I was delighted to discover that I'm now within walking distance from the Almeida! So I set off in good time - and light drizzle, which hadn't been forecast when I checked. Bah humbug. Arrived early - and wouldn't you know it, the cafe was already full.. got one of their excellent brownies and a glass of very floral Italian white wine, and was making my way with it out to the lobby when I spied the evening's host, and we took a seat on the long couch. We were at least in time for that - I've said it so many times, this lobby is way too small, and they could do with expanding.
Well, I have to compliment them on the lobby display that advertised the show:
Classic - and wouldn't you know it, the television screen had a flickering light directed at it, so that it appeared to have a flickering screen! Lovely touch.
I was sat upstairs - sadly, right to the side:
It meant that I missed some of the action, around the side of the stage - but not significant amounts. I absolutely loved the touch of having the safety screen as a tv screen, too - and the set is painted to look like a starry night sky, just like the vastness of space that was so frequently depicted in the series!
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.
They didn't have an intro, per say.. but it's obvious from the start that this show is made by someone with a great love of the series, as was proved in the Q+A afterwards. We start with a diner scene - straight from Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up? However, the stories are almost never told in one straight run - after a certain point, we switch straight to another, coming back to the original story later. And there are plenty, spliced together: Nightmare as a Child, And When the Sky Was Opened, Perchance to Dream, The Eye of the Beholder, Little Girl Lost, The Long Morrow, Shelter. Snippets of the latter are shown on the tv screen suspended above the stage, and I do believe it was remade for another tv series, later.
I wasn't expecting the choppy nature of the narrative, but I loved this. The style is true to the original, and the set changes are marvellous, cast members donning starry coats to blend with the background as they move props. I loved the disembodied doors, leading to nowhere! Some cute magic tricks were used on stage to make some of the stories work - changing newspaper headlines, appearing and disappearing cigarettes. The audience burst out laughing when we saw people crossing the stage, holding spinning discs with the icons of the series on them - the spinning rings, a spinning door, a spinning clock! The young lady to my side was quite confused at this, remarking at the interval that she felt she was missing something - turned out she'd never seen the series! Mind you, the elderly lady on my other side hadn't, either - but her kids were mad into it, and she was curious. Neither had one of our own group, all of whom were seated downstairs. Wow, imagine..
The Q+A afterwards was a fun chance to chat to the director, the producer, and some of the cast, all of whom sat at the diner counter. The producer is so obviously in love with the series, and the cast seem to be having great fun with it. The producer explained how it was the brainchild of Rod Serling, who used it as a vehicle to say the more controversial things that he no longer could, in general. It was explained that the above episodes were chosen for their adaptability to the stage, and there was some mention of the difficulty in getting CBS to concede the rights. The discussion got more serious as we debated the laughter of the audience during the racist scene in Shelter - but as we remarked on leaving, it wasn't the racist slurs we were laughing at.
Highly recommended for fans of the show - people who don't know it at all should find it interesting. Runs until the 27th - booking recommended, last night was probably full, and several of the remaining shows are sold out.
Afterwards, I got to walk back through Islington, and to see how close I am to some nice places! Rain had stopped, too.
On Tuesday, my annual trip to Cirque du Soleil at the Albert Hall! The show this year is Ovo - cheapest tickets for the date coming in at just under £50, but they're worth it! So, back through that subway again..
On Wednesday, more comedy - Sara Pascoe, at Wyndham's.
And on Thursday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats - my first Meetup in a week will be Lady Windermere's Fan, at the Vaudeville Theatre.
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