Play: Intimate Apparel

Firstly, we had a birthday lunch yesterday for two folks from the office - one whose birthday had just passed, one whose birthday was actuallly yesterday. The venue chosen was Alborz, a Persian restaurant I've often passed but never yet patronised. Persian, huh? Well, I had never eaten Persian before, but the menu looked inoffensive enough - as they point out, it's not spicy, like Indian - so I said I'd give it a shot.

22 of us finally agreed to go (oh, and another showed up later). It's not a long walk from the office, but my, it was a sweltering afternoon. Now, apparently someone had rung them before we set out. To warn them. Unfortunately, said warning seemed to go unheeded, as they seemed completely surprised when we descended upon them! Never mind, the place was empty, and they just took all the tables at the bench against the back wall, and pushed them together. Ironically, the birthday girls ended up sitting at one end.

..and then we waited for a very long time. Just as well most of us didn't have to rush back! It duly transpired that what we were waiting for was for the sole waiter to finish putting bread in little baskets. Uh-huh. So, when he'd finished doing that - and his mum, or whatever, provided him with hummus on plates for us to spread on the bread, he finally deigned to take our orders. As someone remarked, he should have taken drinks orders before he bothered with the bread - but I guess they're not used to crowds! Anyway, I ordered apple juice - no alcohol here, even had I not been at a lunch with co-workers: although you can bring your own - and a skewer "combo" - one chicken, one lamb. They come with rice as standard. You could choose to have your lamb three different ways - "tender fillet", "shish fillet", or minced (meatballs). I chose the tender fillet. We also had some fun with the lamb casseroles, which were listed on the menu as vegetarian. :-)

..and then we waited for a very long time. Meantime, mum was behind the counter, flinging apples into the food mixer. Someone who saw my drink - they were delivered to the table as they were ready, thankfully - thought it looked good and ordered one for himself. He was in a position to see what she was doing, and informed me that it took 4.5 apples to make one drink! Sure enough, it was quite the appliest apple juice I've ever had. Applier than many apples I've had, in fact! Drink it fast though, before it oxidises. Thoughtfully, in due course they provided us with a jug of ice cubes, and a spoon.

The food did take a while to arrive - we laughed when we heard what sounded like a grill, eventually being turned on - but it was well worth it. I was glad I'd had the skewers - the casseroles looked a bit watery for my taste, although those who had them proclaimed them delicious. The skewered meat had been removed from the skewers prior to serving, thankfully. So I got a line of beef and a line of chicken, a heap of rice to the side, and some salad. In short, the lamb was utterly delicious and worth a return visit. Went very well with the lemon they provided for you to squeeze over the rest of the food. The chicken was very tasty, but by the end I found it quite salty - I think I'll concentrate on the lamb if (when?) I come back. The rice was perfectly cooked. O yes, yum.. we were well fed, although we didn't have dessert. Mind you, the whole thing took about two hours (with just the one course and drinks) but, as I say, they don't seem used to crowds. And who's counting, anyway? ;-)

So, last night I had a ticket booked for Intimate Apparel, at the Park Theatre. I'd never heard of it, but Time Out does throw up unusual things from time to time. Came well recommended, with the playwright apparently having won a Pulitzer for another of her works. The official website had completely sold out, so I got a ticket - at a small markup - from bestoftheatre.co.uk. Wasn't looking forward to the trek across town, though. Still, these things usually work out well. Mind you, for some reason, I always think that Finsbury Park - the nearest station - is on the Overground. It isn't, but I don't get there very often, and I suspect my delusion will continue.

No, it's Piccadilly Line. Well, they're more frequent than the Overground, at least! And then it's just down from the station - as long as you take the right exit; I've made that mistake before, and know to be careful. So I looked up the location on Streetview. A little tight for time, I decided to take the Tube from West Brompton, rather than just walk to Earl's Court. Luckily, it took only a minute before one arrived, and I did make it faster than I'd have walked. Got to Earl's Court, made for the Piccadilly Line. And the *&)*O&^%* down escalator wasn't working again! This is the third time that's happened to me lately - twice here, and once at Waterloo, when they'd turned off the escalators, I think deliberately, late at night. Now, that's all well and good - unless you have bathmophobia. Now, I did have railings, but walking down an escalator presents two problems - firstly, the steps are larger than a conventional stairs, which means more work and is more awkward. Secondly, the lights overhead were shining on the treads, and it was - last night in particular - quite dazzling. Not appreciated, TFL!

Anyway, I made it to Finsbury Park. And the fun started. A signpost in one direction pointed to Seven Sisters Road, which I had noted carefully was on the wrong side of the station. So I went the other way, traipsed all the way to the exit, and saw I was on yet another wrong side. So I traipsed back. Had another look at the sign, and saw that there was a second sign under it, indicating Wells Terrace, which I knew to be near the theatre. Pointing.. the same way as Seven Sisters Road. With a sigh, I went that way, and saw that the corridor forked up ahead, one way leading to Seven Sisters Road, the other to Wells Terrace. Lovely. I took the Wells Terrace exit, trotted straight down the road a bit and there it was. Where I last left it.

Queued for a bit in the chaotic bar / ticket office, only to be told that my printed confirmation would do for a ticket. Good thing I always print them out! I was in the circle, so made my way upstairs and followed the rather confusing signage to the correct side. Took my (bench) seat - nearly at the end of the row - and just had to get up to let in one gent, who turned out to be sitting on the bench just inside me, and chattily told me how it had taken 25 minutes to find the theatre. O yes, that can easily happen if you take the wrong exit..

And so to the play. Boy, was I glad I came to this! As I say, the author's writing credentials were established, and this was a delight to listen to. Set in 1905, the language is a little more formal then we're used to, but that's no bad thing. The lead character is a negro seamstress in New York, the play is about how she spends her days making dainty lingerie for ladies of all social classes, and about how, at 35, she is desperate for a husband - seen as the necessary accomplishment for all young ladies. So she's delighted when a worker on the Panama Canal starts to correspond with her, and things start to develop between them. But is all as it seems? Her friends are certainly dubious about her pinning her hopes on someone she's never met. Is she wise to stake her future on a dream?

The nature of her work acts as a metaphor for our glimpses into the inner lives of her and her friends - the intimacy of the garments she spends her time making matches the intimacy of the characters' revelations to the audience. And oh, her performance is stunning! This part, it struck me early on, could have been so bland. Really, the character is illiterate, inexperienced, slightly prudish. She doesn't use fancy words. She could have been quite dull. But she's played with a quirkiness that's a delight to behold - a sense of fun, and of hope. This is quite some acting, and her perfomance alone makes it worthy of a West End transfer, which I'm sure it'll have in due course.

Cheers and salutations, this is a terrific show! Only runs until Sunday - rush out and see it while you have a chance. Tonight and Friday are sold out on the website, but tickets might be available elsewhere. There's still availability for other performances. Interestingly, my companion pointed out, at the interval, that the audience consisted of mostly women. He was right.. well spotted, sir! I dunno, maybe it's considered the theatrical equivalent of a chick-flick. Whatever - this is better than most of what's on right now, and I consider myself lucky to have seen it.

Coming back, I showed my companion the way to the station, and we were back most of the way together on the Tube. A pleasant chat shortened the journey. If you're reading this, Gerry, it was lovely meeting you, and I hope you get to see lots more good shows in London!

Of course, by the time I got back, it was too late to blog - hence the delay. As for tonight.. it's coming up as The Scoop, where the London Bulgarian choir is performing at 6.30. Mmm, yes. I'm sure they're very good, but then I'd have to schlep across town at rush hour - it's one thing trying to get across town for 7.30, but for 6.30 is that much harder. And I have to wash my hair. I might skip it. For tomorrow, it's a great pity - there's a concert on there at lunchtime that I'd love to go to - but lunchtime isn't doable. I'm not interested in what's on there tomorrow evening. And there's no availability for Richard III for tomorrow. I'd love to see Bring Up the Bodies, but it's not on tomorrow - they alternate with Wolf Hall, to which it's the sequel, and which I've seen. Fathers and Sons is completely sold out for the rest of its run. So.. back to film! Norte, the End of History is a Filipino film, showing at the ICA, topping my list in terms of IMDB ratings. A reimagining of Crime and Punishment, it seems.. and weighing in at four hours. Ooh..