Two years ago, during a show at the Auberge du Nord, in the dinner section where Scrooge is learning about Christmas, this odd lumpish guy asked to kiss Ebenezer. I resisted, of course, but eventually under the aegis that it would help me learn something, and with the vigorous encouragement of his friends, I allowed it. He surprised me and went for one plum on the lips. It stuck in my mind because the guy seemed really off. Negative energy coming off him in waves. Something very odd about him. Definitely straight. I assumed it was some stupid Christmas dare between him and his colleagues. Scrooge disliked the whole interaction but built it into the show. “And that man kissed me!” etc etc
On Friday night he was in again. “My mate gave you COVID,” says some douchey guy to Scrooge in the dinner section. “He hates amdram.” “I do too.” “Oh yeah this isn’t amdram. Well he hates it anyway. He kissed you on the lips so he gave you COVID cos he had COVID.” (May I just point out that this sort of interaction is extremely unusual in the show.) “I didn’t get COVID,” I said. “He gave it to you. You kissed him.” And then he points at the guy. “Go talk to him.” And there he is, this same lumpish guy, sitting there not making eye contact, radiating negative energy in his Christmas jumper. “Go talk to him. Go on. He hates this. We’ve brought him for a joke.” “I’m not here to police people’s enjoyment,” I say, and leave the whole interaction. “What a twat,” I think to myself. I don’t bring him into you show this time.
Today I went for a coffee in the pizza place. There are two women having lunch. “We saw you on Friday,” they say. “And two years ago you kissed our friend at The Auberge. He’s upstairs. Do you want to talk to him?” “No, I thought he was very odd energy.” “You grabbed his face and gave him a big kiss on the lips. I think that’s a weird thing to do, right at the height of COVID.” “I have no recollection of this interaction.” I exit the conversation. But I’m weirded out now.
So now this morality vacuum of a human being is trying to score social points by embellishing the story and making out like I kissed him on my own impulse. It’s ridiculous. What a total berk. It makes me really fucking angry.
Meanwhile on various Jersey Facebook groups, admins are taking down positive reviews of our show and fronting reviews for the local amdram musical. We aren’t in competition, or we certainly shouldn’t be. The two things are chalk and cheese. We can exist very happily next to each other. But… I no longer live in this small island, and I’m remembering the behaviours that propelled me away from it.
It made me really uncomfortable, the kiss business. “He hates amdram” they said. Yeah because he has no charisma and wants to be the centre of attention anyway, which is how most amdram can be described.
I didn’t want that fucking kiss at the the time, he was out of line going for my lips, it creeped me out in show, and doubly so now I understand the whole purpose of it was to infect me with COVID. My decision in show two years ago to humour him has now led to him turning the story round to make it about him. When you look at the shape of it, it’s really a miracle he’s not in prison if that’s how he goes about his life. Grrrr
AlBarclay 