Play: Edward IV

Well, yesterday was supposed to be an evening at the Scoop.. but this time, the weather didn't oblige. A terrible morning, with dark grey skies and lashing rain, brightened briefly in the afternoon, before descending into gloom again. So I was glad I'd researched an alternative, and off I went to Edward IV, at the Rose Theatre, Kingston. Well, I got a cheap ticket, and royal stuff is irresistible to me..

I was there once before - a long time ago, and had to research it again. It was always going to be a two-part journey - Tube, and either bus or train. With the look of the sky, I decided to minimise walking, so that meant the Tube to Putney Bridge, then a bus. The 85 runs from right outside the station to just down the road from the theatre - its entire route.

The first Tube was too crowded to cram onto, but I squeezed onto the second, a minute later. It had emptied out a good bit by the time we came to Putney Bridge. Outside, the bus stop was just to the left, and a bus came along within five minutes - lovely! I took a seat within sight of the information board, just in case. And we were off.

It was pretty crowded in Putney, but I was optimistic - I've seen worse. And in a while, we were making good progress. And it's a lovely trip - the air coming through the open window near me was the freshest I've breathed in a while. It was like a daytrip! As we neared Kingston, we passed some really expensive-looking houses. The traffic started to condense again - we spent one long stretch stopped at roadworks - but I wasn't worried, as I'd left in good time.

..And then the damn bus terminated!! And we weren't in Kingston proper yet - indeed, I hadn't much idea where we were! I didn't consider waiting for another bus - I figured I didn't really have time, and if I struck off I should make it. So off I trotted, in the same direction the bus had been headed. My phone battery was low, but it obliged in showing me a map of where I was, and where the theatre was. So I sped along, and when I came to a junction, there was a helpful sign for the theatre - Kingston is something of a maze. And off I panted, in that direction - and, amazingly, I got there by following my nose. And gasped out my name at the box office just as the bell rang for people to take their seats!

Seating is on those annoying double benches - so they tip, but they're double seats, so you have to coordinate with your seat-mate. But hey, my seat was fourth row from the front of the stalls - I wasn't complaining. They're doing a "Wars of the Roses" trilogy - Henry VI, Edward IV, Richard III. The play I was there to see - Edward IV - is patched together from segments of Shakespeare's Henry VI Parts I, II, & III. They were contemporaries, and their stories are interwoven of course, so it's all perfectly doable. And just the kind of thing that fascinates me! Turns out there are some famous people in it too - at least I recognised two: Joely Richardson as Queen Margaret and the Irish actor, Robert Sheehan, brilliantly cast as Richard of York.

Even those of us who are not fans of Game of Thrones, but rather of what inspired it, owe the tv series a debt of gratitude. Its popularity has led to a surge in things about the Wars of the Roses, which give it its inspiration. And the evidence is unmissable here, with even the iron throne from the series evoked in the English throne in this production, which has weapons stuck in the back. The battle scenes - of which there are a few - are enacted with strobe lighting to suggest movement, while the actors just stand still, in warlike poses. Very cinematic. And I imagine some of the posturing is inspired by the tv series, too.

Something else of interest that I noted.. I'm a big fan of the Globe, and their way of doing things - actors coming onstage through the crowd, who are clustered around the stage. Well gee, I suspect the director of this production feels much the same - when an army was required to rush onstage, they came down the aisles, and cheap seats were to be had (I discovered) on cushions in the "pit", i.e. sitting on the floor in front of the stage. Can't fault them - it works splendidly for this kind of thing, methinks.

I found it fascinating, of course. I would. I knew the story, and it was terrific to see it brought to life. Some of it was familiar - I went to a production of Henry VI in, I think, the Menier Chocolate Factory some time ago. It's beautifully done, although I found Joely Richardson's performance at the beginning a bit overwrought - I guess it's hard to come straight in as an irate harridan, particularly affecting a French accent. Gets better later on. In fact, if anything, I found the acting in general a bit exaggerated - more GoT influence, I suppose. It didn't detract too much, and I do recommend these shows to anyone with an interest. They run until the end of next month, and on certain days you can see the whole trilogy. Buy tickets for two, get the third free (unless you have a ticket for the pit). See the website for more details.

Poor me, I had no time for dinner. At the interval, I saw they had cake at the bar - and an enormous queue. Instead, I bought an ice cream from the stall. And that had to do me for the whole three-hour production. To top it all, the bus stop I should have taken the bus from was closed because of nearby construction work - continuing along the road, I found another, and the bus wasn't far behind. I wasn't the only one who'd travelled for the show - there was a chap on the bus the whole way back to Putney Bridge, and another lady who wanted the bus to Richmond. And my journey back was oh, so much shorter than the outbound! But I was still back too late to blog.

Well, tonight I'm off to a show whose name I have to look up every single time - for some reason, it won't stick. It's called Simpatico, it's some kind of crime caper, and it's on in the Tabard, and chosen because it was the nearest to me, of those on the list. Well, Meetup was advertising so many comedy gigs, but the line-ups didn't appeal - I'm picky about my comedy


Tomorrow, I was scheduled on a tour of London's Ghostly Haunts, with Free London Events and Talks again. I'm a sucker for ghosties as much as for royalty. But guess what? It's promised to rain again - although it's beautiful today. Nuts, but I daren't risk it. Instead, I'm dragging myself all the way out to Stratford (throws eyes to heaven) to see Morgana, in the Bunker Trilogy. As advertised by the London European Club. On Friday, I'm off to the Boat Show at last. Hopefully! I finally found a comedy line-up that appealed - last month - and booked, only to discover, quite by accident, by clicking on the website the night before, that the show was cancelled! I complained, and secured myself a free ticket to this Friday's performance (the next night that a line-up appealed). And a free glass of bubbly. Mind you, the organisation seems so ditzy that I'll consider myself lucky to see anything..

On Saturday, Helen and I are headed - finally - to a show booked long ago. We're off to see Dara O' Briain in the Hammersmith Apollo. On Sunday, I'm off on another walk - Transportation in London: Meat, Mortality and Mail, courtesy of London's Secrets, Tales and Legends. I was booked on the morning walk, but when they - conveniently - scheduled another in the afternoon, I changed to that. :-) Well, we'll see what the weather does..