Well, I headed off in decent time - mind you, my journey was complicated by a road race in the City, which meant I had to walk down to Ludgate Circus to catch my bus. My bus app, however, said it wasn't due for nearly half an hour - so I decided to take the first one headed to Trafalgar Square, which would be close enough. And that's what I did - crowded as it was, with a wheelchair and two buggies! Still, I managed to get a seat after one stop, and got off just around the corner from the theatre. Where the bus I should have got passed me - but then, I don't know it'd have dropped me any closer.
The ushers were a bit punctilious - the one just inside the door conscientiously asked whether I was there to pick up a ticket; when I said I was, he directed me to the box office just behind him, as indicated by the big "Box Office" sign. Well, I soon had my ticket and joined the others in the downstairs bar - inconvenient really, as the play is on in Studio 1, upstairs from the lobby. So, lots of stairs to climb. Ah well.. they do a nice sauvignon blanc.. In fact, I had another at the interval: for medicinal purposes! I had a niggling cough.
Our seats were particularly squeaky, which made us afraid to move much. However, we were just in front of the sound desk, so leaning forward wasn't an issue! unlike for the row in front of us, who had two women from our row telling them not to, before the play had even started. (In the picture, BTW, you can just see the guy sitting at the rear of the stage, staring at us as we took our seats - freaky, and particularly incongruous, with an ice cream seller in front of him.)
The scene might change, but in our imagination only, by and large - that stage is unadorned by many props, and hardly changes over the course of the evening. The main characters consist of a psychiatrist and his new patient, a 17-year-old boy.. who, in one crazy night, blinded six horses in the stables where he worked, with a metal spike.
We also get to meet a colleague of the psychiatrist's, who praises his great work: the boy's parents, and the stablemaster (just briefly) - as well as a girl that also works in the stables, and had developed something of a relationship with the boy. People double-job, playing different, minor roles, such as the hospital nurse. And the horses.. each horse represented mainly by a single person, several come together to stage the act of cantering: and one in particular plays a central role, as the boy's favourite.
He portrays the horse beautifully, tossing his head and pawing at the ground. A strong fellow - when someone is required to ride him as part of the story, he bears them on his shoulders. The psychiatrist, I found a bit bland in the first half - but I was to find that is deliberate, a counterpoint to the boy's passion. The parents gradually reveal their faults - the mother overly religious, the father overbearing. And we had great fun at the interval, trying to psychoanalyse the boy..
It's a story of passion, this - possibly the purest kind, being unusual in its nature, taboo in a way. This boy is crazy about horses - but not in a way most of us would recognise. Horses have become his religion, and his devotion is complete. As the layers of the story are slowly peeled away for us, we come to see why, possibly, he might have done what he did. And the psychiatrist is positively jealous of a passion he's never known in his own life. You might find it confusing - but you will definitely find it memorable. As the story nears its conclusion, the treatment scenes become more and more claustrophobic, mesmerising with pulsing light.. edge of the seat stuff, right up to the climax..
Recommended, for the staunch of spirit. Runs till the 7th September - booking advisable. And my bus home, thankfully, was no longer disrupted.
Tonight, back with the same group (but different people) for My Children! My Africa! in LAMDA. Handily, I know where to go this time. And with my cough still niggling, I'll need to get some sweets before I go.
Tomorrow, our overdue social from the company I was last with - this month, we're off to the Queen's Head and Artichoke, for dinner and drinks.
On Friday, Helen is in town again for training - and we're off on the Hidden Horrors Haunted History London Ghost Walk. Which I was on before, but wouldn't mind going on again - it's good (as I can see from the review I left), and I could do with reminding, after all. Let's see how much I've forgotten.. It's also Funzing, and I got a 15% discount with the code Fun15, which can only be used once. Advertised by Best Authentic Walking Tours in London - so Funzing does still have a Meetup group for walks.. Don't believe what they say about "no refunds" though, the Funzing rule of a full refund up to 48 hours beforehand still applies.
And on Saturday, I was thinking of a film - hence the delay with the blog, I was checking the film listings, which had just been released. However, I wasn't mad about what was coming out on top - and since Meetup had an alternative, I'm doing that instead. Headed with UITCS (again) to the matinée of Sweat, at the Gielgud Theatre. It's the very last day - and lots of sites have half price offers on decent seats. I chose the one suggested on Meetup - lastminute - and since they've widened their half price offer, I scored myself an excellent price for a seat in the rear stalls.
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