First time I'd been to the Barbican from this location. Google Maps bravely suggested I could make it in about 45 minutes - rubbish, just like where I was living before, you need at least an hour. Especially if limping, as I still was (and am today) - I was wearing long boots yesterday, and my calf muscle was so swollen I could barely get the boot on! Mind you, when I did, it acted rather like a cast, keeping my lower leg quite rigid, and was quite comfortable. Still, it was arduous, trekking all the way across town - bus would have taken over an hour, so it was train to Vauxhall, Victoria Line to King's Cross, and any old Tube to Barbican.
Well, I say any old Tube - but King's Cross is a complicated station. Five Tube lines passing through it, three would have done me, and I STILL got lost! See, I found the lift to the next level, and with stairs being really painful, I figured that was a wise option. Unfortunately, all I did was exit in front of a sign that said "No Access to Circle and Hammersmith and City Lines, Return to Platform"! Gosh, that's helpful - I persevered, and must have spent ten minutes limping through the station to the exit, through the barriers, and followed the signs on the other side to pass through the barriers again for what I wanted - Circle, Hammersmith and City, or Metropolitan, all of which go from the same, separate platform.
Bah humbug, I was already late by the time I got to Barbican station, where I discovered there was no alternative to climbing the stairs to street level (painfully). I know the way, but that didn't make it any easier. At least when I got to the theatre, I knew the others would probably already be inside.. well, once there, I decided to treat myself to the lift again. Someone told me I needed to go downstairs for the Theatre box office (there's a Hall as well, you see).
So I eventually got the lift to go down. Very, very sluggish. And it turns out that the lift at Level -1 in the Barbican is across the road from the rest of the building! Eh, right. Well, I crossed and got my ticket, and she told me I needed to go up those stairs.. I told her I'd be taking the lift, and hurried off. This turned out to be a massive mistake. When I got upstairs, I could only see signs for the hall. Asked directions of an employee, who checked my ticket and told me I needed to go upstairs again. Eh, right. Back to the uncooperative lift. I knew now I was wrong, but anyway. I needed to be upstairs in the theatre, but was headed upstairs in the hall.. sure enough, the helpful usher up there apologised on behalf of her colleague, and said I needed to go back to -1, find the theatre, and head upstairs INSIDE it.. who designed this place, Slartibartfast?)
Back to the lift, back to -1, across the road. Limped carefully up the stairs I should have gone up the first time. Located my door (Theatre Left) - was led inside, and to a lift (yay!). At last I found the door where my seat should be, and another helpful usher, who was at that moment told that they'd just got to the latecomer point and I could go in. Only then she couldn't find her torch. Spent several minutes looking for it. I practiced my best rictus grin, while suspending my leg slightly, because it was hurting.
Well, I did get in, to the back row, where I was told that I was about 20 seats in. Heh. As the lady on the end of the row said, why didn't I just take the empty seat beside her? So I did. View was perfect, if you leaned forward to avoid the safety rail getting in the way. Now, I was familiar with the story, of course, so I can confidently tell you that I entered at the point where Lear has split his kingdom between his elder daughters, leaving his youngest, Cordelia, penniless. She gets the King of France to marry her anyway, so that's ok for the moment. Meanwhile, Lear sets himself to gallivanting between his elder daughters' houses, retinue in tow - when I entered, the sisters were deep in conversation about how to deal with the vexatious old man. Nice, sparkly costumes - the voices at this point were a bit faint, but thankfully that wasn't to happen much.
Ah, it's actually ages since I saw Shakespeare done straight! Not that I don't love it being given a twist, but trust the RSC to stay true to the original. And yes, it is a powerful production - for me, dues in particular should be paid to the actor who played Edmund, who - I thought - pulled off the humour of the role marvellously. Humour and madness both were played beautifully as the play evolved. Turned out that the lady who'd invited me to sit there was a massive Shakespeare buff, whom I chatted to at the interval, and for whom this play is one of her favourites. Indeed, she burst into tears at the end - now, I know it's a tragedy, but this is unusual.. Oh, and for the squeamish amongst you, there's an eye-gouging scene in the second half, which is done reasonably graphically, inside a transparent cube, just so there's something for the gore to spatter against..
People who are sensitive to flashing lights should also beware, as there's a very realistic storm sequence, complete with lightning. Terrific sound effects throughout are provided by a small orchestra sat over the stage. And then, a bit before the interval, Lear and his fool, having shunned the "hospitality" of his elder daughters, are out in the wilds, in the storm, and suspended on a hoist, to represent a cliff. Unfortunately, they got stuck up there, and someone came out with a headset to beg our patience, that there'd be a small delay. So they lowered the (nice and shiny) safety curtain:
(If you look really closely, you can see the members of LDAM sat front row centre..)
So, a faithful production, and a powerful one. As the Shakespeare buff beside me remarked, as you get older, frankly, you sympathise more with Lear's daughters..! Highly recommended, although it's a long 'un - 3hrs 20 mins, not allowing for technical hitches. Runs until 23 December.
Sure enough, no sign of anyone I knew on my way out. And mercifully, I found all the lifts on the way home. With nothing in particular to do today, and rain promised, I though of going to a film - so had to do the film list: hence the delay. Sure enough, rain was pounding down outside, this morning at least.. anyway, finally finished the thing after 7pm, by which stage some had only been showing earlier in the day, and top of the remaining ones was a Pakistani film, Lahore Se Aagey, which I'd have had to traipse to the ends of the earth to see. Thankfully, I didn't like the look of the trailer - which brought me down to Arrival. Whee! Second Amy Adams film within a week, gosh - in this, she plays a linguist, brought in to help communicate with aliens that have just made contact. Jeremy Renner plays the love interest, and Forest Whitaker is the army guy. Showing in my local cinema, and I'd have made the 9pm showing - but would you believe, it was sold out! Booked myself a ticket for the late show - what the hey, I'm driving, and it gave me time to eat - and blog.. Gosh, it's years since I've been to a late show!
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