk we got before the show from Ilona telling us to get our arses on and off stage faster between scenes or might be partially due to the fact that the projectile vomiting stomach bug has swept through the cast and no one wants to be on stage when disaster strikes.

I spent the entire day today running to the toilet and lying down feeling sorry for myself while trying to ignore the weird and disgusting noises emanating from my belly. I also spent the day not eating anything in the sincere hope that I would be empty by show time came round and wouldn't suffer the ignominy of crapping myself on stage in front of a paying audience. Something I don't want to contemplate any more than I imagine you do. Especially not in a rented costume.

Anyway, it seems to have worked. I haven't eaten for 24 hours now and apart from the odd boiling toad noise from my guts nothing disastrous has happened. Tomorrow is the last night. Hurray! My brief but brilliant career as an evil slaughterer of innocent children will be over. Leaving me three weeks to learn my part as an evil scheming Baron for the Panto.