It's my mother's birthday next week, and when we saw that the Royal Moscow Ballet was staging Cinderella at the University Concert Hall, Limerick - down the road from her - I agreed to take the day off and come back specially for it. Mind you, that was months ago.. I can see from the email receipt that I booked the flights in May. So there was that feeling of worry that the box office wouldn't have our tickets, and me with no evidence of having booked them, since I'd booked by phone, to get the senior discount for her, which wasn't available online. But that's just me being paranoid, of course!
We decided to eat at the Castletroy Park Hotel beforehand - right across the road from the university, it's the closest hotel and one of the closest restaurants. We got parking quite close to the entrance, which was surprising, considering the crowds we encountered when we went in. It soon became apparent that a wedding was in progress. Lots of high heels, fascinators and inadvisable outfits.
The restaurant doesn't open till 6, but we always eat in the bar anyway. Well, it was cacophonous! But we found a free table - no mean feat, considering the corner where we normally eat was completely reserved - and braved it. And spent our time people-watching, and commenting on outfits. As one does. I asked for Chilean wine - all my favourite wines seem to be from Chile - and thought I'd have the steak, for a change. My experience of the steak burger and steak sandwich here is that there's simply too much food! Turned out to be an excellent decision - both wine and steak were terrific. As I remarked to the server when I was paying, best steak I've had in a while. My mother's salmon was less successful, although she did finish it. And I noted, again, how the service has improved. It used to be so slow.. now it's pretty faultless. Coming out, we practically bumped into Michael Noonan, the Minister for Finance, whose constituency is Limerick City, and who was exiting a press conference held in the hotel in the aftermath of the budget. He looked happy enough - usually does. I guess they or their entourage might have been the people for whom the tables in the bar were reserved. Busy, busy day for the hotel!
We were early to the ballet, and got a decent parking space. And got the tickets, without hassle. Apart from that moment where she's searching for your name, and you're bracing yourself for her not finding it.. We didn't feel like more wine, and just hung around until we could go in. And overheard some language that sounded like Russian, to the ears of someone who doesn't speak more than a couple of words.
We were, as always, in Row P, which has the advantage of having an aisle running in front of it, so loads of leg room, and a rail along the front of the row, which you can hang your coat on. Although mine kept falling off. My mother won't sit anywhere else in this concert hall. And we had aisle seats, which is nice. View excellent, but it is from most seats here. Lots of kids, as always at the ballet (mainly girls) - I suspect the majority of them are taking ballet classes, and are dragged along as an educational experience. Not a lot of high fashion - I expect more at the opera next week. Lots of red, mind..
My mother remarked, during the show, that the costumes were spectacular. I overheard the same remark passed by someone at the interval. Can't argue with that. The stepmother and ugly sisters provided comic relief - the only criticism my mother had was that Cinderella wasn't very good-looking. O well. All I really noted about her, apart from the fact that she's a really good dancer, was that she's skin and bone. But that's an occupational hazard. And, as always, you get the bits in regional costume inserted at a specific point in the show. Which I can't imagine to have been part of the original production. But they're fun to watch. All in all, honestly, neither the most exciting nor the most technically accomplished ballet I've seen - but very watchable, and a nice addition to the long run-up to Christmas.
For Monday, there is an interesting-sounding play, but it's at 7.15 and I have another flat-viewing at 7.30, so that's out. (Yes, the last place fell through - I sent him all the references he'd asked for, and he got back to me and said the room was gone.) Two viewings on Monday actually - the other is earlier. So it's looking like another film - the second viewing is convenient for Shepherds Bush, so a cinema there would be a good option. I'll figure it out over the weekend.
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