So, off we set yesterday evening. Nearly didn't make it at all, what with an idiot driver of a Range Rover, who insisted on overtaking a cyclist, at a bend on a narrow hillside road. I've always said this is like the roads they show on the road safety ads.. Anyway, all's well that ends well, and we arrived safely at the Castletroy Park Hotel, just across the road from the university. Where she had her usual salmon, I had soup and a stirfry - both were quite spicy, and overall, as she remarked afterwards, they must add a lot of salt to their food; we were both parched. I, in particular, was stuffed, after gorging on the huge quantity of noodles that they filled up my stirfry with, and neither of us were that impressed with the ice cream selection we had for dessert, which was just sloppy. But hey, it's generally quite good. Although definitely not cheap.
We arrived in good time at the concert hall - very nice, for once, not to be rushing - and took a seat on one of the two highly prized sofas in the cafe, where we people-watched, and she remarked how the audience was obviously "of a certain age". Plenty of walking sticks, a walker, and one guy on oxygen. What the hey, it was quite full.. and mercifully, they opened the doors good and early for once, allowing us to take our seats.
We were sat right behind the mixing desk, but the guy's head wasn't too big, and it was ok. And as my mother remarked, it was nice to be in the middle of the row, so you didn't have to keep standing to let people in and out..
They started late, which as I remarked made sense, given the pace at which some audience members were moving. Anyway, when they did start, it was to a documentary - shown on the screen you can see in the picture - voiced by a deep-voiced Englishman, and telling us Mario Lanza's life story, and permeating the show. On stage were the Slovak musicians, led by Vladimir and his brother Anton, whom we've seen many times in Glór, and who are in concert themselves here next weekend. And there were four singers, to voice the great man's Greatest Hits.
The musical accompaniment was excellent, and although I don't have much interest in Mario Lanza per say, the documentary was interesting, and you would recognise most of the songs. Must also have been really interesting for people who were fans. Of the singers, Sean Costello was really the stand-out for me, in particular with a stunning rendition of Una Furtiva Lagrima. The one soprano on stage, however - Sandra Oman - I found frankly irritating, from her mawkish introduction to her distractingly bouncy hair (well, to be fair, that's her choice) to her mouth, which waggled when she was doing that vibrating thing they sometimes do. I noticed her hand joined in, for accompaniment.
Hey-ho, it was entertaining enough, and my mother enjoyed it, which was the main thing. And I'm just delighted to get a short break from London, frankly - need the rest, need to get my head together for this week's interview - looks a really interesting company.
I fly back early on Tuesday, because I'm booked with London Dramatic Arts that night, to go to Amadeus, at the National.
Wednesday is something I've been looking forward to for a while - I'm off with London for a Tenner or Less (Funzing, not Man with Hat!) to Step on Board the Haunted Tube Express! Hallowe'en starts here, eh?!
And Thursday is the next of the Man with the Hat's long season at the Opera House, where we're headed to see the comic opera, The Nose. I'm going cheap, as usual, of course, and sitting in the slips, with London for Less Than a Tenner. And wouldn't you know it, that's the day of my second interview..
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