The day had an unpromising start - there was even drizzle. But by lunchtime, the sun was peeking through, and the rest of the day was gloriously sunny, although temperatures didn't recover to the heights of recent weeks. Still, it wasn't freezing, and it was sunny, and it was good enough.
I didn't leave work until about 5.40, leaving it a bit tight to get there by 6.30 for the start of the show. Anyway, I made a dash for the station, arriving just as the Tube did. I had to change for the Jubilee line at Westminster. Now, I could have predicted - and did - that this was not a great time to get the Tube. Getting onto the Jubilee line at Westminster has to be one of the blackspots. As I got the escalator down to the Jubilee line - the District line runs at the highest level, as does the Circle - the escalator beside ours was creaking alarmingly. I wouldn't blame it.
The first two Jubilee line trains that arrived were too packed to cram onto - but at this station, at this time, trains come at a rate of one per minute. And I made it onto the third. Now I forgot to mention, in my last post, that on the Tube last night, there was a first for me - I saw someone doing a headstand. For the benefit of her friend, who was attempting to take a photo while simultaneously giggling uncontrollably. Fair play to that lady's sense of balance, for she did this while the train was moving. Similar contortions were required on the Jubilee line this evening at rush hour. I've rarely been so squashed. Luckily, I was only going three stops.
We gratefully unfolded ourselves from the train at London Bridge. I hadn't had a chance to pick up a Standard, but managed to grab a discarded one at the side of the escalator. This station was the first where I noticed they were giving current World Cup results on the platform indicators - very helpful. As I hurried down Tooley Street, I noticed a sightseeing bus stopped in traffic, with a couple of people standing on the upper deck, very interested in my side of the road. Of course, they were looking at the original site of the London Dungeon..
Now, if you look closely, you can see the two ominous, cloaked and hooded figures flanking what used to be the entrance. And the sign over the door says "Enter at your Peril". Very atmospheric - although the new location is handier for the tourists. More central, and closer to other attractions.
Well, I wasn't hungry yet, but I stopped into the very convenient food branch of Marks & Spencer, on the way to The Scoop. My mission was not food, but their individual (plastic) glasses of wine. Sadly, they were sold out of them. Never mind, I was in a hurry anyway. I scooted down there, and hired a cushion - the chap explained that the hire charge would go to a children's charity. Great - just give it to me and let me in, they're tuning up already!
The show was Kiss Me, Figaro! by the Merry Opera Company. Apparently, they play here every year. This is a delightfully silly romcom, set in a travelling opera company that's nominally staging La Boheme. However, the plot is mostly concerned with the romantic entanglements of the two lead singers. Being a travelling opera company, there are plenty of excuses to break into numbers from all kinds of sources - other operas (interestingly, all the operas are sung in English), but also Irving Berlin and Gilbert & Sullivan.
As I say, the ambient noise is a problem, and you miss many of the spoken pieces if the speaker is faced away from you. However, I never lost the gist of the story, and there's no problem hearing the singing. Which is magnificent. They can carry a tune, these people, as well as do a funny turn. There's a guy over the side on keyboard. And it struck me, as this beautiful music wafted up between the skyscrapers - I am truly spoiled. We all are, who have the chance to hear music of this quality in the middle of a city, on a beautiful sunny evening - and for free, too. Several passers-by stopped to watch for a while, and I can imagine what a lovely surprise they must have had, hearing this as they were going about their other business. And when a quartet of singers launched into the Flower Duet from Lakmé by Delibes, it wasn't the breeze that brought tears to my eyes. It was chilly by the end, but I wouldn't have missed this for the world! Plays for just two more days, go see it f you possibly can.
For tomorrow, I've booked to see The Fault in Our Stars. It's rated very highly, but for some reason has a limited release, although based on a book that seems popular - maybe it's still in preview. Anyway, it's about a teenage boy and girl who fall for each other in a cancer support group. Her parents are played by Laura Dern and Sam Trammell. Weird seeing him outside of True Blood! And then it's back to Ireland for the weekend, and on Saturday night we're headed to the University Concert Hall again, for the sold-out Bill Whelan Gala Celebration. It's a celebration of the music of Bill Whelan - he's the guy that wrote the original Riverdance suite - in conjunction with Limerick's year as City of Culture. Features the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra, with James Galway on flute. Never fear if you want to hear it and haven't got a ticket - it's being broadcast live on Lyric FM, Ireland's classical radio station. As it is, if my mother was to have a seat in her favourite row - the one with an aisle in front - I had to sit behind her, there was only one seat left in the desired row! And so it came to pass..
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