London Wall

Right! went to see London Wall at St. James Theatre last night.

You know, this play is 80 years old. And it could practically have been written yesterday. The writing is so clever and so fresh, the themes pretty much universal, it's an absolute delight to watch. That, I guess, is the thing with older works - they have to be good to survive.

Set in a London law office, it deals with the female typists working there, and their various romantic situations. That description actually doesn't do it justice. It's not a fluffy romance, it's a keenly observed observation of the different situations in which women of the time could find themselves, and the implications for their lives. And it could mostly apply just as well today. Definite recommendation. I was riveted. Runs to 1 June.

On the legroom issue.. When I booked, all the centre section was shown as sold out, so I booked an aisle seat on the back row. When I collected my ticket, surprise surprise, I was offered an upgrade. No thanks, I said. When I showed my ticket to the usher, he remarked that they were upgrading that row. No thanks, I said. After I had taken my seat, somebody who appeared to be a theatre reviewer sat just in front of me. Even she suggested I could sit further down. To her, I explained that I didn't want to, because of the legroom. I was left alone after that, and had a most pleasant evening, with no cramped-ness.

Funny thing, the place was only a third full. Now, it sold out when it was playing the Finborough, but that's a tiny venue. What's curious is that all those seats showed up as full when I booked. I just checked, it doesn't seem to be happening for tonight. Weird..

On another note, someone took a nasty spill on the stairs as people were taking their seats. It's worth noting - most people are fine, but accidents can happen, and these are not the easiest steps to negotiate that I've ever seen. She hurt her knee, and she and her friends seemed to decide to leave after that. Apart from the knee, she seemed in ok spirits as they passed me..

Thinking about Gutted in Stratford tonight. Nuisance, trailing all the way out there, but it sounds good. We'll see. Going to Sleeping Arrangements in the Landor Theatre tomorrow night. It keeps coming up in the listings, seems to have been getting more popular. So that'll be another ticked off..