Play: Kite

A windy day, for a play called Kite! The Man With the Hat was taking the London for Less Than a Tenner group there - so, you know, I booked. Love the group, love the venue and pretty much everything they show there (I do have some traumatic memories of Dr. Brown, but let that pass).

It's in Soho Theatre, which I've been to so many times before - but, you know, not since I moved! And so back to Google Maps. I restricted myself to public transport - wouldn't take a car up there, it'd be madness any night of the week: congested, impossible to park. Google helpfully suggested a train to Victoria, then the Victoria Line to Oxford Circus and walk from there. Okedoke.

Naturally, on the London Departures board at Clapham Junction, the next train to Victoria was departing in 1 minute. From the other end of the station. Huh. They didn't mention any more, so I took myself down the corridor to find out where trains to Victoria normally depart from. The sign said platforms 12 & 14. Ok. So I carried on to 12, where I saw, on the departure board for that platform, one was due in 5 minutes. Figured that was as good as I'd get, and up the steps I went.

I might've made the other one - I saw it leave from Platform 14 as I waited on 12 - but probably not. The train I did take was a minute late, and was I glad to get in from the cold... non-stop to Victoria, and of course, when we arrived, it did take about five minutes to weave through the crowd, all the way over to the Underground. When I got there, o sweet Christ, I really thought I'd never make it, and cursed myself for not leaving earlier (which I could've - I was working from home today, and ready to go about 15 minutes before I eventually did! I'd thought I'd be too early). It was like those pictures they put in the papers, to highlight overcrowding on the Tube. It was like a sea of refugees, seeking to gain entrance to the Promised Land.

What the problem was, see, was there was a large flight of steps down to the Underground - the crush was at the top of the steps, and not at all helped by the iron grille they'd pulled across to block off two-thirds of it. Compounding this were a couple of ladies, with large cases, who seemed to be having some disagreement with the station staff, and were having it at the top of the stairs, so we all had to step around them. Things went a bit more smoothly after that.

I didn't bother with a seat on the Tube, although I could've got one - it was only two stops. I even found the right exit onto Oxford Street! I oriented myself by shops, of course - had never heard of the stores I'd be passing between, so instead I marked where I was supposed to be relative to H&M. And that's where I found myself. Proceeded down the road, and was soon to find that it's every bit as bad trying to make progress on this road (dodging shoppers and tourists) as on the roughly parallel Shaftesbury Avenue (dodging theatre-goers and tourists). Dean Street was just past the hoarding - as depicted on Streetview; I was glad I'd checked it there though, and knew where to expect it, or I'd have overshot - the hoarding has expanded since the Streetview shot was taken, and Dean Street is now accessed through a passageway in the middle of it..

I made the theatre at about 6:45, just when the house was supposed to be opening. A quick scan of the bar found the Man With the Hat (and tickets), but I still had to squeeze through a crowd in the foyer (I hadn't come directly into the bar), and around some tables and hop over some bags to get to his free side. And just as I did, he saw me and whipped out a ticket. Good stuff! (Aside: someone later brought up the question of what would happen if you hadn't met him before, and there were several men with black hats.. it's an interesting thought for an idle moment.) He also helpfully pointed out that I could take in a drink, if I got it in a plastic container. So I did, and still made it onto the end of the queue, which snaked halfway down the stairs. And I was far from the last person in!

He'd recommended where to sit (seating is unassigned). Heh. Maybe if you were in early enough. Me, I ended up near the back - well, that was fine. Latecomers, I noticed, were snuck into the balconies on either side - I've been there, on occasion! Our row also proved popular.. particularly the far end of our row, what with all the people asking us to stand so they could edge their way over there..

And so, on with the show! This is advertised as a show without words - immediately appeals. I've loved wordless drama since I first really noticed it, in the film Lost in Translation, with that long, expressive, silent section at the end. It forces the story to tell itself in a different way. Actually, the first part of this reminded me more of ballet - or perhaps contemporary dance - with its telling of the story through the actors' movements. In short, the story is of a young girl, forced by circumstance to move from her (seaside, from the sound effects) home to noisy, crowded London to live with her gran. And I had to chuckle, when they had to take the train, then Tube, then press through crowds.. and indeed, deal with London traffic (I think they took a taxi). Pretty realistic, including the only words uttered in the piece - "Mind the Gap!".

Of course, this is about a kite, and there is some indoor kite-flying as the story progresses. And as the kite takes off, they turn to puppets to tell the story in large-scale; as someone later remarked, these are pretty realistic - one for the girl, one for her gran. It only runs for about an hour, but this is an engaging, frequently enchanting, and quite moving story. Loved it! Only runs till Saturday, too.. booking definitely recommended, tonight's showing was packed. 7pm each night, with a matinee at 2pm on Saturday.

Afterwards, with the theatre bar too crowded, we popped off down the road for drinks, the Man With the Hat telling everyone to Follow Me! (That's me, not him..) I admire his faith in me, but frankly had only the vaguest notion where we were off to - I couldn't really remember, and when we came to the Nellie Dean I thought maybe, but wasn't sure, it'd been too long - by the time I'd texted him, he appeared and led us all upstairs. Well hey, I got them to the building..

I see they've (probably wisely) made it a policy for people to order downstairs now. And a good night was had, although not a terribly late one - he's got a couple of Valentine-themed events coming up, for the month that's in it, and the conversation was dominated by things of that nature. So, tales were told of internet dating mishaps, and zombie-themed weddings.. On the way home, I just made a train departing imminently for Clapham Junction. And it transpired we had one of those drivers with a sense of humour, who told us as we approached that we were coming into the craziness that is Clapham Junction. Where we could get connections to lots of interesting places that start with "W" - Wandsworth, Woking, etc. As well as other places..

Tomorrow, I'm off to see Billy Connolly at the Hammersmith Apollo - and I'm leaving the rescue of my ticket from behind the chest of drawers to tomorrow! What fun..