Storytelling: The Embers Collective, The Hampstead Walk, & Operetta: HMS Pinafore

Made it to Ireland for the bank holiday weekend - with Ryanair drafting in pilots to cover those who were striking, my flight not only went ahead, but was more punctual than ever. If this is the effect of a strike, bring it on!

On Tuesday, The Embers Collective was back - at Dalston Eastern Curve Garden this time. Tickets from Eventbrite. There was to be storytelling, there was to be music - and food. And we made that the occasion of this month's social from my last company! It'd be great to see everyone again. And at least I didn't have to depend on the Tube this time - unlike Thursday of last week!

Ah man, it was hot that day! The one day I could go out without a coat. A huge difference from what I'd had at the weekend. I made it first of the group - the garden is open to the public till 7, and was ticket-only after that: but we could go in early, and a stamp on our wrists allowed us to go in and out. Which was handy, as the pizza - available from 7, and for the whole evening! was cash-only. The nearest cash machine turned out to be in the Co-op across the road, just inside the entrance beside the station. Once I'd done that, I queued for a bottle of wine - I'd have shared it with the others, but nobody seemed to want any - and secured a seat near the stage, down at the children's play area at the back, and with a few free seats around for the others.

Well, they arrived eventually - by the time the last of us came, there wasn't a seat left; the place was quite full. But nobody minded in the slightest if you wanted to sit on the ground. Or, indeed, the two kids that decided their best view would be got by sitting on the stage! Deliciously informal, as you'd expect from the venue, as much as from the Embers Collective themselves. And as usual, first up was Lonan Jenkins, with the most traditional tale of the night - the full tale of the Minotaur.

Sarah Liisa Wilkinson also made an appearance, with her tale of Sun, Moon, Sky.. and we got that mad tale again, of how the North Star came to be. The one with the cannibal mother. For my money though, the stars of the night were the pair of young ladies - I didn't get their names - who regaled us with more modern, original stories, and a great dash of humour.

Woodburner provided musical accompaniment throughout (and pointed out how appropriate that they work with the Embers Collective!), and we were well fed, with pizza (kindly brought down by another of the group) and a bag of sandwiches that Ivan had brought. Oh, and a gorgeous, kindly kitty pointed the way to the loos!

Everyone remarked what a lovely venue it was - they hadn't been there before. Perfect in the sunshine, and nicely shaded. But by the end of the event, it was getting really dark, and they chucked us out. We had one final round in the Speakeasy, down the road - and then most went home, and Ivan and I went in search of a hostelry that opened later. After a couple of misdirections by Google Maps - don't believe them on opening hours! - we ended up having one more in Old Street Records: but the music was so loud that we ended up chatting on the street, before calling it a night. Pity we couldn't have found a decent all-night venue, but it was terrific to see everyone - and it's months since I saw Ivan. Roll on the next occasion.. And I had an interesting walk home.

Too late to blog that night, of course. On Wednesday, London Science Events was off to a Science Museum Late. Just remembered last week to book a ticket - although they're free, you do need to book. Ironically, it was the same day that London Literary Walks finally advertised another walk - for that day! Much more interesting, so I went on that instead. It was The Hampstead Walk. I was rather relieved - it took him ages to arrange this, and I was afraid he'd given up!

A short walk from the office got me to a bus that took me all the way there - "there" being The Garden Gate, a most attractive pub in Hampstead. Which - like so much of Hampstead - turned out to be dog-friendly. Well, I approve!

I was the first to arrive - by a nose - apart from the organiser. This was to be one of the better attended walks - it's just as well there was plenty of space in the pub! Plenty of newcomers too, which is always nice. One of the group ordered nibbles, and we had a convivial time until it was (just past) time to leave. The literary references started early..

 

We climbed lots of hills - yes Mary, hills! - and visited houses where famous people had lived. Like Keats, for example, and Constable. More controversially, we passed the house where Marie Stopes lived, as the organiser remarked that there wasn't so much to joke about in her case. And we agreed how obliging it was of people to leave their curtains and blinds open, so we could admire their interior decor! Including of the house designed by the real-life Goldfinger - strenuously objected to by Ian Fleming, who is said to have named the famous Bond villain after him!

 A few of us finished off the night (up some steep steps) in the (again, dog-friendly) Holly Bush - which was very crowded and stuffy, but they were kind enough to let us take our drinks to the dining section, which was more more spacious and cool. And there we bade Mary farewell - she leaves town over the weekend, and who knows when we shall see her more..?

We were there till closing, creeping out quietly, for fear of vicious residents. Gawped at the local estate agents' prices on the way back. And two buses got me all the way home - again, too late to blog, of course.

Now in the middle of a three-day-run with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) - first time in three weeks! Last night, it was HMS Pinafore at Wilton's. As usual, I got tied up at the office, and left a little later than intended - but in time to meet the group, who avoided the crowds by standing outside. Seems they were serving food, for once! but I wasn't hungry anyway. I had one of the high seats on the balcony - literally up in the cheap seats. Gave me a good view of the decor, anyway.

My seat wasn't for everybody, but it's all right - you do have to keep looking to the side, is the main problem. The guy to my right spotted an empty, ground-level seat and made a dive for it - lucky for him there were no ushers near, they're quite officious here! Indeed, a couple of women in the stalls who decided to move from their end seats to equivalent ones a couple of rows in front - it being close to time, the doors closed, and the seats still empty - were immediately instructed, by a nearby usher, to head back where they'd come from! The guys to my left didn't return after the interval, either - they seemed to have been enjoying it, so maybe they just found better seats as well.

Wow, this is a rarity - a completely traditional production! Not only do they wear perfect period costume - rare in itself - but they sing it (most professionally) in operatic style. Which, unfortunately, means that I missed a lot of the lyrics - never been able to get my ear around that style. Someone remarked, at the interval, that he'd seen a production where the audience clapped along to the songs. This production, however, didn't really lend itself to that - it felt a little prim. Still, most professionally done - but not the most enjoyable show I've been to. Lovely to look at, though. Run finishes tomorrow.

Tonight, we're at Treemonisha, by Scott Joplin, at the Arcola. Part of the Grimeborn Opera Festival. So, back to Dalston again! Right around the corner from the garden. Sold out now.

Now, fair enough, I had late nights this week - but mainly, the reason I haven't been able to blog till now is that I was doing my film list! Was thinking about a film for tomorrow, you see. And after all that effort - I didn't like what came top of the list: at least, not more than I liked the idea of a new event posted by UITCS, to see Actually, at Trafalgar Studios. A play about sexual politics sounds like it could be interesting, if done right. So I booked it. Special offer - great value - from Today Tix. Mind you, I just heard there's to be a huge demo outside, with road closures.. should be interesting too! Protesting against the prorogation of Parliament.

On Sunday, I'm off to the Kubrick Exhibition! Taking place at the Design Museum, this should be fascinating - I've seen so many of his films, and I believe some sets have been reconstructed.

On Monday, back to Wilton's - Civilised London is at another jazz night. This time, it's the Hot Club of Jupiter!

On Tuesday, UITCS is at A Very Expensive Poison, at the Old Vic. Still in preview, this is based on a book inspired by recent Russian poisonings.

On Wednesday, my first Meetup with Love London Theatre, Arts, Music & Stuff - we're off to Secret River, at the National. And there should be a couple of people there from other groups of mine - nothing like cross-pollination! This one is about the tensions caused by Europeans' arrival in Australia.

On Thursday, back at last with Spooky London! It's ironic, he'd only just said that I'd been to all the pub socials - and I stopped going! Not deliberate, I can assure you.. this time, we're at The George. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.

On the 9th, back with London European Club for a night at the Proms - this is Prom 68: Wagner Night. At the Royal Albert Hall, natch.

On the 10th, back at Trafalgar Studios - this time with North London Friends, for The Fishermen.

And on the 11th, I'm back to the Proms, on my own.. Prom 71: Bach Night.

Plays: Radio & The Glass Menagerie

This is going to be a busy week with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS). To celebrate the final end of my flat moving, I had a full day planned today with UITCS in the Arcola - Radio, followed by The Glass Menagerie. We planned to grab a bite to eat in between, but didn't decide where in advance.

After writing my last post, it was time to head straight to the theatre. Mind you, it took a while for the bus to come - meanwhile, I somewhat amused myself by watching someone do something unspecified at a height:

 

Rather him than me! Anyway, Google Maps was doing strange things with its journey planning - although it recognised that I wanted to get there in the afternoon, it was having me start out at night! So it predicted a much shorter travel time than I actually had, on a very crowded bus. I made it on time, but without much time to spare - and when the guy at the box office asked for my postcode, I had a sudden memory freeze! He gave me a hint - "East", which gave it to me.

Radio is in the downstairs studio, and I had a front-row seat on the end, right on the opposite side from the entrance. Which made it terribly inconvenient when my cough reared its ugly head again - honestly, it's not going to clear until the weather warms up some: which, at least, it's showing signs of. Mercifully, I had chewy sweets on my person - otherwise, I'd have had to leave, and I'm not sure how I'd have managed that, as I'd have had to walk right across the stage - in the middle of this 85-minute show without interval. Ugh. It was a one-man show, and the actor actually gave me a sympathetic smile on the way out.

This is the story of a man born in the dead centre of America in 1950 - or what was, at the time, prior to the acquisition of the last two states. And when you think about it, what a time to live through - the prosperity of the 50s, dynamic events of the 60s - culminating in the moon landing, whose imagery permeates most of the content of this story. Kennedy's assassination, the Vietnam War, the loss of interest in the space program.. they're all here. As told through the eyes of this man, who grew up learning pretty much everything from the radio - hence the name of the play.

It's terrific. Beautifully and wittily written, beautifully and charismatically performed, it was a joy to watch from start to finish. The only props necessary were a chair for him to sit on, when he needed to, a cassette player to play music and radio broadcasts relevant to the context, and a couple of jackets. And as he ranges around the stage, he perfectly evokes the spirit of the time. I enjoyed it a lot more than I'd thought I would - well, until the cough started, at least. Highly recommended.

Afterwards, two of us, who'd booked for The Glass Menagerie later, headed just around the corner, to the Dalston Eastern Curve Garden - a surprisingly green resource in the midst of the steel and concrete. They weren't doing food, but we had a nice stroll..

And although there are tables and chairs, these were all occupied too. Instead, we headed to The Speakeasy, again just a short step away, where they'd opened the wall for diners, what with the lovely weather. And where they do food! So there we stayed, and were joined by a third in due course. Happy Hour - which runs for seven hours on Saturday - means a discount on cocktails if you buy two - but they have to be two of the same. So we ended up with margaritas.. a few rounds of them! Dinner was pasta - we had prawn spaghetti (somewhat oily base, I believe) and chicken and tomato penne. And both plates were cleared. Delish.. our latecomer had a lighter bite, with wine.

And I was well positioned to watch the ever-changing hologram over the bar:

And so - with some reluctance, as the margaritas were very tasty - we returned to the theatre, and were shortly seated for the second play of the day. I love Tennessee Williams anyway, so this was an easy sell for me. And I was glad to be further from the stage - just in case of emergency coughing..

That rail was a bit obtrusive, but not much so. An ornate stage, this: especially in comparison with the last. The story - based on the writer's own family life - concerns a character obviously modelled on himself, trapped in a factory job he hates, dreaming of writing. His mother is desperate to improve their social standing, nostalgic for the higher living standards of previous years - she now lives vicariously through her children. And his sister is a shy mouse, too scared to interact with the outside word, obsessed with her glass animals, which give the play its name.

It's well acted - the sister is a painful character to watch, gingerly feeling her way through social situations that she can't avoid. The mother is a frightful nag, always niggling at her children, and shrilly giggling as she describes how popular she used to be. The writer is duly irritated and desperate for escape, as - towards the end of the play - his mother's one chance of happiness shatters, just like his sister's glass menagerie. A fine ending shows William's skill, as he makes an epic drama out of - well, not very much plot at all. Recommended - although honestly, I thought Radio the better of the two. Both shows run till the 13th.

Afterwards, just one other of the group fancied a drink - and she knew of a nice wine bar down the road, so off we headed there. Acqua7 was closed the last time we darkened its doors, but was open tonight, and we took a table and ordered just the one glass each. 175ml - the next size up is a carafe, and even I didn't think I could manage that, after three margaritas earlier! But it was lovely, and a lovely evening in general - great to see everyone.

On the way home, I'd just missed a bus - the one I eventually boarded had a couple of American-sounding people get on later; they looked like father and son. They'd obviously been visiting people who lived locally, who paid their bus fare and instructed them to get off when it said "Liverpool Street Station". They peered outside as we made our way through Haggerston, Hoxton, Shoreditch.. what with the crowds on the street, constantly dodging traffic, the buzzing night spots, and the skimpy clothes, I had to wonder what they made of this bacchanalian sight..

Tomorrow, back with UITCS for 549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War, at the New Diorama Theatre. Haven 't been there before. And boy, am I glad it's an evening performance, exhausted as I am.

On Monday, Helen and her husband were supposed be in town, but can't make it now. Never mind, when I checked, UITCS had posted a new event; Wife is on in the Kiln (which used to be the Tricycle), and - possibly just for that day - all tickets bought by tomorrow are £10! So I'm joining them for that - we are, of course, picking top price seats, and taking up pretty much the whole of the front row of the Circle.

On Tuesday, back with UITCS for a performance at Sadler's Wells by the Birmingham Royal Ballet.

On Wednesday - not with UITCS!! Instead, I'm back with London Literary Walks - this is The Third Westminster Walk, and on past experience, should be fascinating.

On Thursday - yes of course, back with UITCS.. for On Your Feet at the Coliseum: the musical about Emilio and Gloria Estefan. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

..and then we're into next month! On the 1st, nothing much on Meetup - instead, I got a cheap ticket to some quite local comedy - Catch 22 Years is a WIP by Katie O' Brien, at The Glory. 

On the 2nd, I'm headed to a Summer Science Exhibition Late at the Royal Society - adults only. London European Club (LEC) organised an outing - then London Science Events did, too. I decided I'd rather go with the LEC, so haven't RSVPed to London Science Events - they'd only be looking for me if I did. Free, no registration required.

On the 3rd, London Literary Walks is taking us all the way out west - for Strand on the Green.

On the 4th, back with Spooky London - this time, we're off to the Rising Sun. A fascinating part of town, with a ton of history - I've been there a lot, but never been in the actual pub. And with these two events being free as well (not counting drinks!), it'll be a cheap week.

And on the 5th, Helen's in town for a training course. The LEC is taking a group to a flamenco (music only, no dance) concert at Rich Mix, and we're going.