Play: The Tempest

Tonight was my first Meetup with Up in the Cheap Seats, one of several new groups I've joined to fill the great void left by the sad departure of the Man with the Hat. Well, several people have recommended it to me - it's about time. We were off to see The Tempest, with Simon Russell Beale, at the Barbican - who, unusually, posted my ticket to me.

The only issue was my phone, which was very busy during the day, with loads of Meetup invitations and messages.. which is great, except that the battery started to give out as the afternoon progressed, and the situation was becoming critical by the time I was thinking of leaving. And I had nothing to charge it with! Well, I engaged battery-saving mode, and off I went - see, there'd have been no problem if I'd been travelling a well-worn route: but, although I've been to the Barbican many times, not from this direction! Always before, I was coming from West London, and it was just too far to take a bus, so I took the Tube: which is easy, with the maps at each station.

This evening, it was the bus - several different options, from several different stops. I chose the 55, from New Oxford Street - and what intriguing little backstreets I was led up to get there! Quite a short bus journey after that, alighting on Clerkenwell Road. Always brings back memories of an ex of mine, who used to live here. Where, to be fair, the architecture looks nothing like the brutalist architecture of the Barbican! I did wonder. Never fear, just turned right up ahead, onto Goswell Road, and after a bit of walking, there was that ugly architecture I know so well. Once I happened on the Tube station, I knew exactly where I was!

A short walk then to the Barbican itself, where I also knew where I was going - although I already had my ticket, the group was meeting at the box office, so down I went. On the way, however, I took a slight detour to the Into the Unknown exhibition, apparently all about sci-fi. Well, I just strolled through the shop - apparently there is a whole exhibit around it: and it would've been fascinating to stay and have a look around, had I not been elsewhere engaged. So off I went.

As I wandered around, slightly early, looking for a group that might be my group, whaddya know but I ran into a member of the Man with the Hat's old groups! So we chin-wagged for a bit, then wondered whether the nearby group mightn't be the one we were in. So we grabbed someone hovering on the edge of it - only to find that she wasn't actually in the group, she was a plus-one! Well, her companion duly appeared, and we chatted away until we decided it was time to head all the way upstairs - we were right in the gallery, the top level. We bought our own tickets, as is common for this group it seems, so were all sat apart, and I didn't see any of them after that. There was no message on the Meetup page as to where we might meet at the interval, or after.

Phew! Quite a few flights, although they were all short, and frankly, after Amsterdam at the weekend, I'm just not entitled to complain. As ever here, my seat was comfortable - and though a safety rail cut across my line of vision, if I leaned forward I had a perfect view: and, being in the very back row as I was, there was nobody behind me, so no problem in doing that!

Now, this was the Royal Shakespeare Company, so you might have the idea that it would be rather po-faced. And to be honest, I never really liked this play, and was dubious about going tonight. Wow, was I wrong! This is a spectacular production.. from the start, where the tempest of the title terrifies the sailors, and we're right there with them. A film playing on a screen at the back, showing lightning, then waves that seem to flood the ship, combines with lighting that swings up and down, most effectively conveying the ship's swaying through the storm. (Warning: contains flashing lights.)

Far from dreading the magical sequences of the rest of the play, as I've always done before, I was eagerly anticipating them tonight. The lead character, Prospero (Simon Russell-Beale, who plays a blinder) is a magician, and the play hinges on his moods. When he's angry, the stage turns a deep red.. quite terrifyingly. And when he conjures demons, they're cleverly displayed. But when he's in a good mood.. why, everything is sweetness and light - the stage is bathed in green, or gold, or maybe flowers: the sprites and dryads sing quite beautifully. Speaking of sprites, the main one - Ariel - starts out as a hologram! And there's quite a beautiful display of shipwrecked sailors sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

It's absolutely enchanting, and I can't recommend it highly enough! Visually stunning - excellently acted, of course. Gasping from the audience was well deserved. I see a lot of things, but this was one of the best I ever have. Runs until the 18th - do go see, if you can at all! I did keep thinking how the Man with the Hat would have loved it.. Damn, we miss him!

Afterwards, my phone battery literally lasted just long enough to tell me the route home. Which was back the way I came - which I eventually found - hang a left, and catch the same bus in the opposite direction. Tomorrow, I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.

On Monday, back with Let's Do This for a vintage swing jazz evening at Wilton's. Complete with a couple of other ex-Man with the Hat members - apart from the organisers, of course!

On Tuesday - well, a member of Up in the Cheap Seats has obviously got a thing for the Camden Fringe Festival, because he's just advertised a whole host of stuff on there! And I've booked most of it.. Tuesday sees two short plays: Beautiful Little Fools, in The Cockpit, and Borders in a Bedroom, in the Tristan Bates Theatre.

On Wednesday, I had booked free comedy in Greenwich, with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich, and Random London. Then I booked with London Live Comedy and Funzing UK for "Gangster Magic" at The Water Rats. Magic and comedy - sounded interesting. Finally, however, I was saved by London Literary Walks, whose organiser is running a walk that evening on 101 Dalmatians! Honestly, I don't really know what the walk is about - but it has to be better. Mary messaged me about it - for some reason, I didn't get a notification.

Next Thursday, the London European Club is off to a contemporary dance performance called Morphed, at the Royal Festival Hall. It's part of the Nordic Matters festival, apparently.

On the 11th, handily enough, Spooky London Pubs (another new group for me - I think!) are hosting a talk on Conan Doyle and the Mysterious World of Light. Handiest of all, it's in the King and Queen - my local! Why, I pass it every day..

And on the 12th, I'm finally back with London Dramatic Arts, for the opening night of Against, with Ben Whishaw, at the Almeida. I'm in the rear stalls - they also have tickets in the front stalls, for a higher price, of course. They're actually also going to see Apologia, with Stockard Channing and Laura Carmichael, earlier in the day, but for a ridiculous price, so I passed on that.