My, but it was nervewracking, though.. it is a long journey. We crawled along till we got to Westminster, from where we made good time, thank goodness. The traffic lights on the roadworks just down from where I was to get off stayed red for a frustratingly long time.. the bus finally disgorged me around the corner from the theatre with - all of five minutes to spare! And then I had to wait to cross the road.. and unusually, also had to wait to cross the side road near the theatre! as a sudden stream of cars decided that would be a good direction to take. How vexing. It was a relief when I finally got into the theatre, got my ticket, and entered the door on the same level - the Jerwood Theatre Circle. I was in the slips.
The view is slightly restricted, and I spent most of my time leaning forward - but it was fine really, and there's no-one behind you to complain about your leaning! I did miss a couple of tiny elements - nothing much. Was glad that the seat beside me was empty though, for the extra room - and there weren't many empty seats, tonight! Predictably, it started 5 minutes late - but it was nice not to rush to my seat with seconds to spare. I sat down pretty much exactly on time.
Well, this is a 65-minute show (without interval) starring the ever-watchable Katherine Parkinson as the hapless lady of the title. And although other characters appear, this is pretty much all about her - and her missing shoe. She spends most of her time hopping about - not easy, as part of the stage becomes a treadmill for much of the show. And that shoe isn't all that happens to her - oh no! as she navigates the hard streets of London. We find out she's an estate agent, and hopping around on one shoe isn't the best look for the job.. no, she's not having a good day at all.
It's very funny, and she's very watchable - but this carries a serious message, about how easily someone might come off the rails. Or the treadmill, in this case, which represents the daily grind, and whose speed varies to indicate the stress she's under. The various characters don't do anything to help - and when she passes her final remarks, you realise that although the play might be over, her problems aren't. So, to recap, very enjoyable to watch, but with a serious message. Good one. And kudos to her for hopping around for the better part of an hour! Runs till the 21st, booking recommended. I'm sure all those people I know are going will enjoy it, too.
And lo, after a very cold and wet wait for the bus back, the rain had finally stopped when I got home. Tomorrow, I was holding off on deciding what to do until I heard for definite from my friends, who were supposed to be coming over. But one of them realised she needed her passport renewing, so they had to wait to do that before booking - and lo, the flight prices increased too much in the meantime. So now they're not coming this weekend - which leaves me free to go to a talk at Southwark Cathedral, courtesy of This and That (TnT)! I know the organiser - it's about time I got to one of his events, and it'll be good to see him again. For some reason, I thought it was about the Camino.. nope, the pilgrims' route from Winchester to Canterbury. Ah well. (Interestingly, London Social Detours is going too.. and charging £3.50.)
On Saturday, I'm headed back to the Lyric Hammersmith, for something called Love, Love, Love, written by the excellent Mike Bartlett. Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) is heading to this later in the month, I see.
On Sunday, I was thinking of film - got the film list done yesterday, then wasn't too pushed about what was coming out on top. Not that it was easy to get the listings, mind - my film site has a new look, still apparently gets the new listings on Tuesday evenings, but now doesn't seem to list the times for the following week along with the new films! So I can see what's on, just not where or when. I managed to Google a couple, which had their own websites, and from those I determined that they're not showing on days that'd suit. Others, I wasn't so lucky with, and just had to guess on the basis of the cinemas in which they're showing this week, whose websites I then had to check.
Anyway, the upshot was that I thought Meetup had better suggestions. So now, on Sunday I'm joining North London Friends for a concert called Some Kinda Wonderful - a tribute to Stevie Wonder. Run by the Chickenshed - the link was broken last night, but was working again, last I checked. Unfortunately, it's all the way out in Cockfosters - ah well.
On Monday, back with UITCS for City of Angels at the Garrick. Funny thing is, I was recently looking ahead for shows to book, and this came up - was on the point of booking for it, busily looking for deals, when I suddenly realised I'd already booked! The perils of booking early.. I booked this the day after Christmas.
On Tuesday, whoop-de-doo! Finally got a decently priced, decently located ticket to the show of the moment, Hamilton! Showing at the Victoria Palace, booking through Ticketmaster exclusively. Booked the same day as City of Angels - I often block book. So I get to see whether it lives up to the hype - I'm just delighted to be able to stop searching for tickets for it! Must just remember to bring the ticket to the office with me - they insisted on posting it.
On Wednesday, back at Soho Theatre (hopefully - at least the show is later than Tuesday's, which I missed!). This time, it's Sara Barron's show, Enemies Closer.
Next Thursday, back with TnT (feast or famine, I guess!). This time, it's a pre-Paddy's Day concert with the Band of the Irish Guards, at the Guards' Chapel. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.
On the 16th, back at Soho Theatre again - this time, for the opening night of Tom Rosenthal's show, Manhood.
The 17th is, of course, Paddy's Day itself - and like last year, I'm off to the Irish Centre in Camden. And again, they have a St. Patrick's Night Special - I've already booked my ticket, although they haven't yet announced the full lineup. Honestly, the only artist as yet confirmed is a comedian called Alison Spittle. Whom I'm not that keen on. But hey, if I get enough drink in first, she should be endurable.. and Ivan said he'd probably be able to come. We shall see.
On the 18th, back with UITCS for Be More Chill, at The Other Palace. My only Meetup that week! (so far).
The 19th is going to be hugely busy for me. So, first I'm at Soho Theatre for Jena Friedman's show, Miscarriage of Justice. And then, wouldn't you know it, The Embers Collective scheduled a series of shows at the Vault Festival. And blast it if I wasn't already booked for the whole week! But hey, with the comedy show finishing at 8.30.. and the storytelling not starting till 10.. this one was doable! Their show that night is Queerstory - LGBTQ+ - themed. And I'm going.
And on the 20th, finally getting to see Dear Evan Hanson, at the Noel Coward Theatre. It got the royal seal of approval during the week, of course! And it's about time I saw it - UITCS went last year.
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