Play: Blueprint Medea

Well now, I'm taking this week off work! Simply, I need to use up my leave - and could do with the break. So, expect me to schedule something or other for every day this week. And, for a change, Meetup provided me with something to do yesterday! (Not live, mind - they were meeting in the evening again, so I couldn't meet them, but I could watch the show anytime.) Wouldn't you know it, Up in the Cheap Seats got back to scheduling things online - they took a break from that for a while there; doubtless the increased viral spread prompted their decision to schedule online again. Finborough Theatre is broadcasting a play called Blueprint Medea on YouTube, for free - the theme transmutes the original Medea play to the story of a Kurdish refugee in London. Yippee, it's been weeks since I saw a play! And I see the theatre has a few on offer..

In the event, I got caught up doing other stuff - easily done - and only got to watch it now. It's about an hour and a half, straight through - with a large cast, for such a small theatre. The quality of the video isn't marvellous - it's from a live performance last year, obviously never meant for broadcast, and the visuals break up a bit. The audio is quite muffled in parts - towards the end, I found it useful to display subtitles, or I'd never have known what they were saying.

Well, it's based on a Greek play, which might explain some of the performances - especially towards the beginning, they seemed stilted to me. Perhaps they were weighted down by history - whatever, it makes for sluggish watching. And while Medea does go crazy in the end (spoiler!), I thought she was unnecessarily intense throughout - a breakdown waiting to happen, rather than inspired by events in the course of the play. Hey-ho.

As in the original, she's with Jason - except in this case, that's just what he calls himself; he's Muslim, and called Mohammed, but thinks Jason "Jay" is cooler. And they have two sons. But hey, his father disapproves, and finds him another bride. And so Medea exacts a dreadful revenge, using both his sons and his new wife..

It isn't only about that - we see a snippet of her coming to London, getting a place in a hostel as a refugee: but she has trouble there, and ends up moving out and working in the black economy. She's working as a cleaner at the gym where Jay works out - that's how they meet. And as we get flashbacks of her Kurdish experience, we see how it moulded her - and how it hurts her when others in her English class don't even know where Kurdistan is. Desperate for acceptance, we see how invested she is in her relationship with Jay; however, his background won't allow him to consider a future with her - pay attention if you ever thought that refugees' backgrounds were all the same. I thought the way she exacted revenge on his fiancée was an interesting touch..

I nodded off a bit during the first half - thought it picked up when they'd had the kids and the story started to progress. The first half, however, I found weak - it had things to say, but I felt the points made were underdeveloped. But hey, it's an interesting play. Showing till the 14th of November.

I was planning to see a film today - and Lady Vengeance is the most interesting thing topping my list, currently: a Korean film about a young woman, unjustly imprisoned, who on release, well, seeks vengeance. I don't think I'll watch it tonight, but will hopefully get to it at some point tomorrow. Amazon Prime again.

Meantime, back to Meetup tomorrow - London Social Detours has Part Six of her reading of The Little Book of the Tudors. My first Meetup in over two weeks.. and the first of these I've been able to attend, midweek as they are. Well, I might not enjoy her reading style - but I am interested in the Tudors!

Play: P' yong Yang

I'd got my own ticket for P' yong Yang tonight, but the organiser of the London Dramatic Arts Meetup group kindly added me to the RSVP list for her group. It was great to meet her again, and the play - about North Korea - certainly sounded interesting. It was a plus that it wasn't a very long journey - indeed, it's walking distance from my last flat; my destination was the Finborough Theatre.

It was so quick to get there that, after getting home, I had to force myself to delay. Eventually, I made for the station in time to catch the 6.45 Overground to West Brompton - I got there at about 6.55, and it was really only about a five-minute walk to the theatre. As I approached, I did wonder - I thought there was a sign to indicate that this is where the theatre is, but I could see none, just one for the "Finborough Arms". Still, I knew where I was going, and went in.

I met her at the ticket desk, just to the right of the entrance. Got my ticket, and a (very reasonably priced) glass of wine at the bar - in a plastic container, so I could take it upstairs to the theatre - and sat with her and another down the back. The other was waiting for his companion, and it turned out they'd been too late to get tickets for this now sold-out show, and were given raffle tickets instead, for a waitlist. That's the problem - not only does this theatre stage good shows, but in a very small venue, so you have to keep an eye on what's selling out.

When the bell rang at 7.25 (five minutes to go), those of us with tickets (now numbering three) went upstairs, leaving him there alone, sadly. In fact, he was never to join us - despite there being some remaining spaces in the theatre, and the fact that they started five minutes late. His companion mustn't have arrived by then. So, we passed through the awkward triple-door access system to the stairs, and took our seats on upholstered benches to the side of the stage - seating here is unreserved. We had a choice of front row, or the one behind - after some dithering, we chose to be right at the edge of the stage, in the front row.

The stage consists of a grey wall, with a kind of ledge / seating area, and dominated by an enormous portrait of Kim Il-Sung. And the play begins with a rendition of what I think is the national anthem of North Korea, heartily sung by the four actors, fists raised in patriotic salute. We're quickly dropped into the story, which follows two fresh-faced teenagers, who bond over their shared love of film, both hoping to get into film school, and make their way to P' yong Yang. Unfortunately, their future doesn't pan out as they would have hoped: and as their paths diverge, and they become aware of harsh realities, they must modify their dreams.

I've said it before, and it bears repeating - what you see in fringe theatres like this one is streets ahead of your average West End fare. It's more original, more challenging - and perhaps the performers are more invested. Whatever the cause, we were treated to an hour and forty minutes (without interval) of impassioned acting. Apart from our star-crossed lovers, there are two other actors - each of whom plays multiple parts.

The play, set in a variety of locations over a span of years, is cleverly written and intense, and the actors brilliantly portray getting older. It was interesting to watch the change in their dynamic over time. Also interesting was the constant drip feed of facts about North Korea - the famine, the gulags, the fact that North Koreans need a visa for P' yong Yang, and perhaps most surprising, the division of North Korean society into three different classes, depending on one's loyalty to the state, as personified by the "Great Leader".

Not a place I'd like to visit, then. But I can heartily recommend this play about it! Runs until the 30th - some dates sold out, booking absolutely advised. Unless you want to take your chances with that lottery! Afterwards, we didn't feel like a drink, but did spend the better part of an hour in the bar, discussing this and that, before returning to West Brompton, where our ways parted. And was I glad to get in from the bitter cold..

Tomorrow, I got in nice and early for one of those Crick Crack Club meetings that are always selling out. Fairytales for Grownups: Solomon and Sheba takes place in The Forge. And I don't have to pass through Waterloo (yippee!). On Thursday, I'm back with Let's Do London - for less!, who are off on a cheery outing to This Will End Badly, at Southwark Playhouse. Which is closer to my new place. On Friday, I'm back with the World Music Meetup for a concert I'm very much looking forward to - Sufi Chants from Andalusia. On Saturday I'm attending what I think will be my very first Meetup with the Spooky London group, who are running a convivial evening chat about vampires. And on Sunday, I'm with London's Secrets, Tales and Legends, for an enticing walk in Highgate, entitled The Village of the Damned: Ghosts, Drugs and Legends. It's looking like a very good week.

Play: Operation Crucible

I got the recommendation for Operation Crucible from Time Out - and it was so handy that it's showing in the Finborough, within walking distance of both home and office. I checked, and it's a 50-seater venue.. they let you select up to 25 seats at a time (!), so when the site wouldn't process a booking for that many, I knew it was already over half full. So I booked. For 1. For tonight.

I got stuck into what I was doing in the office, and ended up going straight from there - my time was tighter because, for some reason, they needed to start half an hour earlier tonight. My goodness though, they made sure we knew! I got an email, I got a phone call.. both said that if I needed to cancel or reschedule, I just had to let them know. That's excellent customer service.

I arrived not long before showtime, collected my ticket, and made straight for upstairs, since they said the house was open. When I first came here, there was a wine bar downstairs - then it closed. It's been a while since I was here last, and now it seems to be a thriving bar (with a big screen over the door, showing the footie), advertising "The best beer in the royal borough".

I also noted that they seem to have new doors. Still the same complicated arrangement though, where you have to hold the one behind you while you open the next. The theatre was mostly full when I got there, but it's small and no seat is a bad one. Seating is unassigned, and I got one, not too far to the side, in the middle row. Seating is on comfortably upholstered benches, and before the start, someone informed us that it was sold out (again) and we'd have to squeeze up. I've experienced that here before - someone mustn't have been able to make it though, because this time I actually had room to move.

Operation Crucible - apparently the writer's first play - is set in Sheffield during the Blitz, and is based on Hitler's name for the bombing campaign. I've said I love pared-down productions - you can't get more pared-down than this, four men on a stage, who have no more props than four stools - which are hardly used - and lighting and sound effects. Tells the story of four steel workers, trapped - but alive - in the basement of a luxury hotel in the city centre that was destroyed in the bombing. I can't vouch for the men's stories, but the hotel really was destroyed.

You WILL not see a more powerful play in London at the moment. The intensity can't be described - it has to be experienced. It's amazing how vividly they convey their everyday lives, with absolutely no props: getting ready in the morning, the walk to work, the steel works themselves. Frequently, the story is peppered with anecdotes. And then.. the bombing starts. You can hear it on the sound effects, see it in the fear on their faces. And when the bomb hits, with thundering noise.. complete darkness, and we're right there in the basement with them.

Of course, it runs without an interval - you couldn't disturb the mood like that. Astounding, profoundly moving stuff. There aren't words, and there weren't gestures we could make at the end to express our appreciation. Runs until Saturday, booking strongly advised. Best thing I've seen in - I don't know how long.

Tomorrow, I'm with the Let's Do London - for less! Meetup group yet again, when they're off to the Globe to see As You Like It. On Thursday, I'm off to the Spiegeltent to see House of Burlesque. Time Out offer. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend, and we're headed to the Irish Youth Wind Ensemble, at the University Concert Hall.
On Monday, I'm finally going to see Memphis: the Musical, at the Shaftesbury Theatre. And the next two days, I'm headed to the Guildford office - first for a meeting, then the Sports Day. Coincides nicely with the next Tube strikes, assuming the current talks don't help.. that Thursday, I've booked a ticket to see the comedian Iliza Schlesinger at the Soho Theatre - she was sold out for Monday, so I said maybe I'd better. And that Friday, I'm headed to the Boat Show. Those should both be interesting to get to and from, if the strikes go ahead!

The following Saturday, I'm back with the London Dramatic Arts group, for Oresteia at Trafalgar Studios - its West End transfer. On the Sunday, I'm headed to the Scoop, for their double bill of classical plays. Technically, I'm accompanying the Free London Events and Talks group, but with 100 of us going, I doubt I'll be much bothered with actually meeting anyone. Unless I see someone I know.

I'm finishing off the month by going to the Proms, and on the 1st September I'm going to What's It All About? Bacharach, at the Menier Chocolate Factory. For more.. watch this space!

Play: Pig Girl

It's ages since I went to a play at the Finborough Theatre - despite it being the closest to me, and the only one within walking distance; well, other things just keep coming up. So I generally look favourably on productions there - and Pig Girl sounded ok. Controversial, hard-hitting.. yep, I can handle that. I decided I'd better book, given the small size of the venue.

I couldn't remember how long it takes to walk there from home, but Google Maps told me about 10 minutes. And they were right - thankfully, because I forgot to wear a scarf. I set off in good time, but still deliciously later than I'd have had to for any other theatre. And for once, I made it 10 minutes before the start. I couldn't remember where the box office was - I never do, and it's not obvious - so I walked over to the bar, where the barman pointed me back towards the door, where the box office was tucked away in a corner. Exactly where it'd been before. They really need a sign though - it's impossible to see when you come in.

I hardly ever buy a programme, and I didn't tonight. But she told me the house was open and I could go straight up if I wanted - it's above the bar. She also said I could take up a drink, if it was in a plastic container - and I nearly got a glass of wine, but then remembered I had very little cash on me, so I didn't bother, and made my way up the steep stairs instead. Sure enough, when I got far enough, there was an usher, who warned me to turn off my phone, and reminded me that there are supposed to be five to a bench. And in I went.

This is a very, very small theatre. So you have to cross the stage to get to or from the seats. As mentioned, seating is on upholstered benches that are comfortable enough, and is unassigned - although you're supposed to have five to a bench. Now, by that reckoning, it wasn't full tonight - but frankly, you really can't fit more than four comfortably. So it was comfortably full - three or four to a bench.

The play - receiving its European premiere - is based on the true story of a serial killer who had a pig farm outside of Vancouver. Jeez, reading the details, this is beginning to sound familiar - I spent some months in Vancouver in 2004, which is when they were putting together the case against this guy, and I'm sure I heard something about it in the news at the time. Well, here it is in the flesh, so to speak - a fictional victim's story, her and the killer in the middle of the stage, in low light - her sister on one side, having ongoing conversations with the cop, on the other side, brightly lit.

Now, the kidnapped female character's title is "dying woman", so you know what the outcome is. The story - from the "outside" characters' point of view - spans nine years, as they first hunt for the missing woman, then for her remains. It doesn't take so long for the story in the middle to run its course. But for the 75 or so minutes (no interval) that this play runs, the stories run concurrently.

It's visceral. The meat hook in the middle is reminiscent of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and indeed that's a good yardstick as to whether you can handle this. If you can handle the film, you can handle the play. If not.. well, it's a good job that an usher sat through the performance with us, for the sake of the woman who needed to leave before the end. You see, as I said, you have to cross the stage to do so, and the actor obligingly stepped out of her way - without someone to lead you out, you would probably feel awkward about leaving. And if you need to leave this play.. you really need to leave. It doesn't get easier. They do use that meat hook, by the way - the clue is in the metal loop on the back of the victim's hoodie. Ouch..!

The acting is superb. From all four actors. And it's moving. Reviews have questioned the need to focus on these events, with no new information - what's the point, they ask, apart from torture porn? Well, but what's the point of a play? From my perspective, I want it to move me - I don't care how. This play did - to sympathy, to horror. I thought it was extremely good - but I'm only going to recommend it to people capable of watching the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Otherwise, you are going to have trouble. Runs Sundays and Mondays, as I recall, for the rest of the month and into the next - the website seems to be down again!

For tomorrow.. well, it's about time I got back to the pictures, dontcha think? So, barring any last-minute developments, that's the plan. And going through the IMDB ratings, I've excluded a couple of OTT Indian films, and also Whiplash - the story of a drum student and his sadistic teacher. I've seen the trailer - it looks disturbing. Which brings me to Birdman. Multi-award-nominated, it stars Michael Keaton as an actor trying to recreate his glory days. Also stars Edward Norton. Now, someone from work saw it and wasn't impressed - but I'm willing to give it a shot. And as it's not showing at a convenient time in my nearest cinema, I get to go see it in the nearest Cineworld - which means I get to use one of the Tesco Cineworld vouchers I bought, which expire at the end of the month. Also, as that's still within walking distance, I get to not use public transport two days in a row! Excellent savings..

Play: Therese Raquin

I was so delighted to find a night with available tickets for Therese Raquin that I had no hesitation in booking it. It has good reviews, it's by Émile Zola, it's on in the Finborough Theatre, which is walking distance from me - what decision is there to make? Pity I forgot that tonight was also the hen party for someone from work. Never mind.. I couldn't let this play go by, honestly. Anyway, I joined the hen party for drinks. I knew they had a dinner reservation for 7pm, and with the play not starting until 7.30, and only 15mins walk away, I figured I'd be in plenty of time.

Of course, they weren't in time for their reservation, and, leaving the bar at the same time, I ended up rushing (as usual) and only just in time for my play! I missed a play here once before by being five minutes late. Anyway, it's an age since I've been here - not since I moved flat, mainly because the tickets sell out so fast. To be fair, it's a small venue. Now, this theatre used to be above a wine bar. Then the wine bar went bust. Now I see they've opened a regular bar there! Good luck to them.

I wasn't sure how ticket collection worked in this new configuration, so I asked the guy at the theatre door, who sent me over to the corner. While there was no bar in operation, they gave out tickets at the bar counter, so that's where I headed. After waiting for a bit, the bartender told me that the box office was in the corner - over there. Not at the bar. Oops! Well, I was in a hurry. As I made my way to the box office, which I could now see, I discovered that a large dog was nosing me. His owner laughed. "You have a dog, don't you?" Well, it's my mother's dog, but anyway.. I gave his head a rub and rushed on.

I saw from the sign on the desk that the show was sold out, unsurprisingly - it's been sold out all week. Collected my ticket and dashed for the theatre. I had about two minutes to spare. It's up a couple of flights of narrow, awkward stairs, with a few complicated doors at the bottom - the sort where you have to position yourself carefully, or else just close one door completely before opening the next, because they're so close together. It's bench seating, and as the guy took my ticket, he obligingly told me that it was five to a bench. When I entered, the only major free space I could see was in the front row, where the whole bench on one side was free. So I sat myself on that bench, on the aisle. The rest of the bench wasn't free for long..

Now, Helen remarked last night that we were very close to the performers. You ain't seen nothing, girl! This venue is tiny. Again, like last night, the set was decorated with paraphernalia of long ago - the story is set in 1867. The story is of a young girl whose father was a French soldier in Algeria, and whose mother was Algerian. Now orphaned, she is sent to live with her aunt, and is married to her cousin at the age of 21. Stifled by her humdrum existence, she begins an affair with a childhood friend of her husband's. It does not end well.

As the Time Out reviews remark, this performance is audacious in turning the story into a musical! And right from the start, it's apparent that this is a superior production. The singing is first-rate, and the music itself is beautiful, and evocative. Interestingly, Therese herself has no lines, spoken or written, until after she meets the man with whom she will have the affair. A demonstration of her lack of control over her destiny, I guess.

As for the proximity to the performers, there were moments, particularly in the second half, where I was really afraid one of the actors would either fall on me, or kick me during the choreographed dance moves. But they have been doing it for a while now, and I remained untouched. Still, I was at a loss as to where to put my bag so they wouldn't trip over it! And I was conscious of the fact that, had I stood up for some reason, I'd suddenly have been in the play..

It never ceases to astound me that theatre, and particularly musical theatre, of this quality is shown in such tiny venues. I am not at all surprised that it's selling out. Go see it, absolutely, if you can get a ticket! Booking essential. Runs until the 17th, Tuesdays - Sunday afternoons.

Tomorrow, all going well, I finally get to see La Meute in performance - the acrobatic troupe I was supposed to see on Tuesday, but one of them injured himself..

As Is

Tonight, after a good recommendation from Time Out, I went to see As Is, at the Finborough Theatre. I booked, because it's been selling out, and I know this is a small theatre. It also has the advantage of being within walking distance from home, and it was a lovely evening for walking - despite raining for much of the day.

It's a shame - there used to be a lovely wine bar downstairs from the theatre. There's a pizza place next door, with no seating, but they had menus in the bar and would order for you, and the pizza place would deliver to the bar. So you could eat in comfort before popping upstairs for the play. I just had one chance to do that - next time I came, the bar had closed down, and closed it has remained. When I went in, they had a sign for "Box Office" (the till just to the left of the sign), with the equivalent underneath in what looked something like, but not exactly like, Irish. Sure enough - Scots Gaelic. Apparently, there was a Scottish play on there, and they wrote it up for that and left it there. Actually, I saw a Scottish play there - wonder whether it was the same one.. BTW, the Irish would be "Oifig na dTicéad". Scots Gaelic is "Oifis Thiocaidean". So now you know!

As we went in, the girl taking our tickets mentioned that it was completely sold out - and when we went in, about 10 minutes before start time, there were very few seats left. Moral of the story - book in advance, and get there early if it matters where you sit. And so it was that I ended up in the front row, which is very, very close to the action. For such a small venue, there are a lot of actors in this, and I frequently worried that I was going to get in someone's way. I actually flinched during the fight scene, afraid they were going to land on top of me! Mind you, I had good reason - something similar did happen to me once.. not on this occasion, thankfully.

So. A play that's hard to get a ticket to, in a venue that no longer serves food or drink, that's so cramped it feels as though you're part of the play. Is it worth it? Emphatically YES!! It's a play about AIDS. Dates from 1985, when AIDS was still new. One of the first plays about it, apparently. Sounds depressing? It's not. What it is, is funny, and touching, and - for those determinedly hetero females among us - features, in one scene, three nicely buff guys in black leather and shades. ;-) Ooh yes. Think that guy from the Village People..

It's the story of a young homosexual man, full of life, who catches an illness he's barely heard of. We meet several characters in his life, with most of the actors playing various roles. I wasn't sure what to make of it at first, but you soon get drawn in. One act, lasts just under 90 minutes. Runs until 31 August - highly recommended. Remember, reservation essential!

And now I'm off to Lille for the long weekend. I might even get some packing done tonight.. nothing in particular planned for there, but I'm already thinking ahead, and have booked a ticket for The Pride on Tuesday, at Trafalgar Studios. Gee, another "gay play"! I caught a bit of an article recently about how Putin's crackdown on homosexuality has at least revived the gay theatre scene.. For this play, you can get tickets on lastminute.com that are considerably cheaper than those available anywhere else. Think £15 as opposed to £40. So I did. Remains to be seen how good the seat is, but my previous experiences with them have been excellent!