Last night, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) - for We Will Rock You! at the Coliseum. Excellent - this didn't have tickets for the night I looked for before. Written by Queen with Ben Elton, promised to be a great night out.
What a day, though! Got the keys to my new flat, quit my job.. fingers crossed for the one I've applied for, which sounds ideal, and is walking distance from my new place. Anyway, I was "tired and emotional" when the time came for me to head out. Food would help - I thought I'd eat at The Chandos, just down from the theatre - and lo, they had plenty of space! Interestingly, they seem to have removed the "table numbers" from the various nooks and crannies around the room that you can sit in - I guess they no longer intend for people to eat there, but at busy times, it's all that's available.. Anyway, I ate well, and sure enough, felt much better.
Enough for the mammoth climb to the Balcony of the Coliseum, where we were all seated - we met in the Balcony bar (there is a lift, but it's teeeny). Speaking of nooks and crannies, this is quite a cosy bar, with lots of those. And it was great to chat to people, after my day - alcohol-wise, I was determined to make a night of it, but not on the sauvignon blanc, although it's not (quite) the most expensive I've seen - rather, I went for the (slightly cheaper) pinot grigio. The cocktails are all named for Queen songs, and there's a picture of Freddy Mercury, arm raised, everywhere you look - on the bar menus, on all the stuff on the merchandising stall..
In the auditorium, I was supposed to be in the very back row, at the edge. But I got a slight upgrade when the guy in the seat in front wanted to sit in my seat, beside his wife!
FYI You can not only bring in drinks here - I think they're automatically served in plastic, for that purpose - but also hot food; a guy in my row came in with a hot dog! Unusually lax.. ditto the lack of policing of the woman beside me, who arrived late, and proceeded to film much of the first half on her phone.
Well, the songs are set around a dystopian future, where all music is synthetic, and fed to the populace by a global corporation. The actual making of music is outlawed - but we follow the adventures of a dreamer, who has unbidden snatches of Bohemian Rhapsody, of all things, coming into his head. And of course, there's a group of rebels - "bohemians" - who dream of finding a dreamer, who will head to the "place of champions" and actually use the instrument there..
The songs are beautifully performed. In fact, I was seriously unimpressed with the crowd around me, who singularly failed to get animated during the first half. They improved in the second half - doubtless after a visit to the bar. And while the hit parade continues, we keep getting teaser snippets of Bohemian Rhapsody. When they came to the finale, I was surprised they hadn't played it! But - spoiler - as people are leaving, they do play a terrific version. So, don't be too quick to leave! My only quibble - I was miffed at the gaps between songs, while they developed the story. Really - who comes to these things for the story?! Anyway, I was well positioned to get out early - it took a while for everyone to get out, and meet outside for a chat. And yes, it was a great night! After the day I'd had, I was way too tired to blog, though..
No comments:
Post a Comment