Oliver's day

Friday, 6pm slot, second preview, ten rows deep, mostly tourists and a school group from Bath. The Leeds middle dies in his mouth at the line about his chest — not the car park line, the next line, the one that has never quite sat right — and he has to skip it and walk into the closing early, a public course-correct in front of forty people. Humiliation: a girl in the front row mouths "what happened" to her friend and Ollie sees it. Relief: the closing still lands and the room laughs and he walks off still standing. Comedy: he texts Kate "just died on stage in front of a school trip from Bath, getting the bus home, love you all," and adds ":)". Decision: he will fix the dead line tonight in the Marchmont flat alone, and not tell Yara it broke.