No drinking in the office for me, tonight - there was a late, ad hoc meeting. Which we were invited to, but politely declined - and so I got away in decent time. Made an earlier bus than I needed, by dint of running for it! Dozed on the way - it'd been a long day. Got off at the end of the line again, at Waterloo, and trotted down the road, where I found a couple of the group standing by the box office, in the lobby. Mind you, when the organiser arrived, she stayed outside - so we were a bit split. Still, I had a good chat with a number of people. Problem was, with construction work ongoing at the theatre, you can enter the upper levels through the lobby - but the Stalls entrances are outside. Hey-ho.. we agreed to meet at the first-floor bar at the interval.
I was in the very highest row of the theatre - back row in the Lilian Baylis (upper) circle. Which was fine - although it would've been a bit cramped if the seat to one side of me hadn't been free, so I could swing over that way. I was lucky - I couldn't see many free seats anywhere, and I knew that people in our group had found it hard to get tickets, with them being completely sold out when they tried at first.
Plenty of music in this - it's got a terrific soundtrack. In fact, you'd be advised to take your seat early - not only is public space cramped as ever in this theatre, but for this show, there's a live band on stage throughout. And they play before the start - so go listen! The more so because the story starts just before the Wall Street Crash, when the music was happier.. One female soloist gives such a spectacular performance that she's worth going to listen to, all on her own.
Jazz and flowing dresses. Talk of shares, everybody desperate to invest in a market that they thought would keep growing forever. One naysayer, advising people to get out of the markets quickly, and being ignored - of course, as he remarks later in the play, not everyone suffered during the Great Depression - those who still had money made an absolute killing, as people sold whatever they had left, for whatever little they could get. Enjoy it while you can - very shortly, we're into the depression, and you would not believe how miserable it gets.
People's businesses going under. People who had responsible jobs, positions of authority, and now scrape by on whatever they can scrounge. Farmers whose farms are mortgaged, and sold at auction by banks that are themselves desperate for cash, in an era when banks are going under. People going door to door in search of any kind of work, or showing up at relief offices, fainting from hunger. Many of those affected were bankers, who believed in the system, had the rug pulled from under them - and find themselves in a position they thought they'd never see. The "dance marathons" are a regular feature - they always remind me of the film They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
At the interval, I discovered that a lot of my group simply didn't like it. The general consensus was that it was, well, depressing! (Well, yes..) Someone also complained of being unable to bond with the characters - but as I remarked, that'd be difficult, in a work of this wide scope. It's kind of a love letter to America - we see all sorts of characters, living through unimaginable conditions, and finish with a kind of snapshot of - stuff that happened up to 1969. The overall impression is that the depression coloured the nation. And it's definitely not to everyone's taste - for the second half, I was to discover that most of the row to my left had gone, so I could move to where I had free seats on both sides - and a free seat in front of me! Much more comfortable.
Me, I loved it. As I say, I loved the soundtrack - also thought the staging was terrific, with a revolving centre piece, and several well-choreographed juxtapositions of characters. The stage is kind of in the round, with part of the audience appearing as part of the backdrop. And it may not be the most upbeat piece, but I think it's truly moving - and epic in scope. Recommended, if you want something serious. Running till the 30th of next month.
Funnily enough, I ran into someone from LDAM at the interval! Lovely to see her - and it has been a long time. Afterwards, we stood outside for a bit - but the play is long and the hour was late, and it was cold - and wet, once we stepped out from under the porch! At the bus stop, I consulted the board to see when my bus was departing - completely failing to notice that it was right beside me! I was lucky it didn't leave without me.
Tomorrow, to Aspects of Love, at Southwark Playhouse. Based on an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. And on the event organiser's recommendation, I bought a subscription to the theatre, which entitles me to five tickets, and has no time limit - used the first for this, which made it very good value! He was there tonight, as well. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.
On Monday, I'm with the group again, for another Arthur Miller play - this time, it's The Price, at Wyndham's, starring David Suchet. A few people from tonight going to that as well. Oh, and for two of these, I could have used my Seatplan vouchers, which arrived last week. If I'd had them with me. Never mind - I hadn't been expecting to book so much so soon, but they don't expire anyway.
And on Tuesday, Let's Do This is off to Tango Fire at the Peacock. They booked a box, so had a very limited number of seats, and I wasn't in time for theirs - but I got my own ticket, and have agreed to meet them for a drink afterwards.
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