Well, well, I'm back! It's been a great couple of days. Nabeel's birthday was on Wednesday, we went for drinks after work and a v sociable time was had. Unfortunately, our meal plans were scuppered when the place we were heading for turned out to be closed for a private function, and our group separated into those who wanted to eat somewhere that the World Cup was being shown, and those who didn't. Me, I headed for my local Chinese. My, I'd forgotten how spicy their kung po chicken is! - it's been a while.
Yesterday was the annual company barbeque, where, again, a v sociable time was had (we're a sociable bunch, y'know!) Nabeel, as he said, was "taking his birthday on tour", (we were in Guildford), although that wasn't the reason for the barbeque. Not really. ;-) During the barbeque, I ended up on the winning team for the table quiz! for once..
Now, the initial plan for today was to head to The Scoop. That, though, was weather-dependant, and it rained pretty persistently all morning. Frankly, I was glad of it - I'd have had to leave straight from work, and getting across town at that time is horrendous - particularly at Westminster and on the Jubilee line. So I had a look at what else Time Out had to suggest. And was I delighted when they came up with The Crucible..
I love this story, although I've only ever seen the film, never the stage version. Written by Arthur Miller, it describes the Salem witch trials, but is an allegory of McCarthyism. It tells the compelling story of a group of teenage girls, found to have been up to all sorts of shenanigans in the woods at night: who, when confronted - terrified of the punishment they will receive - blame the whole thing on whatever scapegoats they can find, and call it witchcraft. In these superstitious times, the village elders are only too ready to believe them, and the story escalates to a series of witch trials. Serious stuff, considering the court has the power to condemn people to death - and all on the word of a group of hysterical girls. Caught up in the madness is John Proctor, who has the misfortune to have had a brief affair with one of them, who now seeks revenge on him for dumping her, and seems like to have it as his wife is accused of being a witch..
It's showing at the Old Vic, with Richard Armitage as John Proctor. No other website that I tried had availability, for today, at as good a price as the official website; I managed to get the last of the lower-priced seats in the stalls. There were also seats in the dress circle - none in the balcony, and no two together. Advance booking required, therefore, if this doesn't suit. The seat I got was the same price as the non-restricted view seats in the dress circle - so I decided, for that price, I might as well be in the stalls. Ended up in the very back row, but I've been here before and knew that wouldn't be an issue.
This is one of the easier theatres to find - Tube to Waterloo, exit the underground station, turn right, and it's at the other side of the crossroads. Ironically, this journey also involves changing for the Jubilee line at Westminster. Well, but I left late enough that the crowds had dissipated somewhat. Thankfully, however, I was early enough that it didn't matter that the ever-unreliable District line decided to stop several times for no apparent reason. When I turned out of the station, I did expect to see the theatre - turned out that my view of it was obscured somewhat by a large tree across from it! Trust me, it is there..
It was nice, for a change, not to have to climb the stairs. I headed straight for the stalls bar - there's a bar on each level. Cash only, it's a small operation - only two bartenders. A good amount of seating if you want to stay there, but the containers they provide are plastic, so you can take your drink into the theatre. They only provide wine in quantities of 125ml or 175ml. I had the fun of crossing the stage proper to get to my seat. Legroom is a bit snug in the back row, but the saving grace is the space between the step down to the next row and the seat backs - so there's quite a space into which you can let your leg drop. Both at a time, if you so wish! I did this constantly throughout this mammoth, 3.5hr show, which meant that, for once, I didn't get cramp.
The sense of dread that permeates the entire show is heightened by the constant, low-level, bass drone that plays for the whole evening - before and during the play, and during the interval. Smoke machines emit a stream of white smoke that shrouds the stage area - never so dense that you can't see through it, but it does lend a sinister aura. As the play begins, the stage - which is in the round - is filled with wooden chairs, all at different angles. As the Time Out review explains, the reason for the lengthy running time is partly the scenes without words - and as they also say, all this time does is to give the author's words the weight they deserve.
A good play is an absolute joy to behold, for anyone who loves language. A pared-down set like this allows the play to shine through. The direction is fantastic - the first scene is reminiscent of a Greek tragedy, with all characters silently filing on stage, dressed in sombre black and grey, to take a seat each, where they sit briefly before silently filing off again, chairs under their arms, leaving the stage bare for the commencement of the story proper.
And what a gripping story it is. Apart from faint numbness, you really don't feel the time pass. The acting is spellbinding, as is the story - all the better, I think, when you know what's coming. At the interval, I dithered a bit before deciding to go to the loo. Well, I didn't do too badly - but I was still at the end of a sizeable queue for the ladies. The gents, needless to say, had a much higher turnover. Advice - if you want to go, go straight away! Lots of foreigners at this, interestingly - a group of Russians were sitting near me in the stalls, and there were French people ahead of me in the toilet queue. I had plenty of time, as I waited, to stare at the enormous chandelier hanging in the toilet "lobby". Really, the whole place seemed very rough and ready, the seating just on a kind of wooden frame, the toilets made from portakabins - although fetchingly decorated with promotional posters from past and present productions! By the time I'd finished and exited the toilet, they were letting the ladies into the gents - with stewards stationed outside, to ensure that they didn't go at the same time, I guess. Well, the interval had to end eventually, so they had to do something.. toilets are closed while the performance is underway, BTW.
The second act ratchets up the excitement, as the trials get underway. This play pulls absolutely no punches - "visceral", they're describing it as, and they're right. In no way do they hold back, with girls throwing themselves around the stage in "witch-induced" fits. Indeed, you need to have some nerve to sit in the front row, with no separation from the stage. It's stunning to watch. The lighting is quietly effective, and the prison scenes moved me to tears. Similar production values, then, to Wolf Hall, currently playing across town, and set about 150 years before. By the time the play wound to its inevitable conclusion, we were dying to leap to our feet in a unanimous standing ovation. Hard work, sitting through so much raw emotion - but well worth it. Runs until 13 September.
For tomorrow - well, you'll never guess. I FINALLY got a (seated) ticket to Skylight, starring Carey Mulligan as the woman visited late one night, in her flat, by her older ex, Bill Nighy. Nearly 20 years old now, apparently some of the references are a bit dated, but it's getting great reviews. The only site with availability this early was LondonBoxOffice.co.uk. I got a stalls seat - again - in Row L, which, apparently, is just before the balcony overhang starts to impede the view from the stalls. Also, it seems that legroom is a bit tight in this row, so I'm glad that, of the two (separate) seats available, I chose the aisle.. and at only £17 over face value, it's not bad at all.
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