Play: Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs

Another night at Southwark Playhouse with London For Less!.. This time to see the other show currently showing there - Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs. Well, at least this should have been an easier journey than last week, during the Tube strike..

To be fair, it was. That wouldn't have been hard, what with last week's journey taking 2.5 hours on two buses. Yesterday, I made it quite uneventfully to Elephant & Castle - which was where the fun started. Now, I've been to this station lots of times (specifically to go this theatre). However, I can safely say that I never left the station by this route before.. I don't really remember exactly how I got out on previous occasions, but yesterday I was up stairs, down stairs.. along a Northern Line platform, despite not having come on that line.. and finally up in a lift to an exit I didn't recognise!

How on earth did this happen.. panic ensued, as I didn't have much time before the show and actually had no idea where I was. I zigzagged back and forth a bit - in the pissing rain (no maps available) - and finally, mercifully, caught sight of Nando's. I knew that was on Newington Causeway, just down from the theatre - so at least I now knew where I was headed. How to get across the roundabout was another matter, with all the roadworks, and the railings specifically to prevent people crossing the road.. I finally got a gap in the traffic and nipped along the road to a gap in the railings, was now pointed the right way, scuttled down the road, collected my (discounted) ticket, which had been left at the box office, and made it in a few minutes before showtime. I was wrecked, and must say I didn't appreciate the temperature in the theatre, which was too warm - or maybe it was just me, sweaty after my journey.

And so to the show! Apparently this has been around quite a while, but I'd never heard of it. We have a disaffected arts student who's just been turfed out of art college, in Huddersfield. Stewing in his freezing flat, he becomes more and more angry with the powers-that-be, blaming them for his misfortunes. Somehow, it occurs to him that forming a political party would be the best way to effect change. He ropes a few of his mates into it as well, and the "movement" gathers steam.

The walls behind the stage depict a representation of the painting of Huddersfield by Lowry, helping to reinforce the setting. The stage is sparsely furnished, as befits a student flat. And our expelled student radical strides the stage like a colossus, in his long, military-style coat. The first act is quite funny, as these hapless individuals plan their putsch, like students anywhere - we've all met them, eh?

We were all asked to leave at the interval, so they could redress the stage. I had some more of their reasonably priced wine, and we all chatted about how we were enjoying the play. Before long, it seemed, we were called back in for the second act - handily, you can bring your glass.

Well, what a change of tone in the second half! All of a sudden, this all seems much more serious, and our bumbling students begin to show signs of despotism. It's quite disturbing: and one violent scene in particular is terrifically directed, the music itself and the sharp, jagged movements suggesting blows that aren't struck in reality. Our breath was taken away by the intensity of this part, and we left quite shell-shocked. A stern warning about how mild rebellion can escalate into something altogether more dangerous. It was too late to have a drink really, after - especially with work in the morning - which was a pity. But I really highly recommend this! Runs until the 1 August. (Contains smoking, as it says on the website.)

Funnily enough, I had no problem finding the right entrance to the Tube from the outside.. and despite finding the Tube too hot on the way home, I got home safely, in time for bed but too late to blog.

Today, my colleagues and I had lunch in Dragon Palace - a favourite haunt - for the slightly belated birthday of an ex-colleague of ours.  Well, we discovered that yes, you can fit 13 people around one of those large, round tables at the back. Cosily. I usually have dim sum here, but it was a bit manic today, with one of us taking the orders for the numbers of the different dishes, like an auctioneer! So I went with the a la carte, and had an uncomplicated crispy shredded beef. Which was unremarkable, but filled the spot. Wisely, our server decided, when one person ordered a fork, that we'd all get one, and when one ordered tap water, that we'd all get a glass of that too. Much more manageable.

Tonight, I fancy a film. Checking the film ratings today, they're all over the place - but my selection remains unchanged from the last time I looked. Top of the list was an Indian film - Papanasam. However, Indian films in general are besieged with problems: they generally only show out of town, they're generally really long, and by the way, also tend to be overrated. Well, the trailer for this looked decent - but the only place it's showing at a time I could make is Cineworld Staples Corner - which I'd have to get the Overground to, at a very busy time.

No thanks - instead, I'm going to see Love & Mercy. This is a documentary about the Beach Boys' leader, Brian Wilson's struggle with psychosis. I hear good things. And it's on close enough that I can walk - always a plus. especially now that the weather's improved. For tomorrow, I'm back with London For Less! again - at the Soho Theatre this time, for Silent. And on Friday, I've got friends arriving for the weekend. The only definite thing we've booked so far is, for Friday night, a reprise of the South Bank at Night walk that I went on a few months back..