A production of Dracula will always interest me. It soon became clear, however, that this production at the Soho Theatre is a comedy. Now, I'm wary of comedy by people I'm not familiar with, and this theatre doesn't do previews - but I looked up Mr Swallow on YouTube, and found a preview video for the show. It looked like fun, so I booked for last Monday. That show was cancelled due to illness, and I was busy last night, so I rescheduled for tonight.
It doesn't start till 9 (it's only an hour long), so I had time to eat at home beforehand. But of course, the time does tend to run away with you, and I still found myself rushing. I didn't appreciate the 4-minute wait for the Tube, and was glad I wasn't taking it straight into town, given that the indicator board was wrong - again - and it wasn't going that way. No, I changed at Earl's Court and was lucky enough to catch a Piccadilly Line train that was pulling in just as I got to the platform.
Despite a long wait at one station, to "even out the gaps in the service", we got to Leicester Square in good time. This time, Google Maps suggested yet another new route - this is the problem with places not right beside Tube stations, there are so many ways to get there. I like this one - go straight to the Curzon Soho (I know it well), head left and it's the second right. As I made my way out, I was treated to a particularly tuneless rendition by a busker on an electric guitar. Of course, as soon as I left the Tube I had to fight my way through a stream of people, until I found myself trying to cross Shaftesbury Avenue in a stream of traffic. Thank goodness for the black cab driver who took pity on me and let me cross - who knows how long I'd have been there otherwise? I don't remember the traffic there generally being quite that bad.
I actually mistakenly took the first right rather than the second, but soon realised my mistake and just cut across to the parallel Dean Street. Then I had to weave my way around several more pedestrians - have I mentioned how much I hate the groups that congregate outside bars and clubs, blocking the pavements? Finally, I got to the theatre and steered around the mob of people crowding the lobby. The bar was doing terrific business. I collected my ticket, and made my way upstairs. Thankfully, Level 2 isn't the same as "Soho Upstairs", which is the very top theatre. So slightly fewer steps to climb.
I was winded by the time I got there, and took a seat along the very back bench. The show started after just a couple of minutes - and yes, I do think you need to book; it was packed. Well, there are just four characters - Mr Swallow plays Dracula himself, there's a Mina, a Jonathan Harker, and a Van Helsing. But it's played as though they're still in rehearsal, and trying different things out. The Van Helsing character also plays the long-suffering director, and the others are portrayed as ingénues.
As I say, it's only an hour long, but they do try to cram as possible into it - including plenty of interaction. Beware if you're in the front row - you can be crashed into, climbed over, added to the show, and have people sing right in your face. Don't think I'd fancy it myself. They also chat with the band - and here's a good piece of advice. Don't sit exactly where I did. Oh, the seat itself was fine - comfy, good legroom, good view. But if you're in the back row, do not sit right in front of the signs taped to the back of the bench, saying "Do not stand here". You see, you can stand at the back - but as I say, there are a couple of positions where nobody is supposed to. These are for people who will laugh, at predefined moments of the show. And the woman stood behind me had the most awful, piercing laugh - frankly, by the time she was done, she'd given me a headache.
It was fun, there was much to recommend it. It just never really took off for me, and I was left wondering whether it was worth the effort. In particular at the point where everyone around me was laughing uproariously and I was sitting there thinking, "This isn't funny!" Anyway, runs till Saturday, when they also have a matinee. Tickets still available for all shows, but booking definitely advised. I was a bit miffed on the way home, but decided to come via Piccadilly Circus, now that I wasn't in a hurry. And just walking down Shaftesbury Avenue (without being in a hurry) would improve anyone's mood, I think, with the bright lights of the West End all around.. it's been a while. Another busker on electric guitar in this station - he played a recognisable riff from Guns n Roses. Over and over..
Tomorrow, I'm finally going to the Women of the World festival that I missed last night. Tomorrow night though, it's The Baulkham Hills African Ladies Troupe.
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