Play: The League of Youth

Ah, back to London - back to sunshine and heat, back to things to do. Mind you, I think Meetup has holidays on its mind - it didn't have anything for yesterday that appealed. Still, I have other sources of tickets - and of the things I could do, simply the closest I could get a cheap ticket to was in Theatre N16, where The League of Youth is playing until Thursday. Close is good - I booked.

I've driven there before, and determined to do so again - in the hope it wouldn't be cancelled, as it was last time! Anyway, it doesn't take long to get there, and I did have plenty of time - mind, I should have had even more, except a car went off the A3 and the emergency vehicles blocked one of the lanes, which always throws the road into chaos, for miles beforehand. I wasn't as bothered as my passenger, who had a date on the other side of town, and had been late for the last one - but I still didn't have time to eat much beforehand.

Left about 7:05, for a 7:30 start. And again it was easy to find - follow signs for the South Circular, then Balham, turn left at Waitrose - but the traffic, especially in comparison with last time, was woeful! Which is fine, except when you're trying to turn right against, or into, said traffic. I finally cut in front of a bus, which I figured would be less likely to mow me down, and took the first parking space I could see on Bedford Hill, arriving at the theatre at 7:25.

Made straight for the rear door, as I remembered from last time. I had visions of it being cancelled again, as I met with a stream of people leaving, as I climbed the stairs - but then I remembered there seemed to be some kind of dance studio just downstairs from the theatre. Sure enough, that was where they were coming from; and outside the theatre, a dinky little ticket booth had been erected, where a lady was checking names and distributing paper tickets that she ripped off a roll.

"Straight ahead and to the left" was the instruction.. in other words, bypass the stairs (just ahead, to the left) and continue to the door, where the theatre actually is. I did see some people heading upstairs - have to wonder whether they got lost. Anyhoo, seating was unreserved, and I made my way - against a bright spotlight that I had to shade my eyes from - to a second-row seat on one of the two sides of the stage that had seating.

Those seats are darned uncomfortable - if there was an upholstered one, I missed it. And I wasn't the only one who found the room too hot! The set for this play is basic - some chairs arranged in rows around the stage delineate a room (orange ones, which does a decent job of distinguishing them from audience seating). Fairy lights decorate the ceiling, and a large portrait of a stern-looking man hangs at one end, just over the table of drinks; just for a moment, I wondered whether they were for us. Nope. At the other end, a single urinal, attached to the wall, allows them to stage scenes in the gents' toilet. And throughout the evening, we had a backdrop of train noise from the station, right next door.

So, this is based on an Ibsen play, transplanted to a corporate environment in the 80s. Not sure why that's the era chosen, but it does provide an excellent soundtrack. Some of the editorial choices are a bit naff - did the company have to be called "Norway, Inc."? (An unnecessary nod to Ibsen's nationality, and the play's original setting.) And since the character of Stensgaard is actually played by an Irish actor - who explains away the discrepancy by explaining that he's from the Dublin office, but of Norwegian ancestry (how ironic, as he points out!) - could they not just have changed the character's name..?

Ok, having said all that, I really enjoyed this. The characters are excellently drawn, quite recognisable, and intelligently acted. Stensgaard is eminently watchable as the young-ish protagonist, arriving on the scene to shake everyone up. He's the one who founds the "League of Youth" to "give everyone a voice" - but when he starts to attract attention from the bigwigs, we begin to see his true intention of self-advancement.. and as he starts to climb, we see how cynical and ruthless he really is.

After a 10-minute interval, the play develops to show us all the characters now at each others' throats. Given the high-minded speech near the end, it occurred to me that we should really have had this in the run-up to Brexit, when the statements about a divisive, "black or white" position would have rung so true. But hey, it's well worth a look - maybe bring a cushion. And a piece of paper to fan yourself.

Over delightfully early - just after 9, and I headed home, in much lighter traffic, in time to have a decent meal. Not to blog, mind, as I'm in Guildford again today. Tonight and tomorrow are Man with the Hat days - tonight, I'm particularly looking forward to; he's taking Let's Do London - for Less! to a production of Thérese Raquin at Southwark Playhouse: and sent out a message just yesterday to the effect that this contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature, full frontal nudity and depictions of graphic violence, and could we let him know if that was going to be a problem. Hmm - nope. And tomorrow he's taking London for Less than a Tenner to Top Secret. Shh..