Play: Girls & Boys

Last night, Girls & Boys, starring Carey Mulligan, at the Royal Court, with Up in the Cheap Seats. Natch. Another that was supposed to be excellent! Turns out, what with one booking the wrong night and others too late to get tickets for this sold-out performance, that there'd only be two of us from the group at it! Hey-ho, an elite group, as I said. The organiser was later to remark that she'd never seen a drop-out rate like it - I did, once, back when I was living near Clapham Junction, and went with the London European Club to see Light!

The intention was to take the bus, but it would've taken a while - and I got held up at the office, offering moral support (as I couldn't see what the problem was, so couldn't offer anything more practical) to my co-worker, for whom something was going wrong. I finally left him to it, and took the Tube - after all, we'd arranged a time to meet, and I didn't want to be late. Old Street station was a nightmare, as usual - but after a crammed Northern Line, I changed to the District Line at Bank, and oh, how pleasant the space was! I was suddenly nostalgic for the years I spent in West London, and travelled on it all the time..

The station is right beside the theatre, and I went in and got my ticket. Went downstairs to get a drink - I was early, which was just as well with the waiting times here - and promptly realised I couldn't find my ticket! Schlepped upstairs again, where she cleverly remembered my name, and printed me off another ticket with no trouble at all. Down again.. no seats, of course, but I managed to find somewhere to perch my drink - and in due course, my original ticket fell out of my newspaper. Of course.

I kept checking the entrance for the organiser, but only saw her after about half an hour.. so I finished off my drink and went up to join her. And we chatted until it was time to go in - we'd both gone for the stalls, despite the higher price, because the upper levels here are pretty uncomfortable. I was further forward than she was:

So. This is another straight-through play, 80 minutes without interval. Stars Carey Mulligan -and only Carey Mulligan! I hadn't studied it closely enough, and hadn't realised it's a monologue. The clever stage design features the box you see in the photo, in which she stands for some parts - for others, the backdrop lifts to uncover a clever set, initially bathed in colour, which quickly fades to a bluish-grey, to indicate that these are memories. Most likely, they achieve this effect by having the set painted in that bluish-grey, then projecting normal-looking colours onto it. Terribly clever, though.

She doesn't just restrict herself to talking about the other characters she mentions - she also goes through the motions as though she's playing with her kids. Not so much interaction with the husband. It's a story of marriage and kids, and how things go wrong.. and kudos to her, she's absolutely electrifying! Afterwards, we agreed - standing outside, in light drizzle - that her performance was outstanding. My companion thought there should have been more depth to the play, that it was glossed over slightly; I disagree, I think it's good to leave a little for the audience to mull over.

The story, while interesting, and brilliantly told, maybe takes a little long to develop. But when it does - quite casually - it hits you with the force of a hammer. We were gripped from then on - kudos to the director, Lyndsey Turner, who also directed the excellent Posh. I will say this - men come off a little badly from this play, as shown by the line - "society wasn't developed by men, it was developed to protect us from them". Maybe a bit harsh, although in the context of the play, understandable.. Runs until the 17th of next month, but completely sold out. If you do come across a ticket, don't hesitate - I joined in the enthusiastic standing ovation. This is a memorable play - there are few like it. Oh, and mercifully, my cold (thanks, co-worker!), which disturbed me somewhat during The Brothers Size, was much less troublesome last night.

Early to bed, in case we had a meeting this morning - which we didn't. Tonight, my Valentine's Day plans involve The York Realist, at Donmar Warehouse - a gay love story, set in Yorkshire. And as I remarked to my co-worker, ain't it vexing to keep going to things that are walking distance from our old office?! and from my old accommodation. Oh well.

Tomorrow, my £3.60 club has got me a ticket - for that amount - for Orpheus Sinfonia, at St. George's Church in Hanover Square. About time I was back with them - they do offer excellent value. Pity though - the London European Club, I've just discovered, has just advertised a concert that I'd happily have gone to! Well, if they will leave it that late..

And on Friday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats - who else - for Frozen, at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.