Comedy: Under Privilege

Tonight, I was back at Soho Theatre for Jen Brister's show, Under Privilege. Left in good time, and yay, the house was actually open when I got there. And this time, I was in time for a drink! Even used up some of the cash I'm unusually carrying - the only place I was in today where I could. Took my seat, which was across the other side from the one I usually get - ironically, the guy who sat beside me duly asked whether I wouldn't mind swapping with his wife - she was over in my usual seat! (They obviously hadn't managed to get seats together.) So I ended up in my regular seat after all..

That's an interesting doorstop they have! Anyway, I have to say that Jen's show didn't start terribly well - I have had it with being insulted, as an audience member, at this theatre. But she stopped that - more or less - after a while, and I softened towards her. Her show did start to sound familiar - and yes, looking back, I can see that I have seen her before: about a year ago, in the same venue. And re-reading that review, I can see she's lost none of her sparkiness. She revisits the theme of trying to raise her sons in a liberated way, and how privileged they are (the start of a rant against privilege). And absolute kudos to her for her uncompromising stance on the inequalities that she sees in how people are treated on the basis of gender. But I do pity the poor fellow in the front row, whom she kept picking on - seriously though, you have to be tough to sit in the front at most comedy gigs.

Tough and explicit - you have been warned. This show runs for the next two days - for which it's sold out - but interestingly, she then returns from the 29th of June to the 4th of July. Me, I was on the #8 home, as usual - and as usual, it wasn't running from where I needed it to. Google Maps said it was starting earlier than it was - it's actually only running to and from Procter Street. Which I could have walked to - in 18 minutes. So I said sod it, my second bus is free - I'll take a bus to Procter Street and change. And wouldn't you know it, a #98 to Procter Street stopped right beside me, as if to confirm my decision. And dropped me just in time to catch the #8. Perfect - except for the annoying fellow across from me, dedicatedly dismantling a plastic straw.

Tomorrow, I'm back to Ireland for the weekend - where I have to sneak a look at my mother's Eir contract. She just changed to a new package, I just got her first bill for it (we've gone paperless, so it gets emailed to me as she doesn't use her email account), and I swear they've overcharged her on the monthly package price. They messed up the email address when I was ordering over the phone, so I never got the confirmation email - will have to check the paper version she got to ensure that what she got was what I agreed on in the first place. No point in asking her to check - she won't know what to look for, and she'll only get hysterical.

And assuming I survive all of that (they are AWFUL to deal with, and I thought her previous internet provider, 3, was bad!), on Monday I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats for The Haystack at Hampstead Theatre. Another group of them went on Friday night, and I'm hearing excellent reports..