Well, I got to bed a bit earlier than I had the night before - so I actually woke in time to get some decent breakfast. Which turned out to be a good thing.. anyway, I got myself out in good time to Southwark Playhouse. I've been there loads, but not for a while - I did have to look up the Tube route. So, for future reference - from where I am now, District Line to Embankment, Bakerloo to Elephant & Castle.
I think I've figured out why I got lost, the last time I was in Elephant & Castle. See, it's important which exit you take - you want the University exit for Newington Causeway, where the theatre is. The shopping centre exit lets you out on the other side of the roundabout - and believe, me, with all the roadworks, you do not want to be figuring out how to cross that! I was perfectly aware which exit I wanted - but the signage turns out to be a bit ambiguous. The first signs indicate that you pass through this arch for both exits.. then the way immediately branches, with separate staircases. No, they do NOT both go to the same exits - this is where you need to make sure you're going up the one for the university/Newington Causeway. So, last night, it was with some relief that I rounded the corner, to the left, to see a Nando's across the road - it's a good landmark.
I got to the theatre in plenty of time - how unusual. Entering the cafe in the foyer, there was no sign of the Man with the Hat - I persevered, and found him discreetly ensconced in a corner at the back, with a small flock of followers. First thing he did was express surprise and look at his watch.. yeah, yeah, I know.. So, we hung out there for a while, until the house opened and we went in.
There are two spaces here, conveniently named the Little and the Large. We were in the Little - unreserved seating, and although there was a decent attendance, it wasn't completely full. I briefly considered the front row, but ended up following the others up to the second row from the back. We'd all been warned, on the way in, not to step on the white stage - why was to become apparent during the show, as it's used as a projection screen and they obviously don't want to get it dirty. To which end, all the performers were barefoot, too.
Your Last Breath is inspired by the true story of Anna Bagenholm, a Norwegian woman and keen extreme skier, who had a skiing accident in 1999 that left her trapped under the ice of a frozen river. Her heart had stopped for quite a while by the time they could get her out, but her body had chilled to such a low temperature that permanent damage was avoided, and with a lot of careful care, she made pretty much a full recovery.
So, the show opens to the sight of a woman, prone on the white stage, arms and legs attached to threads leading from the wall - like a puppet. What follows isn't so much about her story at all - but a set of interwoven stories, from different decades, obviously inspired by this story. There's a 19th century cartographer, sent to map this bleak and underpopulated landscape. There's a woman from the present day, come there to scatter her father's ashes. And there's a lad from the future, telling us how the process of super-cooling the body - inspired by her accident - saved his life, as a baby.
And it's fantastic. I felt a chill all through the 70-minute show (no interval) - I think they deliberately kept the temperature low. And that, combined with the completely white set and images of Norwegian landscapes, and the Aurora Borealis, projected onto the stage at times, gave a real sense of place. (And, by the way, I'm now nostalgic for that place - I haven't been further north than Bergen, but it's definitely on my list.) The minimal props are cleverly used - a table, a chair, and those threads, which are used to represent freezing ice, but also gridlines on the map that the cartographer is lovingly putting together. Moreover, although it takes a while to figure out what's going on, the stories are cleverly interwoven, to give the feeling of a timeless story - of a harsh country, that can take a life, but also holds the secret to preserving it.
The writer is patently fascinated by the story, and popped down from his seat at the back, at the end, to say that there'd now be a short film in which he interviews the real-life woman whose life was saved - and he'd be leaving for that bit, being embarrassed about hearing his voice on film. And it was a lovely ending to a most intriguing play. Really, this is the best thing I've seen in a while, and I can't recommend it highly enough. Runs until the 30th - go see!
Afterwards, we headed back to the cafe for a drink and a chat, then went our separate ways. Seems I was the only one "doing the double" - apart from the Man with the Hat, of course. In retrospect, I should've got something to eat in the Southwark Playhouse - instead, I headed straight for Sloane Square. Now, it was too early to head to the concert - and too late to get a proper meal. I had visions of a bag of chips somewhere, but I suspect anyone daring to open such a venue in these posh environs would be beheaded. So, I mooched around, taking photos with my (for once, working!) phone camera:
Was passed at one point by the Man with the Hat, on a mission, doubtless, to collect/deliver tickets at Cadogan Hall, where we were headed shortly. When I was finished, I headed up there myself - no sign of him at the box office, so I peeked in the other door, and sure enough, there was the Hat. With a Man under it. So in I went, got my ticket from him, and mingled - with several people I knew, from this group and others! Really, I've never before met so many people I already knew at one Meetup.. including, BTW, Mr. SexAndRope, who explained to me that his site is currently down. So, watch this space - he's trying to get it sorted, and if I hear anything I'll let you know.
They had chocolate behind the bar, so I kept starvation at bay with a Mars Bar. And so we took our seats for a concert by the Academy of St. Martin's Orchestra. I'd booked with London for Less Than a Tenner, some of the others were with Let's Do London - for less!, and were further front: but we in the cheap seats were fine in the rear stalls:
A programme of Brahms and Beethoven filled the first half. And it was lovely.. unfortunately, with my hectic schedule, I've taken to falling asleep at these things, and what with the comfy seats and the subdued lighting, up the back, I felt myself nodding off quite a bit. And I wasn't the only one. ;-) But we'll say no more. Anyway, at the interval I checked my phone, to find a "Keep in Touch" email (as is standard) from Meetup #1. Soon after, I was able to Keep in Touch for real, when the Man passed by, to collect his Hat..
The second half gave us some Haydn, and some entertainment right at the end, when the conductor seemed to think the piece had ended before it really had. And then we trooped out to the lobby bar, clustering around the Man, now reunited with his Hat. He knew where we were off to - so once he'd popped off to inform the one who'd gone to the cloakroom where to find us, we all followed the Man with the Hat - down the rabbithole, it seemed, as we followed this street, then that, to the Duke of Wellington pub. And yes - I've checked, and we could've gone round the other way, which is slightly shorter:
Anyway, we ended up arriving at the exact same time as the orchestra, which meant a long wait at the bar - and many thanks to the kind gent who bought my drink, seeing how long I'd been waiting! And the cashew nuts, which served as my dinner. I shared some with the Man with the Hat, who was also in need of dinner.. I could have shared more, it occurred to me as I finished the bag. But it was a bit late by then. :-)
Anyway, it's a really nice little pub, and the lack of blaring music was a nice touch. And we had a lovely evening session to finish off a long Meetup day. Appropriately - I'm unlikely to meet this group - or any other Meetup group - again this year. :-( But hey, I've signed up with The Man with the Hat for the first thing I'm going to next year! (Again, watch this space..) And in the meantime, Happy Christmas to all..!
And so home, to bed. Earlier than usual for this group, but still too late to blog. Tonight, I'm off to Shoreditch, so I'm staying in the new place, which is a bit handier for it: I'm off to a performance of early music in Shoreditch Church, as part of the Spitalfields Music Festival. And I do love my early music.. Tomorrow, I'm meant to be off to the London International Horse Show - if they get my ticket to me in time! It was only posted on Saturday, and I'm away tonight - I'll be swinging by my old place in the morning anyway, I can check. And on Wednesday, I'm off to Laugh Train Home, in the Four Thieves, Battersea. So, back to Flat #2 again..
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