Musical: Half a Sixpence

It was months ago that I booked Half a Sixpence, and it's a sign of how little there is for me on Meetup now that I didn't change for something else in the meantime. Hey-ho, a slightly earlier start than last night, but the Noel Coward Theatre is still only five minutes' walk from the office, so another late evening there. When the time came, I nipped quickly down West Street, right at the end onto St. Martin's Lane, and could eventually see it, ahead on the right.

I'd found the cheapest ticket with Amazon tickets - although I'd advise checking with the venue, because I don't think I saved that much. Anyway, they didn't require me to print out anything, and after a bit of a queue, arising from the more-extensive-than-usual bag search at the door, all I had to do was give my name at the box office, and the nice man was delighted to tell me that I'd been upgraded from the balcony to the next level down, the Grand Circle.

So, I'm guessing that the balcony was closed. The Grand Circle was fairly full, and from what I could tell, so were the levels below - to be fair, it is Tuesday! Couldn't complain of the view:

The show itself - well, frankly, I don't know where they got the energy! Bouncing around the stage, twanging banjos, singing to boot. (Actually, I didn't realise until the end, when they saluted them, that the orchestra was located on an upper level at the rear of the stage.) The show starts with a highly over-acted scene between two youngsters, in the countryside, making a sweethearts' pact by each taking half of a sixpence that's been filed in two. But then fate intervenes, when he goes off to find his fortune, has a windfall (spoiler), and falls for a Lady. Will true love survive? Will money wreck his life? Whadda you think? ;-)

That first scene was cringeworthy - frankly, both leads overact so much I was rather afraid they'd burst a blood vessel. They're not the only ones guilty of this. But, you know, as the story gets more serious, that becomes less obvious - and they're SO enthusiastic, and SO energetic, and the music is SO catchy that I defy anyone not to like it by the end. That closing number, Flash Bang Wallop, is an absolute classic! And when I was trying to remember where I'd heard it recently - why, it was at that Cockney Singalong! Which I went to not long after I booked this, actually..

Tomorrow, back with London Literary Walks of course - and I'm looking forward to this one more than most - it's The Chaucer Walk, and I do love things medieval!

Thursday is a red-letter day, with the last scheduled Meetup of the Man with the Hat. Both groups (London for Less Than a Tenner standing, and Let's Do London- for less! in seats, as usual) are headed to the Globe for Romeo and Juliet. It'll be poignant.. but the production itself will be controversial, from what I hear, being - shall we say, avant-garde. As usual, I'll reserve judgement till I see for myself. Then it's back to Ireland for the weekend.

On Monday and Tuesday, I'm off to Pint of Science - following a theme, given my background, I'm headed to a talk on Small Is Beautiful (quantum physics) on Monday and one on Across the Universe (cosmology, and now sold out) on Tuesday. Rock on..

On the 17th, London Literary Walks is off to Highbury. And so am I.

On the 18th, I'm booked for free comedy in Hammersmith, with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon & Greenwich, Random London, and London Live Comedy. Something, frankly, that I usually cancel, but you never know - nothing better has yet come up for this night!

On the 19th, I saw that London Social Detours (a side-shoot of Ken's Events) were charging £3 to go to the free jazz concert at the Royal Academy. So I was going to go on my own. Free. But then the London European Club (LEC) advertised a Norwegian Dixieland concert at Jamboree.. well, that sounded like more fun, so now I'm going to that instead.

On the 20th, I'm doing something local - a guided walk on Residents, Rascals & Riots, in Holborn. With London for a Tenner or Less.

The 21st, London Dramatic Arts (LDAM) is headed out of town. We're going all the way to Northampton, to see a couple of Shakespearian plays, one directed by one of her members. Richard II, to be precise, with Titus Andronicus to whet our appetites. No-one has signed up apart from me, but what the hey I've never been there, so it'll be interesting.

On the 22nd, I'm off to Ugly Lies the Bone, at the Lyttleton.

On the 23rd, I'd booked with Funzing UK for an Infinitease Burlesque Show. In Leytonstone, so if anything better came up in the meantime, I was up for it! That's a terribly long way out. Anyway, just today I got an email about cheap tickets - apparently there's a burlesque festival on - in Hackney, which is a bit closer. And a lot cheaper. So now I'm going to that instead - Funzing can be cancelled up to 48 hours in advance without penalty.

The 24th was supposed to be the Man with the Hat's last event, but he had to cancel. Instead, I discovered that the UL Alumni Association (UL is my alma mater) is holding a talk on Brexit that night. And I was going to go to that - but lo, Funzing came up with something better! So now I'm going to Urban Legends of London. And they had a 24h-only code - 25funzingagain.

The 25th, Crick Crack is back - at Crouch End Arthouse again, unfortunately. It's just so far! Still going, of course - the more especially because it's Michael Harvey! He's worth the trip. Then I'm back to Ireland for the Bank Holiday weekend again - and taking the bank holiday, this time!

On the 30h, LDAM are at the Olivier to see Common. So am I.. on a cheap Travelex ticket, which I booked direct with the venue. So I'll be avoiding them, since they don't appreciate that.

On the 31st, free comedy in Hammersmith is up again (temporarily, at least), with the above groups, plus London Art Comedy & Culture Lovers (another offshoot of Ken's Events).

On 1 June, I eschewed the free comedy in Hammersmith for the Ghosts & Executions Tour, with London for a Tenner or Less - even though that guide wasn't great the last time, so I cancelled this previously, he's better than that free comedy! Oh, and I forgot to mention, the code WELLBEING30 got me 30% off this. How it qualifies as "well-being" I don't know, but I'm not complaining!

Then I'm off down to Helen for the weekend - she told me about this Living History Festival, and I said yes please!

The 5th, I'm back to Soho Theatre with the Crick Crack Club, for something called The Frog Princess - Punked. Ben Haggerty, the mc and co-founder of the club, told us last night that there's going to be a full punk band - goodness, who would've thought that Sally Pomme Clayton had a hidden punk side!

And the 6th June, I'm with the LEC, to see the Images Ballet Company at the Arts Depot.