Heckling Christ

Yesterday evening, after a day of practical tasks like food shopping, laundry, and tidying, followed by our amazing walk and a home-cooked dinner, I felt ready to head back into the Festival.

After a bit of flyering and a drink, Leftwing Idiot and I talked about which show to go to. In the end we went for ‘Come Heckle Christ’ which we chose because the title suggested shouting things all the way through would be fine. Even so I made sure I spoke to the performer beforehand and explained that I had Tourettes, which is what I’m aiming to do before I see anything at the Fringe.

Christ (AKA comedian Josh Ladgrove) couldn’t have been more welcoming. He checked that I was happy with him answering my tics and I said that I definitely was, but that unlike other hecklers I wouldn’t have a choice about whether I spoke up or not.

The show was great. It’s quite simple – Christ stands on stage, his arms raised on a crucifix, with a microphone in front of him. He invites the audience to ask questions and heckle.

Some questions must’ve come up quite regularly, because he had set responses to them, but most of the show is completely improvised.

However well prepared he was, Jesus clearly wasn’t ready for some of the questions my tics asked. One that stuck in my mind was, “Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles or cum? Choose!” Both Christ and the audience laughed a lot and one member of the audience asked if I was a plant, I quickly replied: “No, I’m a human.”

I loved the show, and so did my tics, so much so they heckled my body all night, making it very difficult to sleep.

“Shut up body, I’m trying to sleep.”
“Legs, who said you could move?”
“Time to heckle my dreams.”

And when I eventually did drift off, heckle my dreams is exactly what I did.

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