Back to London last night, and more fun with planes. Ryanair has a habit of using other airlines' planes to fly from Shannon - last night it was Air Malta. Absolutely fine, nice to have a change of colour scheme - and they often have more comfortable seats. Only thing is.. the seat configuration changes. I've more than once found myself in an exit row seat, unexpectedly - I don't like it, I don't book them, because I find it annoying to have to put all my stuff in an overhead locker. But, with the different configuration, it can happen. Didn't happen to me last night - instead, it happened to an old lady, who'd arrived at the plane in a wheelchair, and used a cane to get to her seat. In the emergency exit row. Yeah.. don't think so. Get your act together, Ryanair..
And so to tonight, when I headed with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) to Noises Off, starring Felicity Kendal, at the Phoenix. Again, cheapest tickets from Official London Theatre (OLT). I discovered it was close enough to walk, and decided to eat at GBK, which I'd be passing on the way. It's a funny thing - last time I was here, they acted like I was an old friend, anticipated my order, were chatty. But the last time.. was 11 days ago. And tonight, they acted like they didn't know me. Ah, what a fickle thing memory is.. Well, the food was as good as ever, so I was happy!
More fun at the theatre, where I was the only one of the group in the Dress Circle, the others all being a level up, in the Grand Circle. See, I booked quite recently, and the cheapest priced tickets at that stage were such that there were also some in the Dress Circle.. so I naturally got one there. The ushers were quite perplexed when I explained to them that I'd need access to the Grand Circle Bar, to meet the group! They assured me I could get from one to the other, yes. However, when I went up, I couldn't see a way - I asked the barman, who pointed me at the fire escape and to the stairs up from there (on the other side, the door is just marked "Private"). And so I met them, and all was well..
And then we went back after the interval - and all hell broke loose. See, all they are doing in the first half is setting the scene - showing us how the play is roughly supposed to go. When the curtain goes up after the interval, we see backstage - and the chaos begins, while the regular "play within a play" attempts to continue on the other side of the set. There's another pause - and we're back stage-side again. By this time, however, half the cast is demented (or sozzled), and the play we now get is nothing like the one we started with. We were literally rolling in our seats, tears of laughter streaming down our faces. And by "we", I mean the whole audience. Comedy is tricky - but when it's good, it can be wonderful. I thought this was wonderful. Runs till the 11th of March - highly recommended.
Afterwards, strangely, Google Maps thought it'd take me one minute longer to walk home than it'd taken me to get there! I'm glad I braved that one minute extra walk - I passed a building that interested me much more on the return journey than outbound! The Now Building is located across from Tottenham Court Road Station - and seems to display constant films on the walls and ceiling of its atrium. With seating, if you want to stay a while! Tomorrow, with a group I haven't joined in a Very Long Time - I'm back with London Dramatic Art, from whom I've got a front-row ticket for Sylvia, at The Old Vic; this is the story (in song) of Sylvia Pankhurst, and stars the excellent Beverley Knight. Completely sold out - this was my only way to get a ticket! Must remember not to post the link to my blog, to their page - they banned me from doing that, after discovering I was advertising cheap ticket resellers!
On Wednesday, back with the Horror Book Club. This time, it's The Ballad of Black Tom, based on the Lovecraft story, The Horror at Red Hook, but told from the perspective of a black man. I managed to get through the club's book, and read the entirety of the story it's based on, which is much shorter - and less coherent. Again, the meeting is in the Prince of Wales, Covent Garden. Question is, will the kitchen be open..?
On Sunday, nothing on Meetup appealed massively - I thought I might go for a walk along the Ken's Events route, if I feel like it! (on my own). Or Over 40 Living the Life has advertised a walk along the New River.. I'd have to see, as I have to pay to sign up (refunds given to those who then come). And I might well change my mind.. which I finally did, when Free Stuff and Free Events advertised a blues concert at the Earl of Chatham, Woolwich. It's a way out, is all - but then, it's free, if I wanted to cancel. And.. now I have, because London Herstory Guided Walks! has finally advertised a walk I can go on. I was recommended this by someone a while ago - they run guided walks with a female theme. Sunday's is Deeds Not Words! Suffragettes, Spies, & Warrior Queens. Delighted to be able to go on one of theirs, at last - they're usually on during working hours. Only thing is, they don't specify how to pay - cash on the day, I'm guessing, as they don't take payment on booking.
Next Monday, my first actual event with the Over 40s. We're off to How Not to Drown at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East - the first event of theirs for which I couldn't get a cheaper ticket! So I decided, if I couldn't beat them, I might as well join them. True story of an unaccompanied, 11-year-old asylum seeker.
On the 9th, back with UITCS for Winner's Curse, at the Park Theatre - an interactive show about a peace negotiation. Turns out North London Friends are headed to it the same night - what, are they now copying this group, as another group did some time ago? (since closed down). And then I'm back to Ireland again.
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