I know you're burning to ask how Friday's method acting alcoholic frenzy of a rehearsal went. So at last, relief for your misery.

Disappointingly, they were all pretty sedate. During the rehearsal.

Dad was driving so (wisely) didn't drink. Johnny was running a 10 mile obstacle course with the added bonus of electric shocks en route the next morning so (wisely) didn't drink. Mum sipped a Soave. Cath necked vodka and coke, precisely on brief. Patrick supped Jaegermeister. Our lovely prompt, Helen, guzzled white wine from a secret coolpack. Heather, our SM, supped tea. And I... Well, you don't need to know that.

Cath became stupendously ungainly - in an entirely deliberate perfectly in character way. Mum became extra angry. Patrick ended up a little rougher around the edges in his drinking scenes than usual.

But true to form, it was the post-show that yielded up the real carnage when we got properly stuck into the Tennent's Super (which, I'm pleased to report, is a strangely nice beer) and our AD's cartons (classy) of wine. If you like your cans to dish up a 9% ABV, that is.

So was the whole experience illuminating from a character point of view? Not sure. But it over-delivered on the fun quotient with bells on.

Until the morning after.