Gee, it's not so often I have so many things to cram into one post.. well, this story started yesterday (Friday), with a cheap ticket to the circus show, back at The Aeronaut. I do love circus, and it's a cool venue. Plus, it didn't start till 9, which have me plenty of time to get back from Guildford, and just enough time to get something to eat before I left.
I knew the basics - Overground to Shepherd's Bush, and a bus from Stop C, right outside. Didn't remember which bus, but I store travel details on my phone, so had them from before - the 207 or the 607, it transpired. Well, I got to the bus stop and didn't have to wait long for one of them to arrive - as it happened, the 207, like last time. I had to sit upstairs this time, it was so packed. Now, the 207 drivers are notoriously uncooperative, it seems - which might be why, despite both me, and the other lady exiting at Denehurst Gardens, pressing the stop buttons several times, and me making sure to be standing at the exit door as we approached the stop, and her coming down the stairs at that point.. the driver still sailed past it. Pot luck, really, whether a driver will let you off where you want. As I remarked to her, "Maybe we're being kidnapped". We were let off at the next one - at least the walk back was downhill.
They had the main entrance to the performance section of the pub open on this occasion, and a table set up, where I said to the lady that I had a ticket, and she immediately asked me what group I was with. Anyway, when she found my name she crossed it off, and a fellow stamped my wrist - insisted on that, rather than my hand - with a miniscule "Aeronaut" stamp, so I could come and go. Then she showed me to a seat on a bench - right by the end of the stage, which was now much larger than when I was there for Laugh Train Home, at the expense of some rows of seats. Most of the seating was on benches, mind - except for tables at the side, which were bookable. And indeed, booking is recommended - the place was crammed.
So, I was up close to the action - but kind of behind for some of it, particularly the mc / magician's tricks, which were mostly performed with his back to me. His was also the act for which a spotlight was trained directly on the stage - and right in my eyes. Really, there were better seats. Ah well, he was entertaining enough, with a good line of patter to keep things going.
The real stars were the circus performers, though - and from first to last, it really struck me how great it is to be this close - I never have been before, for circus. They run circus acts on Fridays and Saturdays, but the lineup changes every night - last night, all acts in the first section were female; there was a girl who played with hoops, an extremely elegant sword-swallower, and a fire eater / juggler. That was fun - feeling the heat, up-close as we were. All were terrific, all owned the stage. And in the second half, when they catered to the ladies.. well, it was especially nice to be up-close, with two male acrobats - one after the other - both of whom obliged by taking their tops off. Also fascinating, just to watch their muscles straining as they exerted themselves. So yes, an enjoyable time for all! It's a great, atmospheric venue, and this show is good enough that it reminded me why I come out to stuff in London - it can get tiring, but every now and again you come across gems like this.
There was a dj after, and a late licence, but I headed home. Naturally, as I approached the stop, a 207 sailed past, just like last time. Not even any point in running for it. And there was a howling wind - I was glad the stop was enclosed. At least this time, I only had to wait about five minutes for another bus..
I should've had time to blog, except that the night before, I'd got an email invitation from ShowFilmFirst, to free showings of The Lobster in various locations. Tomorrow's showings were all outside London though, which meant it had to be today - the closest was in Clapham Picturehouse, and all were at 11am. So, no blog last night.
I had to look up the directions to the cinema as well - it's been a while. Easy to remember, though - the 35 or the 345 from Stop G (Clapham Juction) to Clapham Common, and it's across the road - turn down past the Londis. I'm not having much luck with buses just now - one sailed past as I was making for the stop, having rushed to get out on time. Hate that! So I stood at the stop, morose, convinced that I'd miss my screening - but another happened along about five minutes later, and I did make it on time after all. And I soon saw why that street is pedestrianised on weekends - there's a market! Not that I bought anything.
In the lobby, I extracted my printed ticket - this is one of the few occasions when you need one, they don't accept them on phones. It was in the large screen, and there were plenty of seats to the side - so I got a slightly side-on view, but decently far forward. And despite what it said on the ticket about not having ads beforehand - yes, there was a full complement. I wasn't the only person looking at my watch.
So, I finally got to see The Lobster! It's been recommended to me, it's been on my list for a while. Cool. It's a dystopian vision of the future, where people are forced to live as couples. It did occur to me to wonder when the screening of singletons starts - children are probably exempt, but it wasn't specified. Our hero, Colin Farrell - with a paunch - is a recently separated, middle-aged man, who finds himself suddenly not part of a couple when his wife leaves him for someone else. So he's transported to The Hotel, where he has 45 days, as I recall, to find himself a mate, or be transformed into an animal of his choosing. He chooses a lobster - hence the title. This is praised by the Hotel Manager, who remarks that too many people choose to become dogs - which is why there are so many dogs in the world - and not enough choose unusual creatures, which is why they're endangered.
You may be getting a sense of the ever-present, black humour of the film. It's relentless - kudos to the filmmakers, they've created a consistent society, with a whole set of barmy rules. It's bureaucracy gone mad. They have to surrender their clothes on arrival, and from then on everyone wears exactly the same - normal clothes, not a uniform, but exactly the same as everyone else. The ladies all wear the same floral, halter-neck dress for the dinner dance, for instance.
They have to spend the first 24 hours with one hand shackled behind their backs - to remind them how things work better in pairs. They're subjected to inane presentations on the same theme, and absolutely cringeworthy dating scenarios, forced to try and pick a mate in a hot-house environment. John C. Reilly shows up as another Hotel resident / prisoner, looking for someone with a lisp to match his, and Ben Whishaw is yet another hapless resident, looking for someone with a matching limp..
It's not a huge spoiler to reveal that our hero finally escapes, and runs across the Loners, led by Léa Seydoux - outcasts, they live as a group in the forest, and live by polar opposite rules to those in The Hotel, and The City. They still have rules though, and this group utterly forbids relationships at any level. So naturally, this is where he finds love - with Rachel Weisz. Ah me, will things ever work out for him?!
A very quirky film, with a wonderfully deadpan sense of humour. Check it out - hardly a date movie, it would be a perfect antidote to Valentine's Day, what with its acrid take on dating norms and expectations.
Next, I had to hightail it to Richmond, where I'd booked for the matinee of The Rolling Stone, at the Orange Tree. Last night's wind had gotten worse, if anything, and it was hard to cross the road without being blown sideways. The 35 or 37 would take me back to Clapham Junction Station, and one happened along right after I arrived. Once at the station, I couldn't see any trains with Richmond as a destination, but checked the timetable and saw that the next train should leave at 1:43. I identified the train, passed through the barrier, and consulted the very handy sign that tells you which platforms have trains to particular destinations. Richmond-bound trains leave from Platforms 5 and 6, it seems, and sure enough, the 1:43 was leaving from Platform 5, and that's the one I caught.
There are some nonstop trains, but on mine it was the sixth stop. Still, I arrived in Richmond just before 2 - and, stomach growling, brunch was a ham and cheese croissant - ubiquitous to London train stations. A sign as you leave the station points to Richmond Theatre, to the left - don't get confused, that's not the one you want. The Orange Tree is actually visible as you leave the station, just down the road on your right. I ate my croissant as I made my slow way down - not easy, in the wind.
So it was after 2 when I arrived at the box office and collected my ticket. Now, I'd booked my own ticket, but was to be meeting the London Dramatic Arts Meetup group, and the organiser was supposed to be there by that time. No sign of anyone I knew, however. Undaunted, I figured someone would show shortly, and treated myself to a glass of wine - as recommended by the barman. He was dubious that I'd get a large glass finished before we had to go in, and said if I didn't, they'd hold it for me for the interval - in fact, the house opened just as I was paying for it! Heh, he doesn't know me. ;-) I had 20 minutes - polished it off in 10. Could've done it faster, but I was killing time.
I duly made my way in - I was in the front row for this performance in the round. The acting takes place on and around a raised platform in the middle, and with the actors so up-close, it's very intense. The play starts with gospel singing, as the actors enter from the sides, and rise from seats in the front row. It's set in Uganda, focussing on a young man whose father has just died, whose brother has just become a pastor, and who finds himself in love with a male Irish doctor working there. From Derry, according to the play - my companions did show up eventually, and were asking me in the interval whether he was really Irish; as I said, he did sound it! "The Rolling Stone" of the title was a real-life tabloid newspaper in Uganda, copies of which are printed up for the play - and they must go through lots, what with ripping it up as they do at one point!
So, this was a day of rules and restrictions on love. First, I had a futuristic view of a society that either demands you be in a relationship, or forbids it altogether. Now I was at a play - actually, that did exactly the same, depending on whether you were talking about heterosexual or homosexual relationships - the latter outlawed in Uganda. The play was impassioned, the acting phenomenal, as this poor young man faces an impossible choice - the worst of the choices that face each member of his family. I was happy to join the standing ovation at the end. Recommended - runs until the 20th. (And we snuck out a bit of torn newspaper at the end, as a souvenir..)
I caught a nonstop train back home, and was in before the worst of tonight's storm struck. Still late posting this, though.. I was meant to be going on a walk tomorrow, with Ken's Events. But then I decided I'd rather go to a film, which meant redoing the film list, ranked in order of IMDB ratings - top is a documentary double-bill at the BFI (ooh, it's ages since I've been there!) They're screening the Oscar-nominated documentaries, you see.. I'm going to head to see Chau, Beyond the Lines, and A Girl in the River: the Price of Forgiveness. It's in the large screen and booking isn't heavy yet, so I haven't bothered. Start time isn't until 2:30, so I get a bit of a lie-in.
The rest of the week - and most of the rest of the month! - is already booked up. The rest of this week (and most of next) is devoted to Meetups - on Monday, I'm back with the Crick Crack Club, who are headed to Soho Theatre again, for an evening called Shifter. Sounds intriguing..
On Tuesday, I'm back with LDAM (and my own ticket, from lastminute.com) for Hand to God, at the Vaudeville Theatre. Even with the West End half-price parking validation at the theatre box office, it'd work out more expensive to park than to take public transport, so I'll leave the car at home again.
On Wednesday, I'm joining the London European Club for Light, an interesting play at Battersea Arts Centre - that's nice, as it's close enough for me to walk. I see the show is completely sold out now.. On Thursday, I'm supposed to be joining them again, for a talk entitled The Global Refugee Crisis: a Challenge to Our Common Humanity. If I go to Guildford though, time will be tight - I'll see what happens.
Eschewing all the Valentiney things I could be doing in London, I'm back to Ireland for Valentine's weekend. The following week starts with not one, but two, outings with the Man with the Hat - on the 15th, London for Less Than a Tenner is going to a show called Free Admission (confusion always a risk with that name..) at Soho Theatre. And on the 16th, he's off to another classical concert at St. Martin-in-the-Fields. And I'm schlepping along to both.
On the 17th & 18th, I'm back with LDAM - the 17th for The End of Longing, starring - and written by - Matthew Perry, at the Playhouse Theatre. His playwriting debut. I got my ticket through London Box Office. On the 18th, we're headed to The Patriotic Traitor, at Park Theatre. Tom Conti stars as Philippe Pétain, the title character, a good friend of De Gaulle, who nonetheless has him tried for treason as a Nazi collaborator.
You know something? I'm VERY glad that Meetup provides a calendar view, with the days on which you've booked Meetups marked in red.. it's exhausting, keeping track!
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