Play: The Mother

Back with London Dramatic Arts (LDAM) again tonight - well, they did have the cheapest tickets for The Mother, starring Gina McKee and Richard Clothier, and showing at The Tricycle. Actually, they may well have had the only tickets - it's completely sold out now, apart from a fundraiser on Thursday: for which tickets are £100. So mine was a bargain!

The venue website said parking was limited, so I decided not to drive - frankly, a relief after yesterday's exertions! Anyway, it'd be quicker by Overground - which I could get to Brondesbury, just up the road. She'd suggested meeting an hour beforehand for food in the theatre café. Working from home, I had plenty of time to get ready.. so naturally, I ended up rushing. Although I did manage to pick up a Mother's Day card in the shop down the road, en route to Clapham Junction station.

The 6 o'clock train got me to Brondesbury just after 6.30 - and I got a seat fairly soon, all the seated men being guilt-tripped into giving their seats to the standing ladies. Arriving at the station, I turned right and just kept going.. it's not obvious, but is just past Brondesbury Medical Centre. I found my people in the cafe - they'd already ordered food, so I went to the bar and did the same. Once I discovered that food orders had to be given to the person who came out of the kitchen, and drink orders to one of the bar staff.. the food has a Jamaican theme, and I must say that the lamb steak I had was quite excellent. Wine wasn't bad either, although "large" here is only 175ml.

So I ordered another before going in, and had it in a plastic container so I could take it in with me, and not have to rush. And I managed to secure the second-last slice of chocolate cake.. inside, I found myself in the stalls for once, which may be the first time I've managed that! In fact, I was at the end of the row to the side of the stage - practically sitting on the stage. That meant I had a handy railing to lean on.. and having to twist somewhat to see properly wasn't too onerous.

Well, Gina McKee was never really known for playing cheery characters, and this production does nothing to dispel the stereotype. Frankly, the mother she plays is bonkers, which soon becomes obvious, as she harangues her hard-working husband. She's a stay-at-home housewife, now lacking purpose since the kids grew up and left, and her husband is always too busy to pay her attention. She misses her son, who was always her favourite, and who now never returns her messages.

She keeps repeating herself in the first scene.. and repetition soon becomes a feature of the play, as we suddenly see similar events replayed over and over, with a slightly different perspective each time. But which one represents "reality".. and from whose point of view? I found the play very interesting - and I believe The Father, by the same writer, uses a similar style. Runs till the 12th - as I say, sold out apart from the fundraiser.

Afterwards, we again repaired to the café, for drinks - once we finally attracted the attention of the bar staff! And as we gathered around the same table as before, and started to chat about the play, it occurred to me - once again - how fascinating it is that I seem to disagree so completely with the members of this group, on almost everything. I hated The End of Longing - they were perplexed at my reaction. Plays that I love, they tend to disparage. So, had you been there tonight, you'd have heard opinions very different to mine.

And when they were done with that, they carried on to politics (whoopee!). Mercifully, as everyone tonight seemed to share the same opinion on the matter, there was no repeat of the ridiculous tiff over the Brexit that characterised my last trip out with them - a tiff that seems to have passed into group folklore. I bet people haven't heard how childish they were, mind.. No, since they were all in agreement, they moved onto party politics instead.. boy, was I glad when we left!

I'd just missed a train, so had to wait for some minutes - but on the plus side, the train I caught only left me with a five-minute wait for the connecting train to Clapham Junction. And it wasn't quite as cold as it often has been, lately. Tomorrow, I'm headed with them again - for my sins - to Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, at the National. I didn't get my ticket with them - but that's acceptable to her, since her tickets were sold out at the time. So I'm semi-officially going with them. Ironically, they do now have a ticket available, and a better - and cheaper - one than I have. Ah well. I can tell you this much, I've had enough of uncomfortable post-show discussions with them, and if real estate or politics come up again tomorrow night, I'm walking.

On Sunday, none of my Meetup groups had anything interesting, so I'm piggybacking on an event of the Russians in London group - I don't really want to join the group, but the balalaika concert at Rossotrudnichestvo in Kensington sounds interesting, so I'm going to that solo. On Monday, I'm back with LDAM, for a performance of Uncle Vanya, at the Almeida - their second trip, and a Q&A after. (And, of course, I must remember not to post my blog link on the page for any of this group's Meetups.. they have banned me from doing so, after all.)

On Tuesday, I'm back with the Man with the Hat and London for Less Than a Tenner (what a relief, a group that's fun to be around!), for a comedy night for a change, at the Star of Kings. Wednesday, I'm headed to a Trans-Siberian March Band concert at Rich Mix, with the London European Club - again, I was interested in going with LDAM that night, but they're going to the St. James Theatre, whose legroom is a bit tight for me; I did ask whether she had any aisle seats, but by the time she got back to me, I'd found this other event. What the hey, Miss Atomic Bomb didn't sound great anyway.

On Thursday, I'm back at Rich Mix for a concert by Iness Mezel. - I've signed up for that jointly with London European Club and the World Music Meetup. Then it's back to Ireland for the weekend again.. we're off to the final night of the Clare Drama Festival on the Saturday, in my old school - followed by the Crick Crack Club on the 14th, who are back at Soho Theatre for an evening of storytelling entitled UniVerse - as ever with these, booking essential; they always sell out. On the 15th, I'm with Let's Do London - for Less! (the Man with the Hat's other group) again, as they head to Cyrano de Bergerac at Southwark Playhouse - another of the Man with the Hat's preferred venues, and another good one.

On the 16th, I got a cheap ticket to a concert by the Coppell High School Band, at the Central Hall, Westminster. A new venue for me! Cool, I do like to keep discovering them. On the 17th, Kensington Classical Music is off to a concert by the Trio Isimsiz - you had to get your own ticket, though, then pay extra to join the group at the concert. Huh. I'll avoid them, and the extra charge - have to be discreet though, I believe it's a small room! It's at the 1901 Arts Club - another first for me.

On the 18th, I'm joining Spooky London for their monthly spooky pub night! Wherever it is. If I actually go. And on the 19th, I'm back with the Crick Crack Club, for an event entitled Seven Princesses - at Rich Mix, which will be my first event there with them.