A bit soggy, I arrived on Gray's Inn Road some time after 6 - our organiser had said he'd be there from about 6, with the event due to start at 7:30. Not hard to spot, the Welsh Centre has a Welsh flag over it - all wrapped around the pole when I got there. It's a lovely, Tudor-style building, lots of oak panelling, large, lead-lined windows - I should really have snapped a picture while we were waiting downstairs, for the upstairs bar to be free. Anyway, the lady at the desk checked that we already had tickets, and stamped us, before setting up a stand to sell more - I think most people actually paid on the door.
Upstairs was a large, raftered, function room with bar, booths, upholstered seats, and lots of plastic seats that had been set up for the occasion (and a slightly musty smell that probably comes as standard):
- that's the stage, at the far end. And it was lovely to see old faces - including a couple of the Man with the Hat's erstwhile flock - in my first proper Meetup since the 16th! Well, on our way in, we'd picked up programmes, feedback forms, and voting cards - turned out this was a competition for Welsh playwrights; the evening would see eight short plays, we got to vote, the top four would get sent to Cardiff for a larger competition, the overall winner would get their name inscribed on a plaque. As usual, I came unprepared, like all of us - not a pen amongst us. Free pens were rumoured, but there was no sign when we looked. 'Tis the way with free stuff.
The idea of a "Chippy and Scratch" night is that the props - and rehearsal - are minimal; most actors, for example, were reading from the script. First up was a romantic drama entitled "Love in a Single Brain Cell"- well written, but particularly hard to tell when the scene / time period / stage in the relationship changed. Much more successful was the second - "You Have to Go to Come Back" (or something - I forgot to bring my programme with me today!) The story a simple one about a young Welsh girl moving to London, it was terrifically acted, the lone actor making her way into the audience, grabbing audience members to represent family members, and pushing through rows to represent crowded London buses. The third piece - "Opportunity Knocks" - about a young couple that find a baby on their doorstep - wasn't to everyone's taste, but I loved the twist at the end. "Party Like It's 1985" was a reprise of the AIDS panic at the time.
A short interval - I'd prebooked an interval drink, for the sake of getting over the £10 minimum card limit, under which you have to pay a 50p surcharge. The lady I spoke to at the interval wasn't the one I'd initially booked with, but believed my tale. A trip to the loo, with the incredibly strong hand dryer. And we were off again.
First after the break was the one with the Welsh title, which I won't try to reproduce - the story of a young priest, and starring the night's mc, I'd have loved to have known what happened next in the story. Overall, I thought the standard was better than the first half - my personal favourite, "Cardiff Boy" came next. A soundtrack that mirrors and dictates the mood of the play - and played on old-fashioned cassettes, yet! - as we hear the story of a young man's adventures in nightclubs. Beautifully told. The next was a conversation between two old friends - I've forgotten the name, but loved the pacing. And the night ended with the hilarious "Outside Blisters", which turned out to be a peep into the lives of three young girls standing outside a nightclub. The lady beside me said she'd picked that as her favourite, because it was written from a completely female perspective, which she pointed out is rare.
Voting and feedback were done when we finally got a loan of a pen, and yay! "Cardiff Boy" won the overall prize, with the other three headed to Cardiff being the last two plays of the night, plus that one that ran second, where she came out into the audience. Rare for me to pick the winner; this year, for the first time, I did with Eurovision as well.. must be on a roll. We hung on in the pub for a while before heading our separate ways home - in rain that was now much heavier, goodee. But it was an excellent night!
Tonight, 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.
Tomorrow, 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 (twice, as usual). 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 Monday, 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 Tuesday, 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. (As ever, WELLBEING30 was still giving 30% off most talks, last I looked. And there's a temporary 50% discount for the code 50funzingagain.)
Next Wednesday, 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 last 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.
On the 10th, nothing had been appealing - until I tried the app again on Saturday, and came across a Meetup group called, attractively, Let's Do This! Quite new - anyway, they have organised a trip to see La Voix Humaine, a 40-minute solo opera, performed in English by Opera Up Close. Unassigned seating, but with no booking fee I booked anyway - it's in King's Place, which I love. I'd already found it by the time the Man with the Hat took us there, but it was with him I went the last two times: so this'll be bittersweet. Now, I've booked on my own - and lordy if I didn't discover last night that it's co-run by another couple of the Man with the Hat's old members! I've applied for membership, which has to be approved.
The 11th started out with yet more free comedy in Hammersmith - the same five groups. But then Funzing (the same two groups) rocked up and saved me, with a talk on Blitzed - Drugs in Nazi Germany. Has to be better, frankly.
The 12th, I'm currently still looking at free comedy in Greenwich, with London Live Comedy, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich, and Random London.
The 13th, more of the same - in Hammersmith - with the Famous Five (aforementioned) groups - Discover LDN.UK twice, as before. At least the headliner that night is John Hastings, who's guaranteed to be good - and it's a lovely, small venue to see him in. Then it's back to Ireland for the weekend.
On the 17th, more comedy - for £3.60, this time. Tez Ilyas is performing at the Pleasaunce, and I know he's good - saw him in Top Secret once, for free..
The 18th, the U2 tour continues - I fly to Barcelona that day, to see them that night! One of their crazy, one-night-only appearances, on what is a very limited tour.
I fly back on the 19th, and that night am - provisionally - booked for more free comedy (quelle surprise). Greenwich, the above three groups. There are some interesting Funzing talks that night, but I've already seen them.
The 20th, I booked another Funzing talk (the above two groups). This is a talk about serial killers, as given by a forensic psychologist that works with the police, and who also gives terrific talks about psychopaths. Highly recommended! She's a terrifically engaging speaker, and looks far too young to be working in such a murky area. Unfortunately, now I've had to cancel - turns out that the much-anticipated first Meetup of Love London for Less is happening that night, so of course I'm headed to that - we're going to the Icebar, where I've never been. Should be interesting. Just a pity the only other instance of that talk I'm missing is sold out - I've added myself to the watchlist.
Then I'm back to Ireland for a long weekend - first to Dublin (from London City airport, a first for me), for U2's (one-and-only!) concert there.. then down to see my mother for a couple of days, flying back on Tuesday. On the Wednesday.. and Thursday.. free comedy!! First Greenwich, then Hammersmith - the usual groups, on both occasions.
So, that brings us to Friday 28th July, and it's off to Amsterdam, for my final two U2 concerts of the year (sniff). On Saturday and Sunday. Really, you have no idea of the organisation that went into all of this, back in January..!
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