Sleeping Arrangements

I read this described somewhere as a "little gem". This is a phrase that occurred to me during the performance of Sleeping Arrangements in the Landor Theatre last night.

First time I've been to Clapham, except for Clapham Junction. Anyway, it was nice that I could get there completely on the Overground, which sticks to Zone 2, rather than having to pay more to pass through Zone 1, or go to something in Zone 1, which is where I normally end up.

Another easy journey, with the help of Google Maps Streetview. This is another theatre over a pub. Pub seems nice, theatre is tiny. This show is a musical, with a live band in the corner - piano, cello, guitar, percussion - looking a bit self-conscious. The actors are practically tripping over the audience. So close you can see their fillings. I kid you not.

Brilliant writing, terrific singing. I think I recognise these people from another musical production over a pub - L'Elisir d'Amore, a modern, English-language version of the Donizetti opera that I went to some weeks ago.

This show is a breath of sunshine. Set mostly in Spain, which means the guitarist breaks into Spanish tunes on occasion, which pleases me greatly - I love Spanish guitar! It's a romantic comedy, with two families thrown together in a Spanish villa. The second act opens with a bedroom scene, and there was something of a delay last night, while the musicians looked nervously around to see whether they could start. Seems the delay was to ensure that the poor actors, who had to change across the hall, could nip across to the theatre in their undies without being seen. Which is ironic, considering that we then all got to see them in their undies. Ah well!

Downsides - minor. The venue is so small that amplification is not needed - which unfortunately means that the singing does sometimes get drowned out by the music. Just slightly, though. And the actor playing the teenager, Sam, isn't the strongest singer. But some of the others are breathtaking, and the show overall is well worth a look if you're around that way. Finishes Sunday, so hurry if you want to see it.

Journey home was a bit unpleasant - I'd just missed a train from Clapham High Street - the nearest Overground station - and had to wait fifteen minutes for the next. And it was freezing, and raining. Then had to change at Clapham Junction, and ended up waiting another fifteen minutes in a freezing wind - trains had been delayed because of a fire somewhere on the line. So it took much longer to return than to go there.

Off to Ireland for the weekend. Thinking of the pictures on Monday, but that's highly subject to change, as ever..