Tonight, giving up on Meetup, I was with TAC, for Mixed Omens - an improvised horror show, at the Drayton Arms. Thought I'd eat out there - there are plenty of places, including the pub itself. That far away, it had to be Tube - Google Maps said it'd be faster to take the Victoria Line, followed by the Circle/District, rather than the Piccadilly Line direct! Perhaps that line had delays. Well, I decided to choose on the basis of which looked busier when I got there.
En route, my walk to the station was accompanied by an excellent version of Sultans of Swing, courtesy of one of the buskers outside, with a drum kit. Ah, no better sound in the sunshine.. The crowds heading for each line looked the same, so I went with the Victoria Line. Which was boiling - but I had the promise of the Circle/District after, which always has glorious aircon. For entertainment, we had the vision of the lady with the dog, who laid out a sheet of paper for it to do its wee-wee..
I had to change in Victoria, which involved a lift - the one about to depart when I got there was packed, so I waited. And waited, and waited.. so long that I wondered whether I'd be stuck down there all night. Made it in due course, and was soon on a District Line with glorious aircon. And someone even offered me his seat!
Alighted to the sound of steel drums. The walk to the Drayton Arms was, mercifully, mostly in the shade. Well, I had a look at their menu - a bit fancy. But I checked, cris-crossing the road outside - every restaurant in the vicinity was packed. Except the one that wasn't serving food today! So, The Drayton Arms it was - which was pretty empty. I had chicken n chips - which was fine, although it came with a mash that I found far too spicy. Not really worth the price though - in future, I might stick to the bar snacks; you can get a deal of three of those for the same price I paid for my chicken, and probably more food. Happy to see they're dog-friendly though - a guy came in with a lovely young dog, and they were happy to fill a bowl of water for her. And wow, was she happy to drink it - I pity any dog outside this week, in the heat..
Handily, one of the bar staff alerted me that I could head up to the theatre - there hadn't been an announcement. The girl on the door couldn't find my name, but said never mind - they had plenty of space anyway. And she allocated me a seat. Which was occupied. So I took another.
I noticed a strange, strobing effect from my seat - turned out that it came from one of the fans that ran throughout (and were much needed), which was in front of a spotlight. Beware, if you're sensitive to that sort of thing.
Hmm. So, this is in the style of Neil Gaiman, who wrote Good Omens. They achieved that quite effectively, I think. Unfortunately, I'm not sure it transferred quite effectively from screen to stage.. the style seemed a bit gentle. And for all that I'm sure it is, indeed, improvised, they're definitely following a basic plotline, to keep it going in the right direction. All in all, it just didn't hit the target, for me - I was glad when it finished. I'll have to come up with a more positive review for TAC, mind - they insist on positivity. Runs till Saturday, if you're interested. Anyway, after navigating a hall of mirrors in the toilet, I flew home on buses, in the lighter traffic.
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