I disembarked at the same stop where I'd been so confused on Friday - it was a short walk ahead to The Oxford Arms. Well jeez, I know they say that Camden is Irish - despite the name, this might well be the most Irish pub in it. (Actually, I technically live in Camden, but anyway.) I have a strong suspicion that the family - which has apparently run the pub for three generations - hails originally from sweet Mayo:
The theatre was easy to find - it has a permanent sign above the door. Doors don't open until five minutes before showtime though, the box office half an hour before; I had my ticket already (good value, given that the regular price is £15), so got myself a drink. And when the doors did open, someone wandered through the bar, yelling the fact, so you couldn't miss it. I had some trouble with the narrow stairs and my drink, but reached the top safely and took a seat on the front bench - seating is unassigned.
Just three characters in this one, and the writer was there to explain the timeline to us - it runs from just after the Brexit vote to just before the recent general election. So, a married couple in deepest, darkest Lincolnshire - devastated by the Brexit vote, which was enthusiastically welcomed by their neighbours - are thrilled when the house next door, her traditional family estate, is bought by a dashing young chap, born in England, raised abroad, but now returned and anxious for a traditional English lifestyle.
Yes, they're both very taken with him, and as you might expect, this play is highly politically inspired. Peppered with political jokes, too. Oh, and quite risqué.. well, I did say they were taken with him. Brexit represented as a human relationship? Nice one. Well written, beautifully acted - it does flag just a little in the scene where it becomes apparent who's representing what. But it's quite clever, and I really enjoyed it. Recommended - runs until Saturday. Only thing was, the theatre was roasting, and I was glad to leave - it's not long though, 70 mins without interval.
On the way home, I decided to take the 27, which would be direct. Imagine my surprise when the bus stop I was sent to by Google Maps - confirmed by TFL - didn't have my bus listed! I schlepped on down the road to the next one, and have complained, for all the good it'll do.
Tonight, I'd provisionally booked for free comedy in Greenwich, with Random London, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon & Greenwich, and London Live Comedy. Naturally, I couldn't be bothered - instead, I'll go to a film. Top of my list (apart from Wonder Woman, which I'm not interested in) is Stranger in Paradise. No, not the song from Kismet - this is a documentary about refugees. BFI again - not selling out yet, but I'm keeping an eye on it. I'll walk down there later - with this promised to be the hottest day of the year so far, I wonder whether I'll see the same queue outside the ice cream shop that I saw on Monday, stretching into the road!
Tomorrow, I'd originally booked for free comedy in Hammersmith, with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich, and Random London. Also advertised with Hammersmith & Fulham Friends, and Discover LDN.UK (twice). Instead, I'm back with Funzing - London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night have a talk on Urban Legends of the Tube. I got this one for free, for filling a loyalty card for LDN Talks @ Night, having been to three talks (more, but anyway).
Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend, and on Saturday my mother and I are off to the Limerick Sings International Choral Festival - always worth a look, and the gala concert takes place in the University Concert Hall that night.
On Monday, I'm headed to some comedy for £3.60 - this one's at The Tabernacle. Gosh, that's quite close to the site of the dreadful fire last week - I might take a wander up that direction.
On Tuesday, I'm back with the London European Club (LEC) at last - an evening of Welsh stories and writing at the London Welsh Centre. Be lovely to see some familiar faces!
Next Wednesday, I had booked with Random London, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich and London Live Comedy (again) for free comedy in Greenwich (again). And then I switched to West London Improvised Comedy Nights, who have a show at The Lillie Langtry, which is closer - indeed, very close to where I've lived longest in London. However, some more folks I haven't seen in a while - a couple of members of the Man with the Hat's old groups - are headed to a concert at the Royal Academy of Music, with London Social Detours. The concerts are free, but the group is charging a Meetup fee, so I'd normally just go on my own - but I want to meet these folks, so I'll stump up.
On the 29th, yes, once again I'd booked for free comedy in Hammersmith - with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich, and Random London. Also advertised by London Live Comedy, Hammersmith & Fulham Friends, and Discover LDN.UK (again, twice). But then I'd booked to go with the LEC to a talk on the relationship between Britain and France, at the LSE. Would've been interesting, but sod it, I then realised I have a late meeting that day, and with the talk starting quite early, it's a non-starter. Didn't want to rebook the comedy, having cancelled it. So I had a look at what else was on Meetup - and discovered something interesting. I hadn't been getting a wide variety of things on the main Meetup site - but they've mercifully improved the app. Which is what I happened to consult when I realised I'd have to cancel the talk, since I didn't have a laptop to hand. And lo, the app had LOADS more events. Seriously, there's a real disconnect between the app and the main website. Tons of interesting stuff. And on the app - well, a group called Ealing Ladies Social Group was headed to Terror, at the Lyric Hammersmith. Which sounded the most interesting of all. Not the group, mind, which has far too many rules and regulations for my liking - and they're closed to new members anyway. Nothing to stop me going myself, though..
Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again! Not usual for me to go two weeks in a row.. more details below. On 3rd, London Dramatic Arts is off to see The Mentor, at the Vaudeville Theatre. Expensively, as usual. I'm going as well - cheaply, courtesy of Amazon Tickets. Sat in the Grand Circle, I should be able to avoid them.
On the 4th, I cancelled more free comedy in Hammersmith (Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich, Random London, Hammersmith & Fulham Friends, London Live Comedy, and Discover LDN.UK) for another Funzing talk - The Psychology of Dreams. As advertised by London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night. Cancellable, but I'm so far unlikely to do so.
On the 5th, back with the LEC, for a concert of Greek music at Sands Films. Looking forward to that - I love the venue, but haven't fancied the last couple of concerts they've had there.
On the 6th, I was booked for free comedy in Hammersmith (!) with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich, Random London, London Live Comedy, Hammersmith & Fulham Friends, and Discover LDN.UK. Did you think I'd actually go? ;-) Well, I'm not - but the reason is an unusual one. My new company is very nice indeed - and they have an annual volunteering day: gardening. I hate gardening. On the 6th. For the whole day, they're at it. And on Monday, the office manager kindly informed us that it was compulsory unless we were on holiday. Huh! Well now, I hate being told what to do. So I've suddenly decided to be on holiday that day - and as it's a Thursday, the next too.
Then comes a weekend I've been looking forward to for a while. Long-anticipated, the European leg of U2's 30th anniversary tour of The Joshua Tree kicks off in Twickenham on the 8th & 9th. 'Mare of a place to see them - after I saw them there in 2005, I swore - never again. Happily, I now know someone living down that direction! :-) Helen is also coming with me to the first concert, and I'm staying with her for the weekend (now starting on Thursday, as she kindly offered). Which sorts transport for the first night - she'll drive. The second night, I'll head back by bus - the train is an absolute nightmare. Anyway, this would have been a weekend in Ireland - hence the trips back two weekends in a row, preceding it.
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