There are buses, of course, but the problem is, I don't normally take them, and I'm not very familiar with routes outside my area. Or the location of bus stops, for that matter! So, lots of research was required, and I duly had a plan for a bus from Victoria to Newington Causeway, across the road from the theatre, and from the theatre back home. TFL had warned that services would stop at 6pm, and all journeys should be finished by then, so I figured as long as I was in Victoria by then, I'd be ok.
I left at abt 5.20. The Tube journey to Victoria only takes about 15 minutes. At the station, there was a large crowd on the platform. The indicator board said that a train was due, and indeed, if you peered down the platform, you could see one at the end. Waiting. We wondered why. Eventually, it chugged up the platform and we got on for the journey to Earl's Court.
The train kept stopping and starting, and the driver apologised, saying there was a train at Victoria whose doors wouldn't open, and it was holding up the whole service. Finally, as Earl's Court loomed into view, the driver explained that District Line trains would not be stopping at Victoria that evening - the District Line platforms at Victoria were overcrowded, and had been closed. (Insert expletive here.) There was nothing for it - I was going to have to get a bus to Victoria. Handily, there was a bus map on the platform at Earl's Court, where I could see what bus to get and where to catch it.
So I left the station and crossed the road - the stop wasn't far away, and in due course I caught a bus to Victoria. I was lucky - it was empty when we got on. It was 5.45 - still almost two hours to go to curtain up. Ironically, the bus travelled back the way I'd come, initially - a waste of time, that Tube journey. But you can't predict these things. We had a mostly incident-free journey, although the bus had filled up completely by Knightsbridge. That was also where the worst of the traffic was. But it disgorged us outside Victoria at 6.20, which wasn't bad.
I crossed the road to the stop for my next bus, and joined the large crowd there. As I waited, a TFL guy strolled up and down, with information leaflets about how to get around Central London without Tube - very popular with the tourists. And I waited.. and waited. Many buses call at that stop, and it was very suspenseful, a bus coming around the corner to great anticipation, then crushing disappointment when it turns out not to be yours. 25 minutes I had to wait for mine.
The bus arrived at 6.45. Well, should still be ok, if traffic allowed - and I got on. Again, we were lucky - it was the terminus, and the bus was empty. And for much of that journey, it looked hopeful - there were long stretches without delay. And then there were a couple of horrendous bottlenecks that wrecked our whole schedule. As we approached Elephant & Castle, the driver obviously decided that this was going to take longer than he had left on his shift, and changed the destination to Newington Causeway. Well, at least I had that in my favour - it was my stop. Others on the bus weren't so happy, and argued with him that he hadn't warned them about this in advance! I guess these were people more used to travelling by Tube..
It was 7.35. By the time I made it up the road, it was 7.40, and no, they weren't still letting people in. I bought myself a much-needed glass of (very good value) wine at the bar, texted the organiser to let him know I was drowning my sorrows, and took a seat on the comfy sofa, in front of the telly, and with my wine and paper, it quite felt like heaven. And there I sat until the interval, when they streamed out and sympathised, and we chatted for a bit before going in for the second half. I also noticed a face I recognised, over the side, but couldn't place the name until somebody later remarked how cool it was to have Charles Dance in the audience!
The play tells the tale, based on true events apparently, of the collaboration of Orson Welles and Sir Laurence Olivier in a play in London. Also appearing is Vivien Leigh, who was married to Olivier at the time, but soon to be replaced as his wife by his co-star in the play. And that's pretty all there was to the plot. I thought the portrayal of these famous characters was superb, with particular kudos to the actor playing Vivien Leigh, who was bipolar - it's not easy to play someone having a manic episode and make it believable. The only real quibble I had was with the stage design - this is played in the round, but it's not designed for it, and I had Orson Welles' back to me for most of the show, as he directs proceedings from his chair. Which is a shame. I recommend sitting at the side furthest from the door for this production - that seemed to be where most of the action was directed.
Anyhoo, I did like the second half, and if you enjoy seeing famous personalities brought to life, this is the show for you. Runs till the 25th. Last night had pretty poor attendance, but that's probably down to the strike.
Had a lovely drink & chat afterwards with the group members. And yes, the journey home did take less than half the time of the outbound journey - although it started with a freezing 15-minute wait at the bus stop. Home too late to blog, again. And yes! tonight I'm braving the buses again. I've booked a ticket to Gypsy, with Imelda Staunton, at the Savoy. You know, for a show that's been out this long, I'd have expected more deals - but if you book at the last minute, the official website is the way to go. Too little legroom in the Grand Circle and rear Dress Circle, so I'm in the rear stalls. As it happens, I came across this through yet another Meetup group - the London Dramatic Arts Meetup. I was too late to book a ticket with them (tickets have opened up since, but never mind), but what they hey, might meet them anyhow. Bus routes researched - I can probably skip the first bus and just walk to the top of the road, if I leave early enough. Fingers crossed, everyone..
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