Tonight was What's It All About? Bacharach, at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Wow, it's ages since I booked this! very unusual for me. Got the cheapest ticket at London Box Office - seating in this theatre is uniformly priced, so you don't have to worry about that.
I was so glad it didn't start until 8 - things in London usually start at 7.30, and having that extra half hour makes it so much more relaxed. So I strolled down the road to the theatre, for once! I'd noticed on the website, when I was double-checking the start time, that it had sold out - and sure enough, the bar was thronged. I went to the box office to collect my ticket, and after sifting through every pile she had, she found it.
Seating in this theatre is usually on upholstered benches. Well, they're still there for this production, facing the stage; to the sides though, the seating is in the form of sofas and armchairs. The floor and walls are decorated with rugs - tacked down, for safety. Even the benches are decorated with swathes of material, and my place happened to be one of those that came with a cushion! As I sat - and remarked what an excellent seat I had, facing and pretty central - I noticed the musical instruments attached to the walls around the stage. And the sofas hanging from the ceiling! which were duly occupied, not by audience members, but by members of the band.
As my row filled up, I got pushed to the side as a group of elderly people took their places - and when a group of younger people approached from the other side, I was in their seat. I explained what had happened, and looking past me, the guy next to me agreed to try and squeeze everyone in at the end. Younger people squeeze better, you see.
The show is a re-imagining of the music of Burt Bacharach. Is it any good..? BELIEVE THE HYPE! It's terrific!! While the songs are still recognisable (and hummable), new life is breathed into them in an 85-minute show (without interval) that focuses on rock, r n b, a little reggae.. the quality of the performances is top-notch, the staging is imaginative, and pretty unique for each song. The woman beside me really got into it - obviously Burt's greatest fan, she rocked out! Really, we were so disappointed when it ended.
Can't recommend this highly enough. Now for the bad news - the official website is sold out for the rest of the run (which finishes on Saturday), and London Box Office doesn't have any tickets either, at time of writing. But if you can find a ticket, you won't see a better show in London right now! Pray for an extension, or a West End transfer.
On the way home, of course, someone was singing a number from the show as we entered the station. As our train approached Earl's Court, the driver was good enough to inform us that there would be a train on the other platform as we pulled in, that that train would be headed the same way, and that it would be leaving first. And so it proved. Now, if only all drivers did the same!
Tomorrow, I'm off to The Look of Silence, which is finally showing at a time I can manage. The BFI is running it, and I've booked for the early showing that day, which was already mostly sold out. At time of writing, there are two tickets left. It's ages since I've been there!
For Thursday, I got a cheap ticket to a classical concert at Cadogan Hall - nice and close. Then I'm back to Ireland at the weekend..
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