Play: Richard II

Predictably, didn't happen. Here's what did happen, in a nutshell:

Viagogo, from whom I bought the ticket for Richard II, made two claims on their website:

1. Buyers who do not get their tickets in time will have them replaced or refunded.
2. Viagogo uses world-class couriers.

Both false. I have reported them to the Advertising Standards Authority.

1. They are refusing point-blank to accept any liability, saying that their responsibility ended when the tickets were posted. Well, that ain't what it says in the "guarantee" on their website.

2. "World-class couriers"? They used the Royal Mail! And so it turned out that, while I foolishly thought I would get the ticket over the weekend, as with a proper courier, the Royal Mail took delivery on Saturday morning and had no intention of getting the ticket to me before today, Monday. Which meant that the address was wrong - I had specified my home address, in anticipation of getting the ticket over the weekend. But today, I was at work! But - Royal Mail doesn't allow redirection once the item has been posted. So I was forced to let the postman come to my home, which was empty, so there was no-one to sign for the letter, and, being from the Royal Mail, he then took it to the sorting office. And that was that, because the Royal Mail, again unlike a proper courier company, refuses to allow post to leave the sorting office within 24 hours of receipt.

Oh, I tried. I walked there, queued for half an hour, and was dismissed in 10 seconds when he saw the date on the delivery slip. "No, you can't collect this until tomorrow." "But I NEED it today! It was guaranteed to be delivered today!" "Sorry, can't help you. Who's next?" So the ticket is still languishing there, ten minutes' walk from here, an hour's drive from where it was posted on Saturday morning. Well, they can keep it now. I've made a formal complaint to them as well. Seriously - I know about the 24-hour rule, but it makes no sense for an item that was guaranteed to be delivered today. I should have been allowed to collect it.

Anyway, while those complaints are ongoing, I missed my play. Undaunted, I decided to go see Big Bad Wolves instead, in Leicester Square. Events, however, conspired against me. A signal failure led to severe delays on the Piccadilly Line. Ultimately, I realised I was never going to make it in time, turned around and came back. Hey-ho, at least I picked up an Evening Standard.

Big Bad Wolves isn't on tomorrow evening, so it's looking like Jeune & Jolie - this is the one I was thinking of that's showing in the Ciné Lumiere. One critic said it was exploitative, but what the hey. And I know what bus to get, if the Tube is playing up again!