Play: Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2, 3)

London Dramatic Arts (LDAM) and I may have had our differences of opinion, but I do still like to see what they're going to. It's usually interesting, and sometimes they even have the cheapest tickets. Tonight, they were headed to the Royal Court Theatre for Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2, 3) - and this theatre has cheap tickets on Mondays (only if you buy them in person). Which is obviously what the organiser of this group does, selling to the group members more expensively. And you know, that's absolutely fair enough, and I'll buy them if I can't get cheaper - on this occasion, I was just too late to get the very last cheaper ticket, and faced with the prospect of buying one for the same price, I figured it made more sense to buy from the group - I wouldn't have to avoid them then, would probably get a better seat, and might just get some decent company (honestly, doesn't always happen with them).

This was the very first venue I ever met this group at, and I remember some scintillating conversation afterwards, on that occasion. Shame I haven't seen most of those people since. Anyway, this was the first time I'd been there since moving house! so I needed to sort out a new route - I wouldn't drive up here, parking would be horrendous. It used to be really handy by Tube, being right beside Sloane Square Station - turns out to be nearly as handy by bus from Clapham Junction, as I can get the 319 straight to and from the end of my road.

Google Maps said I needed to trot up the road to the next stop - rubbish, said I, and checked the TFL website. Sure enough, the stop at the end of the road would do fine - Google Maps are great, but don't take their word as gospel. I started out a little early - always advisable, with buses especially - and wouldn't you know it, with a little judicious jay-running, I just managed to get to the stop as the bus pulled up. And it only took us about 20 minutes to get to Sloane Square.

Straight ahead to the theatre, visible on the other side of the square. The organiser had said we'd meet in the downstairs bar, so I made my way down there and got a drink - service was quite quick, despite the crowd. Had a look through the bar - she hadn't said whereabouts exactly she'd be, and may not in fact have known where the table she was reserving would be - and caught sight of her, and a couple of others, just taking their seats at a table near the door. Well now, and it wasn't yet even the appointed time! This must be a first - she's usually late.

They were ordering food, which I thought a good idea - I'd been in Guildford, and hadn't had time for dinner. I do hate rushing though, so was only going to have something small - soup of the day, pumpkin and mushroom, sounded interesting, so I ordered that. And I was glad that was all I'd ordered - one person had great trouble finishing hers in time. And while the food was served reasonably quickly, it's definitely quicker to order drinks from the bar. The soup, when it came, was lovely, by the way - a little spicy, served with some nice, crusty white bread and butter.

The bell had rung by the time we got up to go, and they were making the final call by the time we made our way upstairs - despite this being in the downstairs theatre, we were in the circle, which is at ground level. Then there was some fun with the seating - I counted the rows down to Row A, the front row - someone was blocking the seats to my right, so I checked seat numbers to my left, and sat in there - #12. After a bit, I noticed that I was in the Slips.. now, the others had waited for that person to finish her meal, it seems, and when I saw them file in, they were all in the middle! So I checked, and there was another #12 in there. You have been warned..

So I ended up with a lovely, central seat, and it's been so long that I'd forgotten how comfy the leather seats are in this theatre. We also had some unexpected entertainment - a bluegrass guitarist sat onstage for literally the whole show, playing for us before the start and at the interval. This is set in the Southern United States, and the music fitted perfectly, and was applauded when we got a moment.

The play takes the form of three mini-plays, concerning a black slave coerced by his master into fighting for the Confederates in the Civil War. Thing is, he's been promised his freedom in return for cooperation - but knows himself to be fighting on the wrong side. Part 1: Will he, won't he? Part 2: The war. Part 3: The aftermath, and the folks waiting at home.

Unusually, we all seemed to agree on tonight's play, and when we discussed it afterwards, we all decided that the first part dragged a bit. The accents, the behaviour of the characters, did seem a bit stereotypical, and as the organiser said, it could probably have done with being chopped a bit shorter. However, we were all blown away by the second part, where we finally meet the "boss-man" of whom we've heard in the first part, and there's a confrontation in the wilderness, away from the battlefield, involving him, the slave (no big spoiler to say he does eventually go), and a captive Yankee with secrets of his own. Finally, after the interval, the style completely changes, and we get a most surprising aftermath scene, with a very 60s vibe of freedom and change, and some stunning plot twists!

More than anything else, it's a very thought-provoking play, and raised many questions, even among the brief period for which we discussed it tonight. The nature of freedom, the nature of slavery, the meaning of loyalty - these would have to be described as the major themes. We had an interesting discussion, for example, over some expensive ice cream at the interval, about why they wouldn't all necessarily have wanted to be free, and what advantages there might have been to slavery - freedom from want, for instance, a roof over your head, food, and "honest work", as one character describes it. One of the more interesting quotes runs "Seems like the worth of a colored man, once he's made free, is less than his worth when he's a slave".

Definitely worth a look - stick with it, that second part is stunning, and the third part sets it up very well for a sequel - I believe, in fact, that the formula is to be repeated twice more, making nine plays in total, to take the story of a single family up to the present day. Could yet be very interesting, and written by a Pulitzer Prize winner. This production runs until 22nd of next month.

Pity my snuffly nose started at the interval and continued to irritate me throughout the last part. Pity also that a couple of our group were disturbed by an annoying woman beside them, who spent the whole show insensitively glued to her phone. Still, there were plenty of free seats beside me, so they just spent the latter part of the show there. We didn't feel like drinks after, but did spend an age chatting in the lobby - although they were turning off lights and locking doors all around us, the guard reassured us that they weren't going to chuck us out while the bar was still open!

When the remaining five of us did leave, it was two to the Tube, two to the taxi rank, and me to the bus stop, just over the road. (Nearly got run over crossing the road, mind - it's not clear there that it's road, not pavement.) While my bus was a while in coming, the driver made up for it.. this was to be one of those interesting journeys that tend to happen mostly at night, with a driver who's probably anticipating the end of his shift. For a start, his card reader was playing up, and he didn't seem to give a fiddler's - I had to try twice before my card worked, and lots of people seemed to get on without paying at all.

But the real fun came as he tore through town, swinging dramatically around bends - must've been fun for passengers sitting upstairs. And he had a real reluctance to let people off - he zipped through one guy's stop, and mightn't have stopped at the next, but that the chap went to the front to suggest to him that the buzzer mightn't be working properly! One lady, having requested a stop, found that he stopped there to let someone on, but completely failed to open the centre doors, even after she pressed repeatedly - she irately pushed her way off at the front, despite him trying to close the doors as she was leaving. I was lucky when it came to mine - he'd stopped at the one before, so hadn't gotten up too much speed, I lurched to the door while pressing the button, as he swung around the bend, and there was someone getting off from upstairs, who pressed it repeatedly, obviously very concerned that the driver would never wait for him to climb down. Plus I think someone was getting on - and at least this driver stopped for those. It was a relief to get off, finally.. I have complained him.

Tomorrow, the Man with the Hat is taking Let's Do London - for Less! to Southwark Playhouse for another wartime drama. This one is The Greater Game, based on the true story of a football team, all of whom signed up to fight in the First World War. Bus again, hopefully less dramatic than tonight!

Wednesday is Helen's birthday, I've taken the day off, and a few of us are headed for a full day of merriment. The plan as it stands is to start with the Clangers, Bagpuss & Co. Exhibition at the V&A Museum of Childhood, then we've booked a chocolate afternoon tea at Rabot 1745, followed by an evening of Colouring with Cats at Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium.

Thursday is a leaving do at work - taking place at The White House, in Guildford. So I'll take the train to work that day, for once.

Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend, and a well-deserved rest..

Before next week! Monday sees the long-awaited return of the Crick Crack Storytelling Club, who are at Soho Theatre with The Girl who Married a Dog.

Tuesday, I'm back with Kensington Classical Music, for a concert at Asia House - part of the Talent Unlimited Music Futures Festival, for young performers, which runs all week.

Wednesday, the Man with the Hat is taking London for Less Than a Tenner to the Top Secret Comedy Club.

Thursday sees my second outing of the week, with Kensington Classical Music, to Asia House, for that Talent Unlimited Festival.

And while I think of it, I've arranged with Mary (another regular of the Man with the Hat's) to go on the Emirates Cable Car that Friday! She's been, loved it, invited me. Gosh, d'you know, if it's not on the Meetup calendar, I can forget so easily.. well, now there's a record of it here. This was the first date I was free!

Finally, I start next month with LDAM again, who - for once - are off to see some Beckett! Hallelujah, he's my favourite playwright - and not theirs, which makes it fun. No's Knife, it is, at the Old Vic, on 1 October..