Musical: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Well, Helen said she'd come up to town today, and asked me what I fancied seeing. O dear.. amid everything that was happening, but with nothing standing out, what was I to suggest?! I forwarded her a couple of promotional emails I'd got, and suggested she have a look and pick something. And so it was that we got a couple of cheap tickets to A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

It's showing in the Broadway Theatre in Catford. Never been anywhere near there before - Google Maps suggested the Overground to Denmark Hill, then the Thameslink (which I'd never taken either) to Catford. Hang a left from the station, and it's straight ahead on the left. We had not a problem at all - it helped that Google Maps had said we'd need Platform 4 at Denmark Hill. As the train headed for Catford, through the gaps in the treeline we could see the city centre, receding in the distance.. (new phone on the way, and I'll soon be able to furnish you with fotos again..)

We had no trouble finding the place. Mind you, this is showing in the Studio, whose entrance, I'd been told when booking, was to the right of the main entrance: so we passed the main entrance (which looked pretty closed) and came to the entrance to the (art deco) café. Well, that was where the Studio box office was supposed to be - and sure enough, they'd set up a table with a list of bookings, and a pile of tickets. We bought a programme while queueing, got our tickets, made our way downstairs to the toilets.

There are some lovely art deco touches throughout - stained glass, gilt banisters on the stairs. They weren't ready quite as early as promised, but by the time we were done with the loo, we could go in - our seats were in the second row from the front of quite an intimate venue. The stage was a very simple one - three house fronts, side by side, looking as though they were made of cardboard. Doors and windows that could be opened. A couple of benches.

An interesting sign outside refers to a previous production, but could be applied to this.. It's a newspaper quote about how the production gave the West End a "canter for its cash", and how, although many small productions punch above their weight, this one pulverises! Now, I knew when I went in that it was Stephen Sondheim - so, great songs, great melodies, great lyrics. But I have to admit, I wasn't expecting anything this good!

It was terrific - a large cast, all of whom were fine singers, also displayed great comic timing. Some fantastic direction went into the production - well timed slapstick, good costumes, perfect casting. Pseudolus and Hysterium made the perfect comic pair, Philia was perfectly.. lovely. The sundry courtesans were great fun, and the ladies had obviously gone to town with the Roman sandals. Handy that's a trend.. And to a man (and woman), they threw themselves into the show with gusto. Reading the programme afterwards, I noted that at least one of the cast used to be professional - not a surprise: and the others have a lot of stage experience. They really take it seriously - yes, they do give the West End a canter for its cash! Last performance is tomorrow's matinee - highly recommended, it would be a great way to spend a Sunday.

In the best tradition of a musical, we were humming it at the station as we waited for the train back. And then we were humming it on the train. (Back at Denmark Hill, I noted that they could do with better signposting - there really isn't anything to tell you where to go, if you're already on the platform.) We headed back to Clapham Junction for food.. via a couple of detours via shops that sell party goods (Helen's throwing a party next month, which promises to be legendary). I must particularly mention Party Superstores, which we explored for a bit (and where some purchases were made), and which has the most amazing selection of costumes, including Venetian masks of excellent quality..

Dinner was easy - back to Revolution, right next door, where we gratefully collapsed onto the sofas at a table by the window, and marvelled at all the buses passing. With a deal on small plates/starters if you bought three, that's what we did - some of the excellent garlic flatbread I had before, chicken strips in breadcrumbs with a spicy dip, little breadcrumbs of goat's cheese balls. Main courses were chicken in bbq sauce, and a pizza made with vodka salsa. We shared a carafe of very refreshing sangria. And were too stuffed for dessert.. As very mellow dance music pumping out of the sound system gradually got louder, and the place filled with the Saturday night crowd, we called it a night. For now..

Tomorrow, I've booked to go with Henning from the London European Club - the poor chap was going all alone to a classical concert, by a deaf orchestra, in King's Place. Well, it sounds good, so now I've booked as well. And on Monday, 'tis back with the wild and crazy followers of the Man with the Hat, as we return to Southwark Playhouse, for Through the Mill, a musical about Judy Garland. Place won't know what hit it.. Anyone for a karaoke rendition of Over the Rainbow..? ;-)

Vampire Hearts, Modern Killers: An evening of live horror music and talks

I was intrigued when I saw that Spooky London had organised an evening about vampires. I love my scary stuff, so it didn't take long for me to decide to book. Now, yesterday was a red-letter day for me - I finally made the final deposit payment, and collected my car! Still some paperwork to organise, but it's sitting outside my place as we speak. Which was an achievement in itself, since I got lost on the way back. What the hey, all's well that ends well..

I got all that done in the afternoon, and had just about enough time to eat before the event - if I ate out, not having to cook. Which I'd intended to, anyway, to celebrate. I checked the website for The King and Queen pub, where the event was taking place, but it seems they don't do food at the weekends. Righty-ho, there are plenty of places around Clapham Junction.. so I set off in search.

I was aware that I shouldn't spend too long on the hunt, but I didn't have to - at the end of the road was a pub on the corner that I'd noticed, of course, several times, but never yet visited. Revolution seemed to have a good vibe, so I went in. It was pretty crowded - I found a little table that was free, but with a Reserved sign on it: but the reservation wasn't until 7, which was when I was supposed to be at my event - so that was ok.

I ordered at the bar, paid and collected my drink straight away, and was served the rest within ten minutes - can't complain about the service, although the barman did have to repeat himself a couple of times when I was ordering, to be heard over the pumping music. They have a "hero" special every day - they pick one main course to be discounted; yesterday's was the bacon burger, but I felt like chicken and ordered that instead. With BBQ sauce (the alternative is hot sauce) and fries (instead of salad) and I decided to go for a side of sweet potato wedges.

And it was all delicious! I found the wedges a bit sickly after a while, but the vodka salsa dip that came with them was sublime (there was also a sour cream dip). The fries were great, the chicken lovely - it was a half roast chicken though, and in the end I couldn't finish everything. But I really enjoyed it - the atmosphere was great, the playlist catchy, and the whole meal (including the wine) cost less than £20 - excellent value, by London standards. Definitely one to return to - I was sorry I didn't have time for dessert. Booking essential, though.

Now, these days I have a choice of driving to events, of course. But this one being in town, I figured I'd have trouble parking - so instead I took a train to Vauxhall, where I caught the Victoria Line. Which was confusing in itself, as the barriers I had to pass through looked like entrance barriers to the Tube, rather than exit barriers. Which meant I'd have to touch my Oyster card in without touching out, first. Which is a no-no. But no, they were exit barriers, it transpired - and I was just in time for a train. Which I caught to Oxford Circus.

Streetview proved itself invaluable, again. I've got lost here before - this time, I knew north was past H&M (shops are a good way to orient yourself in this part of town), and I knew which streets I needed to turn onto, and which landmarks were on the corner. Because The King and Queen is not terribly close to the Tube, and some navigation is required. Still, it didn't take me too long to wend my way, and boy, was it vexing to see plenty of parking available in front of the pub! and on a Saturday night, too. Must remember that, in future - I see there's also a parking app you can download. (Well, I never paid attention before!) At least not having the car meant I could drink as much as I pleased.

Inside, the pub is lined with - appropriately - various portraits of English monarchs. Spot the famous face time. It's quite a small space, and it was easy to see there was no sign for the meeting. I asked at the bar as I was ordering another drink, and sure enough, it was through the door marked "Private Function Room". This leads to a flight of stairs - one floor up, there's a landing with several doors, and I found myself confused. Luckily, someone was coming out at that moment, and I was able to choose correctly. Could've done with a sign at this point.

They ticked my name off the list, and I took a seat to the side. Again, a small room - cosy, with fairy lights on the end wall. The seats were standard function room type, and not the most comfortable, but never mind. They didn't actually start at 7 - but by about 7.15, the band kicked off. I'd been a bit dubious about the description, but they were actually quite good. They played to start, between talks, and again at the end, and moved things along nicely - their material, billed as "gothic" wasn't that scary, but did make for a nice backdrop.

The speakers were the highlight of the night, though. First up was someone who did a BA and Master's on vampires, and was now doing a PhD on werewolves. As you do. She spoke about the gradual romanticisation of vampires in modern popular culture, referencing many famous books and tv shows. She's a Twilight fan, but we won't hang her for that! Sadly, not a True Blood fan, and that series didn't feature - but she was really engaged and entertaining, and we loved her talk.

The second speaker was the author of a number of books about vampiric real-life serial killers, with a penchant for drinking their victims' blood. Lovely. Some fascinating stuff in there, and some of his books were available to buy - though I didn't. And it made for a nice juxtaposition with the first speaker. All in all, a very interesting evening - I was sorry not to stay to mingle afterwards, particularly as this was the first of this group's events I managed to get to - but by the time the second speaker was finished, I was wrecked, and made my way home. Hope they stage something else I can go to - I'm not around for their next two meetings.

Arriving in Clapham Junction station again, I decided to pop into Sainsbury's, to treat myself to a box of chocolates as a final treat - and since I hadn't had dessert. Well, I almost regretted it, it took so long to check out - the self-service machine's coin collector wasn't working properly, and neither of the two idiot staff members that came to help me had the faintest clue what they were doing. Neither would they just take the money and let me go - oh no, I must needs stand there while they vainly tried to get the thing to work. Finally, they gave up and checked me out on the next machine. Duh..

Now, I was supposed to go on a walk today. But you know, frankly, I don't have any enthusiasm for it. I have too much to do - including some work I said I'd finish over the weekend. And it's free, so I can cancel easily. Funnily enough, when I was checking last night what time it was on, someone had commented that she was sorry it'd been cancelled! First I'd heard of it, but frankly I was glad, and duly cancelled my RSVP. Sure enough though, today it turns out it was all a misunderstanding, and the walk is still on. In the meantime, though, I provisionally decided to go to a film - which meant I stayed up very late, doing this week's film list! So yes, I do have a film I could go to today - but as I say, think I'll just stay in.

That film list will prove handy for tomorrow, though - assuming I'm not too mentally exhausted, after figuring out my driving route to and from Guildford! Well, or I could get a cheap ticket to a play happening in the Battersea Arts Centre, just down the road, which I can walk to - Give Me Your Love does sound interesting. If I go to a film, it'll be Room - and I see that Cineworld Wandsworth offers free parking in the adjacent car park after 7! so if I do that, or indeed for future performances, I know how I'll be going..

The rest of the week is booked up - on Tuesday, I'm headed to a play called Jane Wenham: the Witch of Walkern, at the Arcola. Long time since I was there - well, it's awkward to get to. Might be easier from Clapham Junction. Wednesday is my only Meetup of the week - I'm off to a Farsa Moneda concert at Sands Film Studios, with the London European Club. Really looking forward to that - both the music, and the fantastic, quirky venue. Thursday, I got a cheap ticket to Laugh Train Home - I've been to that once before, but this one is in Acton. And then it's back to Ireland for the weekend again..