And it was about a 10-minute walk from the office. We were to meet him in the crypt - yes, there he was, and as soon as he saw me, he made for me, brandishing a ticket and then taking off at a gallop to lead me to the seating area at the back of the cafe where the others were sitting. I started the second table, the first being full.. and it was lovely to see some faces I hadn't seen in an age. Wow though, there were so many newcomers last night, of different kinds - people who'd never been to a classical concert before, people who'd never been with this group before, people who'd been with the group but not at this venue.. And what was really lovely about that was that I knew they'd all have a great experience.
Now, I was in need of food, so helped myself to a large slice of chocolate cake. And a glass of wine. And finishing that meant that I was one of the last to head upstairs - many thanks to those who waited for me. Also, many thanks to the kind soul who took it upon himself to hire me a cushion! Very thoughtful. Anyway, as usual we had unreserved tickets, and scattered ourselves amongst the rows - anywhere but he front row, as we were told. It was very full. And those who hadn't been before were to learn that the Man with the Hat was right in his advice just to sit back and listen to the music, eyes closed or admiring the gorgeous ceiling.
The artists, as usual, were London Concertante, who treated us to the usual jokes. Reassuringly familiar. And the program was peppered with popular classics. We started with some Bach. Following this with some Purcell, they finished the first half - again, as usual - with some Piazzola. They do make a habit of this - but I have to say, of what I've heard of his work, I think this was the one I liked best. The second half started with some more Bach - not J. S. this time, but his son, C. P. E. - more popular at the time, apparently. And then we were in to the perennial favourites, The Four Seasons - Spring and Summer, specifically. Gooddee, Summer's my favourite. They finished with something a bit different - a selfie with the audience, and an extra piece that they encouraged us to go Facebook Live on, the idea being that they could later splice together all the videos to make a professional-looking one. I couldn't get it to work on my phone, but kudos to those who did, and to Concertante for moving with the times.
Afterwards to Amba, and more impressed people, who hadn't been there before. And I ordered some chips, which constituted my main dinner of the evening - and remarked, as I often have before, on the superiority of English chips. And we had a nice chat, before dispersing to our various destinations.
Tonight, I was supposed to go to free comedy in Hammersmith. Courtesy of London Live Comedy, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Farringdon, and London Art Comedy and Culture Lovers. But hey, that guide's voice must have recovered - on Wednesday, she advertised a Sweeney Todd tour for this evening with Walk About London - and I booked. Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts also going.
Tomorrow, after lunch with Helen - somewhere around Euston - I'm back with London Dramatic Arts (LDAM) for a production of Hamlet, at the Almeida.
Sunday is shaping up to be a busy day. I'd booked to go to a free organ recital, with the London European Club (LEC), at the Methodist Central Hall. Then the Man with the Hat decides that would be the perfect evening to take Let's Do London - for less! to see the Pop-up Opera, with the Barber of Seville, at Charing Cross Theatre! With a 6pm start, I'll have to rush over from Westminster.. have to make my excuses to the LEC. My, what a busy life!
Monday is the only day I have free to use my Wowcher before it expires - it's for the Magic Lantern festival.
Tuesday, unusually, LEC is taking us to some storytelling - up in Cambridge Heath!
Wednesday, I'm headed, with LDAM, to The Cherry Orchard, at the Arcola. And I just caught an interesting conversation in relation to that evening - seems someone who's booked can't go, and posted in case anyone wanted his ticket. Whereupon the organiser was right on to him to explain that that's against the rules. Yes, ok, he doesn't get a refund if the ticket isn't sold on, and he can't sell on the ticket directly - I get that. But me oh my, it seems her anti-blogging page isn't the only page of rules she - or someone she knows - has come up with - take a read of the rules against reselling. I mean seriously - the ticket can't be passed on until the day of the event? And forget about a refund - at best, you can get credit. You have been warned..
Thursday, the Crick Crack Club is back at Crouch End, with The Fate We Bring Ourselves - finally advertised on their Meetup page! Ben Haggerty standing in for Claire Muireann Murphy, who's having a knee operation, it seems. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.
Monday 27th, London for Less Than a Tenner is off to Two Man Show at Soho Theatre. I've seen it before, but it's worth seeing again. And so is the group!
Tuesday 28th, Let's Do London - for less! is off to Sleeping Beauty, at the Opera House.
Wednesday 1st March - well lookee that, the same group is off to Roundelay, at Southwark Playhouse. Three in a row for the Man with the Hat - we'll have to carry him off on a stretcher. About time we got back to Southwark though - we've missed it!
Thursday 2nd, I was thinking of free comedy in Hammersmith - this time with London Live Comedy, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Farringdon, and Random London. But then Walk, Talks and Treasure Hunts (and Walking Victorian London) announced a walk called True Spy Stories! So I thought that sounded more interesting, and booked.
Friday 3rd, again, Crick Crack is telling stories - Daniel Morden and Hugh Lupton are performing Metamorphoses at Rich Mix. However, the Rich Mix website doesn't seem to have heard of this.. The independent Crick Crack Club website now has a link to buy tickets from Rich Mix though, and at the moment they're being sold at a discounted preview price. And now that the link is available, their Meetup group is advertising it too.
Saturday 4th, Let's Do London - for less! is back to see Sleeping Beauty - and so am I. Honestly, this was a mistake on my part - I was booking a lot at the time and forgot I was already going - but hell, I'd rather be doing this anyway than not. Amphiteatre, this time - it's been a while since I was there.
Sunday 5th, London for Less Than a Tenner is advertising "Soho: the Roots of the Swinging Sixties - guided walk"! Now, this confused me, before I read deeper.. I do recall the Man With the Hat saying that, while he was interested in guided walks, he wasn't interested in actually guiding them. Turns out someone else is doing the actual guiding.. Anyway, count me in.
Monday 6th, I'm off to see Russell Howard at the Albert Hall.
Tuesday 7th, jeez, the Man with the Hat is back again! Hard to keep up these days - so I'm going with Let's Do London - for less! to The Diary of a Teenage Girl at Southwark Playhouse.
Wednesday 8th, I finally get to go to something with the Post-Apocalyptic Book Club - not a book discussion this time, instead they're off to a play called The Machine Stops, at Jacksons Lane Theatre. Suitably post-apocalyptic. Then I'm back to Ireland for a long weekend.
Monday 13th, I'm with LDAM at the Royal Court, for The Kid Stays in the Picture.
And to complete the tally of a month from now (!), that rescheduled talk on Brexit Vs. Trump from last Tuesday is on Tuesday 14th. Unless I decide to go to a film instead - being Funzing, I can get my money back if I cancel at least 48 hours in advance.
Tomorrow, after lunch with Helen - somewhere around Euston - I'm back with London Dramatic Arts (LDAM) for a production of Hamlet, at the Almeida.
Sunday is shaping up to be a busy day. I'd booked to go to a free organ recital, with the London European Club (LEC), at the Methodist Central Hall. Then the Man with the Hat decides that would be the perfect evening to take Let's Do London - for less! to see the Pop-up Opera, with the Barber of Seville, at Charing Cross Theatre! With a 6pm start, I'll have to rush over from Westminster.. have to make my excuses to the LEC. My, what a busy life!
Monday is the only day I have free to use my Wowcher before it expires - it's for the Magic Lantern festival.
Tuesday, unusually, LEC is taking us to some storytelling - up in Cambridge Heath!
Wednesday, I'm headed, with LDAM, to The Cherry Orchard, at the Arcola. And I just caught an interesting conversation in relation to that evening - seems someone who's booked can't go, and posted in case anyone wanted his ticket. Whereupon the organiser was right on to him to explain that that's against the rules. Yes, ok, he doesn't get a refund if the ticket isn't sold on, and he can't sell on the ticket directly - I get that. But me oh my, it seems her anti-blogging page isn't the only page of rules she - or someone she knows - has come up with - take a read of the rules against reselling. I mean seriously - the ticket can't be passed on until the day of the event? And forget about a refund - at best, you can get credit. You have been warned..
Thursday, the Crick Crack Club is back at Crouch End, with The Fate We Bring Ourselves - finally advertised on their Meetup page! Ben Haggerty standing in for Claire Muireann Murphy, who's having a knee operation, it seems. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.
Monday 27th, London for Less Than a Tenner is off to Two Man Show at Soho Theatre. I've seen it before, but it's worth seeing again. And so is the group!
Tuesday 28th, Let's Do London - for less! is off to Sleeping Beauty, at the Opera House.
Wednesday 1st March - well lookee that, the same group is off to Roundelay, at Southwark Playhouse. Three in a row for the Man with the Hat - we'll have to carry him off on a stretcher. About time we got back to Southwark though - we've missed it!
Thursday 2nd, I was thinking of free comedy in Hammersmith - this time with London Live Comedy, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Farringdon, and Random London. But then Walk, Talks and Treasure Hunts (and Walking Victorian London) announced a walk called True Spy Stories! So I thought that sounded more interesting, and booked.
Friday 3rd, again, Crick Crack is telling stories - Daniel Morden and Hugh Lupton are performing Metamorphoses at Rich Mix. However, the Rich Mix website doesn't seem to have heard of this.. The independent Crick Crack Club website now has a link to buy tickets from Rich Mix though, and at the moment they're being sold at a discounted preview price. And now that the link is available, their Meetup group is advertising it too.
Saturday 4th, Let's Do London - for less! is back to see Sleeping Beauty - and so am I. Honestly, this was a mistake on my part - I was booking a lot at the time and forgot I was already going - but hell, I'd rather be doing this anyway than not. Amphiteatre, this time - it's been a while since I was there.
Sunday 5th, London for Less Than a Tenner is advertising "Soho: the Roots of the Swinging Sixties - guided walk"! Now, this confused me, before I read deeper.. I do recall the Man With the Hat saying that, while he was interested in guided walks, he wasn't interested in actually guiding them. Turns out someone else is doing the actual guiding.. Anyway, count me in.
Monday 6th, I'm off to see Russell Howard at the Albert Hall.
Tuesday 7th, jeez, the Man with the Hat is back again! Hard to keep up these days - so I'm going with Let's Do London - for less! to The Diary of a Teenage Girl at Southwark Playhouse.
Wednesday 8th, I finally get to go to something with the Post-Apocalyptic Book Club - not a book discussion this time, instead they're off to a play called The Machine Stops, at Jacksons Lane Theatre. Suitably post-apocalyptic. Then I'm back to Ireland for a long weekend.
Monday 13th, I'm with LDAM at the Royal Court, for The Kid Stays in the Picture.
And to complete the tally of a month from now (!), that rescheduled talk on Brexit Vs. Trump from last Tuesday is on Tuesday 14th. Unless I decide to go to a film instead - being Funzing, I can get my money back if I cancel at least 48 hours in advance.
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