Got up late, after a long night booking stuff.. and what with people mooching around the flat, on another rainy day, I decided to eat out. It's really not a big enough flat to share space. With nary an eatery within spitting distance of the theatre, though, I decided to go local - which meant my usual fallback of KFC. Where I have to compliment the ultra-fast service - I barely had time to pick up a straw, a spork, and a napkin.. and there it was! I also have to praise the new practice of apparently stationing a couple of staff upstairs permanently, to clean up. Someone must have complained - it used to be filthy: and you can see why, what with the arrogant, pretty young couple who sauntered out, leaving a filthy table behind them, not taking a thing with them. So, an improvement in the surroundings. I just wish they'd start offering me dips again.. I am supposed to get them, with a meal!
Anyway, sufficiently nourished, I headed off - and Google Maps offered me a number of bus options from there. Happily, the bus I chose arrived quickly - I wouldn't have fancied hanging around for long in that bitterly cold breeze! And I was really lucky, after just one stop, to get a seat - I had to jump for it, on a bus that eventually filled so much it wasn't taking on any more. Google Maps seemed to think a couple of stops were closed, which actually weren't - and my second bus was emptier.
This is obviously one of those Meetup groups that just exists for advertising purposes - so no meeting-up was involved. Fair enough, I suspected as much. Now, they did make one error - on the Meetup page, they should have included a link for booking this show. Because it was only when I went looking for a ticket receipt today that I realised I'd never booked one! Anyway, I booked it at that point - which is doubtless why she had to look me up on the box office system and print out my ticket. Or maybe nobody generally books, here - certainly, it was less than half full. Anyway, ticket in hand, I got a glass of wine to go with it. (The house white is a bit iffy, BTW). She gave it me in plastic, so I could take it in - which was a good idea, considering that the house opened very shortly afterwards!
As you enter, a fellow in ragged clothing is playing creepy music on the keyboards. Fair play him, he keeps going throughout! to great effect. And in due course, someone emerges from behind the black curtain at the rear of the stage, and - a la Showstoppers - asks the audience for suggestions: of professions, this time, which might have been held by their parents or grandparents. They stopped on "stonemason" tonight - and unlike Showstoppers, that's all they need. But then, the show is just about an hour long.
Gotta say, absolutely hilarious! Their comic sense is on the button, they really do seem to be making it up on the spot - and I describe it as a musical because they have a habit of bursting into song! And they're all excellent singers. The stonemason in this story lived in an underground house, in a hole lined with human skulls, into which he welcomed his young nieces, whose parents had just died. And they were rather disturbed to find that he still slept with the skeleton of his dead wife.. I think I'll give the award to her for best performance; her flopping onto the stage at inconvenient moments was just too funny for words.
They're a really talented troupe - touring at the moment, and I highly recommend going to one of their shows. Or more - after all, it's a different one every time! Check out the Maydays website for the schedule. It's a real shame they didn't have a bigger crowd tonight - and don't worry, they don't pick on the front row! The Horror Festival, BTW, is a festival of live horror, based at the Pleasance, and runs till the 2nd. Me, I took a different couple of buses home - much emptier now, of course. And given how long I had to wait for the first, I'm very glad that bitter wind had died down!
Tomorrow (assuming Extinction Rebellion lets me out of the building - they're protesting there tomorrow, it seems), I'm seeing Mother of Him, at the Park. I see North London Friends is going to this a bit later, and already raving about it..
On Tuesday, UITCS is off to the Albert Hall for Symphonic Queen - the Royal Philharmonic is performing Queen.
Then begins a long period of non-Meetup stuff. On Wednesday, I'm heading to the ballet Manon, at the Opera House.
On Thursday, the Crick Crack Club (CCC) is back at Rich Mix, with Melusine. TUUP is the headliner on this occasion, which should be terrific!
On Friday, Helen's in town, heading to a Midge Ure concert at the Palladium - we're meeting for dinner beforehand at the Slug & Lettuce. Now, that's the day I should be flying back to Ireland - so I'm going the next day instead. And with my mother's birthday during the week - and not having any major holidays booked - I said, why not just take the week off and spend it in Ireland? So I am.
On the 28th, the CCC is back again - Ben Haggarty is in Soho Theatre with Grim Grimms - a dark take on fairytales, highlighting four lesser-known tales of the brothers Grimm. With musical accompaniment. Tickets weren't available when I noted this in my calendar - they have now, predictably, sold out.
On the 29th, I'm trying to persuade the social group from my former company to come with me to a Design My Night event - Fright Night Cinema is showing Hallowe'en in the Rivoli ballroom, with a themed cocktail bar and people dressed in spooky costumes. Now, that sounds like fun.. I've booked, at least, and a couple of others have indicated they'll come.
On the 30th, back with Meetup at last - UITCS is at a mixed programme by Birmingham Royal Ballet, at Sadler's Wells. I've seen part of it before, and it's excellent.
For Hallowe'en, The Embers Collective stepped up to the plate, with a storytelling performance called Witch, at The Jago.
On the 1st, meeting Ivan.. he's away most of the time till then, and I'm busy the rest of the time!
And on the 2nd, I've booked with Best Authentic Walking Tours in London, for a Royal Maritime Greenwich Ghost Tour. Now, this is - as with all their walks - with Funzing, so I can get a refund up to 48 hours beforehand. Which I'll probably do (have, in fact, done for this twice already), as I might go to a film that day - depending what's on - or, if I don't like the offerings, Love London Theatre, Arts, Music & Stuff is off to Blood Wedding, a new adaptation of the Lorca play, at the Young Vic. By 'eck, though, I see there's already limited availability on tickets for the whole run, and several dates sold out! Hope I don't lose out..
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