A much cooler day again today - but kind of muggy. Anyway, I took the bus again - mercifully, not affected by roadworks, unlike yesterday. However, it was rather reluctant to show itself - as bus after bus passed that I didn't want, I did start to wonder. When it could finally avoid coming no longer, I was lucky to get a seat - indeed, lucky to get on where I did. It filled up completely right after, and for a number of stops, no-one could get on. Bless - one troupe of young girls was so shy, reluctant to push past the crowds as they tried to get off, that the driver nearly drove off again, only for their urgent shrieks!
A short downhill walk from where I got off brought me to the theatre - but, predictably, the group was impossible to spot. Most don't bother with a Meetup sign now, and the lobby was too crowded anyway. Some had dressed for the occasion - one little girl had a full flamenco outfit, and for a moment I thought that a group of women with red flowers in their hair might be my group! ..until I saw that one was wearing "bride-to-be" glasses.. So I said sod it, considering it was mostly a class group anyway, and I'd probably feel like an outsider. And I just headed off on my own to take my seat.
By showtime, the place seemed completely full - certainly, I couldn't see any empty seats. I had a young couple beside me - like many of the audience (as also on Friday), the young lady was Spanish. Unfortunately, she took the seat beside me. So I got the brunt of her hair-swishing. (Long, straight hair has to be swished, you know - I suspect it falls out, otherwise.) Then there was the thermos she was lugging around with her - you know, one of those heavy, chrome ones. Which she kept taking sips out of, and putting back down. Where it kept falling over, with a thud - once, on my foot. Oh, and I do wonder whether it had a stimulant in it - coffee, Red Bull, or whatever.. because before I knew it, she was jiggling along to the music, making the whole row shake. Honestly, between her and the small girl, right on the other side, who persisted in talking at the top of her voice, ignoring her mother's attempts to shush her..
And so to the show. Although I love flamenco, I'd never heard of this performer, although she is apparently a big deal - certainly, she had a lot of fans in the house tonight. Famous for dancing La Farruca, the fast-paced footwork traditionally reserved for men, her talent is undeniable. Mind you, I take some exception to the description of her onstage charisma.. for my money, there was far too much posing, far too many pregnant pauses that went on for far too long before anything happened, and far too much staring meaningfully at the audience. After all the build-up, there was then rarely a release - I think of flamenco as a wild and passionate art form, but hers seemed permanently restrained, and constantly interrupted by those blasted pauses for effect. Indeed, it was a relief when the ladies on stage switched from men's suits to swishy dresses - we finally had something to look at!
The end of the show was more entertaining, but it came a bit too late for my liking. It's 90 minutes straight through, and felt like longer - particularly with all the encores they did! I left before the last one. For me, Friday was much more exciting, more fun, more entertaining - and more groundbreaking. Viva La Tremendita..!
Back on a much less crowded bus.
Tomorrow, back with Up in the Cheap Seats at last, for Peter Gynt at the National. Modern version.
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