Musical: Man of La Mancha

Last night, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for Man of La Mancha, starring Kelsey Grammer and Nicholas Lyndhurst, at the Coliseum. Being in the Balcony as usual, I had to go in the very back row - can't handle those vertiginous stairs! Tickets a bit cheaper with WhatsOnStage. Now, I don't think my new office actually has a printer! and wasn't sure whether I could show my e-ticket on my phone - but I emailed them, and they said that was fine. Just as long as it was legible.

Set out in good time.. and as I approached the theatre, I started to get messages: about upgrades! They were saying that the top two circles - where I think everyone had booked - were closed, and we were all being moved to the bottom two! Ooh.. that's further down than I'd ever been here, before. So when I arrived - and after the nice doorman had checked the bag with my laptop in it - he directed me towards the table where two ladies had a pile of upgrade tickets. En route, I ran into our group organiser - and we approached the table together. Now, I think their policy was to send people who'd booked the Balcony to the Dress Circle, and people who'd booked the Upper Circle to the Stalls. Happily, she'd booked the Upper Circle, so she just asked whether we could sit together in the stalls - and they obliged. Nice one! We got seats fairly forward, too - at a face value of £75. (I paid £16.50.) Feeling very, very smug..

We congregated for a chat in the Stalls Bar - not so often we'll be here. And what a treat, not to have stairs to climb at all - I associate this building with panting up hundreds of them. Four of us did actually get sat together - one was behind me, and there was another in our row - a kind couple beside me moved so that she could sit with us. And we were terribly happy with our seats, as we tried not to gloat, beside those who had paid full price:

I'd never actually seen this musical before, although I knew the story - I saw two versions of it last year, for goodness' sake. In this version, Cervantes (Kelsey Grammer) is imprisoned by the Inquisition, awaiting trial. (Never actually happened.) Nicholas Lyndhurst plays the "guvnor" of the prison, who says that his possessions are forfeit, and is about to burn his manuscript - so he offers to entertain them. With the story of Don Quixote.

Now, as I mentioned before, this has mixed reviews. And I have to conclude, it basically isn't a very good musical. The beginning takes a very long, slow time to get going - it's some minutes before the music starts. And the whole production seems a bit sluggish - I had to wonder whether that's down to Kelsey Grammer, whom I can't imagine bounding about the stage, as Don Quixote has done in other shows. I am perplexed at a review I came across, that said he "saves" what is a patchy production..?

The score is marvellous - someone said that, not having seen it before, she was told that she would definitely recognise some of the numbers. She was dead right - The Impossible Dream, anyone? Having said that, I wasn't terribly impressed with the singing in this production. Overall, I did enjoy it though - it's good fun, and the songs themselves are terrific. Plus, there's the upgrade - might be worth going to this show, purely to see a different angle of the Coliseum. As for the standing ovation at the end? Dunno - Cheers / Frasier fans? Runs till the 8th - why not check how availability is in the higher levels? If they're not selling well, you could get that desirable upgrade..

Afterwards, walked back to Aldwych, for a better selection of buses - unfortunately, I ran into the West End crowds, all seemingly headed the other way; it was just the time that all the theatres let out! What a sea of people.. Tonight, back at another Spooky London Paranormal Pub Meetup. This time, it's The Morpeth Arms. Mercifully, they don't tend to stay late - I need more stuff from my old flat, and need some time to get it! Tomorrow, I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

On Monday and Tuesday, it's UITCS again. On Monday, we're going to Rosmersholm, by Ibsen, at the Duke of York's Theatre. Just across from the Coliseum - we were remarking on it last night!

On Tuesday, it's Our Town at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. Hope the weather holds!

On Wednesday, back at last with London Literary Walks - whom I'm shamefully neglecting - for "The Second Westminster Walk".

Next Thursday and the 24th, I booked with UITCS. Next Thursday, it was for The Starry Messenger, at Wyndham's, starring Matthew Broderick. I waited the longest time to book this, because I have theatre tokens, earned from posting photos to Seatplan, and every time I thought of booking it, I was either away from where my tokens were, or it was out of office hours - and they have to be booked by phone, generally. Well, I was to be glad I waited - they finally released really cheap front row seats in the stalls! (Restricted view, it's a tall stage.) And I was within arms' reach of my tokens, mid-afternoon. After being kept forever on hold, I was put through to someone who had to have everything spelled out for her, and emitted a big sigh when I told her I had a theatre token. So she had to log into that site. But it was all worth it, to get a ticket for £2.25.. Of course, I knew something would go wrong: and now the office social is scheduled for that very day. Ah well - curry night it is then, venue TBD.

On the 24th, I'm off, with UITCS, to Jude, at Hampstead Theatre.

And on the 25th, back - for the first time in a ridiculously long time - with London Dramatic Arts! We're at King Hedley II, with Lenny Henry, at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East. As usual, she closed RSVPs too early, but I asked, and she reopened them. Be good to see them again!