The Hothouse

Was supposed to go to a concert on Sunday night, but we ate out, and service was soooo slow that the concert was out of the question. Well, we hadn't booked tickets anyway. Never mind.

Flight back was uneventful, apart from the repeated entreaties from the crew to give them anything that was too big for cabin baggage and they'd put it in the hold. Now, that's very reasonable - if that had been Ryanair, they'd have charged. And the pilot even came on the intercom to apologise, and thank us for our cooperation..

Went to The Hothouse, in Trafalgar Studios, tonight. Now, this was a revelation, because I've only been in Studio 2 here before, and it's a rather dingy affair in the basement. Where, indeed, I'm headed on Saturday, for the last day of The Play That Goes Wrong (extended due to popular demand). I hear good things. Anyway, tonight I was in Studio 1, and was I surprised to discover a proper theatre, with many rows of seats.. and, might I add, the most generous legroom I've seen anywhere. Comfy seats, too. What a difference! Interestingly, the seats behind the stage (which is in the round) and the first couple of rows in front were comprised of a hotch-potch of random chairs.

This was the first night I could get a ticket for this - it was sold out all last week. Which meant I was a little surprised to see empty seats tonight - a handful, anyway. Mind you, that was convenient for the couple of guys beside me, who moved into the row in front at the interval. Convenient for me too, given that the one who had been sitting beside me had what you might call expansive elbows, and a case of the wriggles. Lord knows what he'd have done if the legroom had been as tight as in many other places.

The play is set in a mental institution where the staff are as cracked as the inmates. The set design was good, and I really liked the device of using lighting to separate different areas of the stage, to make it seem as though we were seeing different rooms. The play itself, written by Harold Pinter, was alternately hilarious and disturbing. I did find the ending a bit abrupt, but overall really enjoyed this. Runs until August. Booking recommended.

Tomorrow night is the film The Moth Diaries. Not great reviews on IMDB, but what the hey, SeeFilmFirst was giving out free tickets, so.. I was going to go to a film anyway, and frankly, seeing this saves me traipsing all the way across town to see a different one. Trailer looks ok, possibly the horror will not be up to scratch. But it hardly ever is.

Another film, The Great Gatsby, on Thursday, followed by Passion Play on Friday, and probably another film on Sunday.