Anyway, last night I made it to Love in the Shadows, at Soho Theatre. Sold out by the time I checked on it for someone on Friday. A deliciously short 7-minute stroll from the office for me, and on my way home - could hardly have been handier. I left the office at about 6:45, got there in plenty of time for 7 - despite having to sidestep the crowds outside bars and clubs. Soho can be hard to move through! Got my ticket and went upstairs - storytelling is always upstairs, here - to find they were serving free shots of limoncello! How lovely.. They only seem to have sold the centre section, which is a real waste - they could have sold so many more. Mind you, I don't think everyone showed up - the event started a bit late, and it looked as though they were waiting for more people. Still, I mused, had I not been working locally I'd have found it hard too - it was an early start time.
A few people arrived during the performance, which didn't seem to be an issue - indeed, one unfortunate couple arrived about an hour late, when the show was nearly over! I'm guessing they mistook the start time. Anyway, the stage was dimly lit by lots of tealights, the floor in front of the seats had rugs and cushions scattered on it, and when our storyteller - Sally Pomme Clayton - took the stage, she said this was her sitting room, and we were welcome to take seats on the rugs and cushions! I was in the front row, and considered it, but decided I'd rather have some back support. One couple did take her up on it though, and listened most avidly throughout.
It turned out that the tealights were there for a purpose; atop a stand, she had a replica 1860 - as she told us - shadow theatre! A lovely, delicate little theatre, she danced around it in the darkness, inserting cut-out figures from the side to illustrate her stories. I hadn't seen this storyteller before, but she has a sweet, gentle style, and wove for us stories about how the raven became black, about starmen and wolverines, and finished with an epic Eastern European folktale, to which the shadow theatre was well suited, about a princess who escapes the marriage intentions of her brother, fleeing through a hole in reality, only to find refuge with the daughter of Baba Yaga.
It was a cosy evening of dreams and magic, and as the mc, Ben Haggerty remarked, on a more intimate scale than their last outing, on Friday! Still, I was glad to move at the end - those folding seats aren't the comfiest. Should really have taken one of the un-drunk limoncellos at the end - ah well, we were being hurried out for the next show - Soho Theatre really packs them in! Anyway, although it wasn't yet 8:30, I'd left my laptop in the office - handier to Skype my mother from there if I'm leaving from there. And as the office wasn't on my way home, I had a good meal instead of blogging, and read some more of the excellent book I happened upon, that last night I felt sick.
Right, take a deep breath - this is what's happening next..
Tonight, the Man is wearing his Hat again - Let's Do London - for less! is off to see Phantom of the Opera. Only 11 tickets, snapped up at once, of course - and hard to believe he's never seen it! Wonder whether anyone else who's going from the group has, apart from me..! And, with no rain forecast, I'm going to wear the Cloak.. it's hanging in HR in the office as we speak, where they have a proper coatstand. Still have to figure out how much I can realistically fit into the typically ludicrously small evening bag I'm thinking of bringing.
Tomorrow, I'm actually flying back to Ireland, because I'm going with my mother on Thursday to a Colm Wilkinson concert at UCH Limerick. Staying for the weekend, as it would be my weekend in Ireland anyway.
On Monday, I got a cheap ticket to a comedy show - Alasdair King is performing at the Pleasance Theatre.
Next Tuesday, I was supposed to go to a Funzing talk - Brexit Vs. Trump - but it's been bumped to next month. So now I'm going on what you might call an anti-Valentine's walk - Walk About London (and Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts) is going on a walk called My Bloody Valentine. And bloody hell, if I haven't booked with Walk About London, and just discovered that Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts is cheaper! Ooh, will have to keep an eye out for that in future - too late now..
Wednesday of next week sees the Man with the Hat back with London for Less Than a Tenner at Top Secret comedy. Sorry, no cloak for that one - I think I'd be inviting trouble!
Thursday of next week, he's taking London for Less Than a Tenner to a concert in St. Martin's, where we have gallery seats.
Friday of next week, I'm back for free comedy in Hammersmith. Courtesy of London Live Comedy, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Farringdon, and London Art Comedy and Culture Lovers.
Saturday of next week, I'm back with London Dramatic Arts for a production of Hamlet, at the Almeida.
Sunday 19th is shaping up to be a busy day. I'd booked to go to a free organ recital, with the London European Club, 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 London European Club. My, what a busy life!
Monday 20th is the only day I have free to use my Wowcher before it expires - it's for the Magic Lantern festival.
Tuesday 21, unusually, London European Club is taking us to some storytelling - up in Cambridge Heath!
Wednesday 22, I'm headed, with LDAM, to The Cherry Orchard, at the Arcola.
Thursday 23, the Crick Crack Club is back at Crouch End, with The Fate We Bring Ourselves - not that you'd know it from 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, back to free comedy in Hammersmith - this time with London Live Comedy, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Farringdon, and Random London.
Friday 3rd, again, Crick Crack is telling stories - Daniel Morden and Hugh Lupton are performing Metamorphoses at Rich Mix. However, neither Crick Crack's Meetup group, nor Rich Mix, seem to have heard of this, and tickets are not yet available to buy - despite Ben Haggerty advertising it just last night!
And 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.
And then I may need to be stretchered out..
Tomorrow, I'm actually flying back to Ireland, because I'm going with my mother on Thursday to a Colm Wilkinson concert at UCH Limerick. Staying for the weekend, as it would be my weekend in Ireland anyway.
On Monday, I got a cheap ticket to a comedy show - Alasdair King is performing at the Pleasance Theatre.
Next Tuesday, I was supposed to go to a Funzing talk - Brexit Vs. Trump - but it's been bumped to next month. So now I'm going on what you might call an anti-Valentine's walk - Walk About London (and Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts) is going on a walk called My Bloody Valentine. And bloody hell, if I haven't booked with Walk About London, and just discovered that Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts is cheaper! Ooh, will have to keep an eye out for that in future - too late now..
Wednesday of next week sees the Man with the Hat back with London for Less Than a Tenner at Top Secret comedy. Sorry, no cloak for that one - I think I'd be inviting trouble!
Thursday of next week, he's taking London for Less Than a Tenner to a concert in St. Martin's, where we have gallery seats.
Friday of next week, I'm back for free comedy in Hammersmith. Courtesy of London Live Comedy, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Farringdon, and London Art Comedy and Culture Lovers.
Saturday of next week, I'm back with London Dramatic Arts for a production of Hamlet, at the Almeida.
Sunday 19th is shaping up to be a busy day. I'd booked to go to a free organ recital, with the London European Club, 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 London European Club. My, what a busy life!
Monday 20th is the only day I have free to use my Wowcher before it expires - it's for the Magic Lantern festival.
Tuesday 21, unusually, London European Club is taking us to some storytelling - up in Cambridge Heath!
Wednesday 22, I'm headed, with LDAM, to The Cherry Orchard, at the Arcola.
Thursday 23, the Crick Crack Club is back at Crouch End, with The Fate We Bring Ourselves - not that you'd know it from 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, back to free comedy in Hammersmith - this time with London Live Comedy, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Farringdon, and Random London.
Friday 3rd, again, Crick Crack is telling stories - Daniel Morden and Hugh Lupton are performing Metamorphoses at Rich Mix. However, neither Crick Crack's Meetup group, nor Rich Mix, seem to have heard of this, and tickets are not yet available to buy - despite Ben Haggerty advertising it just last night!
And 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.
And then I may need to be stretchered out..
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