Yippee.. Let's Do London - for less! Yippee.. Southwark Playhouse. Yippee.. Hemingway. I don't know exactly how long it took me to decide to book that, when I heard about it - but it would've needed a stopwatch to measure accurately. And when Helen found out about it, she asked whether she could come too.. so I +1'ed her, and she said she'd come up earlier in the day and we could do other stuff.
She promised not to get me out of bed too early, and indeed she didn't. And I was dressed by the time she texted to say she was on the train to Waterloo. Still, I somehow managed to get slightly delayed, and was only in Vauxhall by the time she texted to say she'd arrived. We'd arranged to meet under the clock - well, I found that without too much strife, although it was a bit of a trek from the platform, since I came in right at the end..
She had business in Millbank first - which didn't take very long, and afterwards, we'd decided to walk up by the river to find lunch (brunch, for me). It was a gorgeous, sunny day - a real first taste of summer, and we enthusiastically took photos: check out mine and hers. Didn't take very long to walk up to Villiers Street - despite the crowds at Westminster - and as we approached L' Ulivo, I suggested we go there, knowing it to be good. Italian would be a good idea, to set us up for a long day of traipsing around..
We were lucky to get about the last table. Service was friendly, as ever, and quick enough - slowing down, of course, as the meal progressed. But we managed ok. I had some gorgeous garlic pizza bread, she had bruschetta, I had chicken in a white wine and mushroom sauce - good, but the highlight of the main course for me were the roast potatoes I'd ordered to go with it. She had duck in a limoncello sauce, so strong you could smell it from where I sat. We scoffed the lot, and a half litre of house white - a bit sharp, but did the trick. Dessert was, for her, a cheesecake that was more like a sponge cake, with cheese in the middle - mine took marginally less time to choose than I'd taken to book the play.. open dessert menu, scan, see "mint chocolate bombe", close menu. Lovely, crispy dark chocolate shell over a hemisphere of mint ice cream, with a centre of chocolate sauce. O yes. And after that, I was stuffed for the entire day - just as well, since our oven at home had been broken since I got back, with no word on when it'd be fixed.
We were conscious of time, since we'd planned to go to 2 Temple Place, for an Egyptian exhibition they're running - but which closed at 4:30. We walked, but hadn't realised just how close we were - we strolled there in about 10 minutes! I've passed this place so many times but never gone in - they open every now and again for exhibitions and tours. This exhibition is free, and very interesting - more crowded than Helen had expected, it being the Saturday after Easter would have contributed to that.
But oh my, we nearly forgot to look at it, in our fascination with the house itself! Gorgeous, intricate carvings on every surface, oak panelling, miniature statues dotted about. Statues on the staircase posts, in 17th Century costume. A beautiful stained glass ceiling in the stairwell didn't prepare us for the stunning stained glass windows in the room upstairs, whimsical landscapes,shedding coloured light on the dim room within, the main windows covered to protect the exhibits. As we exclaimed - the craftsmanship, the time, the money, the attention to detail, that went into the decoration of this house are rare indeed. This exhibition runs until the 24th - well recommended, even if just to see this amazing house. (House tours also available, but you have to pay for those.) And they have a little café, just behind reception, where we had a drink to revive ourselves.
Afterwards, it was still too early even to think about heading to the theatre, so we sloped off to Covent Garden - and it was around this time, earlier than forecast, that it started to rain! Just as well the market is covered - we moseyed around there a bit, Helen making some purchases, although I didn't - not even the jumper with the logo "Normal People Scare Me". Although it was tempting. Anyhoo, she finally led me to Whittard's tea shop - small on ground level, it has a massive cellar, where you can sample, sniff, buy bags and mixtures, or ready-made teas. A real tea den! Not being a tea-drinker myself, I waited for her on a bench outside..
..which was how I came to notice the sign for Pollock's Theatrical Workshop. When she emerged with her exotic tea, we were both curious, musing that the sign must refer to the small staircase we could see, leading - perhaps - to a room we could just glimpse, above an ice cream parlour. Ok, up we popped.. and what an Aladdin's cave! The most enchanting little space, it's crammed with those teeny paper theatres with teenier paper actors you can move about. Books of historical cut-out paper dolls, with costumes to cut out. Marionettes! We cooed, and oohed and ahhed, and yes, she again found something to buy. Great finds she was making! I couldn't justify it, but oh how I wished I had someone with a birthday coming up, who would've appreciated something from there.. just so I could buy something..
The rain was heavier when we emerged, and we sheltered in a café for a bit, with drinks and a doughnut, until abt 6, when we judged it was late enough to move. Got a bus to just up the road from the theatre, made our way to the bar, got drinks, were joined by further early-birds. First time I'd beaten the Man with the Hat to it! Chatted convivially, watching wave after wave of his faithful followers arrive - it was a big crowd, last night. And in due course, we moved en masse to the theatre - the "Large", for this production of The Fifth Column.
I saw a couple of reviews of this - the production is quite a big deal, being the first London staging in 70 years. As someone pointed out later, it's also the 80th anniversary of the start of the Spanish Civil War, in which it's set. The review on Euronews wasn't massively enthusiastic, nonetheless emphasising the historical interest. The Standard review on Wednesday was scathing! What the hey, I reasoned, I walked out of the play the night before, so this could hardly be worse.. (BTW, I see the Guardian has now weighed in on it..)
They started with a smidgeon of Spanish guitar, as we were taking our seats. Lovely - just a shame I couldn't hear it better, I absolutely love Spanish guitar. An interesting set was arranged to the right, kind of taking up half the room, with seating arranged in two tiers in the other half - most of us ended up taking a slight side seat, with this arrangement, but I think every seat had a decent view. The set itself comprised adjoining rooms in a suite in the Hotel Florida, with a couple of ensuite bathrooms leading off, and a couple of doors to the hall. Each had a balcony, onto which characters could step to observe the bombardments in the street below (although we saw none of that, it was suggested with sound and lighting), and stairs to the side led to an upper level, only used once in the second act as a Nationalist outpost, attacked by our heroes. Interrogation scenes were held at a table in front of the set proper, a light descending from the ceiling for the purpose, to centre our attention on that spot.
Well then, was it any good? Was it as terrible as predicted? Well, I didn't leave early. Actually, as it started, it began to ring a bell - I'm sure I saw at least part of it on telly once, perhaps the film version. I was relieved to realise, as it progressed, that I probably wouldn't have an issue with it.. the Standard was rather snide about Hemingway writing the character as a gung-ho, heroic version of himself, but honestly, I love that about Hemingway, so I didn't have a problem with it. Yes, his girlfriend in the play was depicted as rather witless, but had she been a stronger character, she'd have diluted the macho element, wouldn't she? Others have complained about the lack of focus on the war itself. True, there's more emphasis on the "Hemingway" character, his motivation, his double life and choosing of a life of excitement over one of dull domesticity.
Well, I enjoyed it. I thought the acting was good, the staging excellent. Not his best work, and not the play to go to for high-octane action scenes, a complicated plot, or, indeed, feminist ideals. But I think Hemingway fans will enjoy it, for the chance to see a shadow of the man himself, larger-than-life as he ever was. Runs until a week from Saturday - booking probably advisable, at least at the weekends. It was pretty packed last night, and I think there are enough Hemingway fans around to keep the house busy!
Sadly, Helen had to run afterwards - the problem with living outside of London and depending on irregular trains. But quite a few of us held the fort, and - with a large Italian lunch inside me - I managed to down a good bit more wine. And damned if there wasn't a hard core of us to last to the bitter end, and be thrown out (as is traditional for the group). Which took some stamina, as the bar stayed open till midnight. Handily enough, my bus came just after I got to the stop - so I got home safe and sound. But by the time I could've gotten around to writing the blog, it was 4am! Bit late - I went to bed instead.
Just as well I have a late start today, then. I'm quite organised with my films for once, and this evening I'm finally heading to see Spotlight - the true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the child sex abuse scandal in the local diocese. Stars Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber. Mind you, literally the only showing today in London is in a place called Olympic Studios: a first for me. Hey, at least it's on my side of town! And I'm gonna be brave and try to drive - the route doesn't LOOK too difficult. I'm charging my phone to make sure it can find me if I get lost. Oh, and I can cook before I go - our oven got fixed, yay! (In other news, TFL also spontaneously realised their mistake over my Oyster card, so now I don't have to be bothered with them. Life is good.)
Tomorrow, I'm off to see War of the Worlds, at the Dominion Theatre - got a Timeout offer for a restricted view seat, which looks ok. Stars Liam Neeson - on a screen. Should be fun..
On Tuesday, I got a cheap ticket to Orpheus Sonfonia Principals - a concert at Grosvenor Chapel in Mayfair. Another new venue for me..
On Wednesday, I'm back with the World Music Meetup - another concert at Sands Film Studios. Great venue, diverse artists - this time, it's a Zambian performer called Namvula. Great, too, that it's so much handier to get there from where I am now!
On Thursday, my second film of the week is gonna be 10 Cloverfield Lane - in my local Cineworld, so already booked, 'coz that's cheaper. Sounds interesting - SciFi thriller, in which a woman wakes from a car crash to find herself in an underground bunker, with two men (one being John Goodman) who say they can't leave, because there's been some kind of apocalypse. Produced by JJ Abrams, so bound to be entertaining - and, of course, highly rated to come at the top of my film list. I booked the later showing, for the free car parking (after 7) - which is just as well, as it turns out I have to stay late in Guildford that day.
I can afford to be out a bit later than usual, since I'll be working from home on Friday - flying back to Ireland for a long weekend, actually: for cheaper flights, again. On Saturday, my mother and I are off to see the Three Tenors, at the University Concert Hall - she's a big fan. Not flying back until the Monday - which is a bummer, because (forgetting my travel dates) I'd booked a ticket for the Crick Crack Club. And now it turns out the London European Club are going as well - so that'd have been a good night. Can't be helped - I'd never be back in time.
I am with the London European Club on the next day, though, for a talk on Theatre and Language: Samuel Beckett "Waiting for Godot". Taking place at the Museum of London, it's a talk about the play, rather than a performance of the play itself. But I love Beckett, so that should be interesting.
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