Musical: The Grinning Man

On Sunday, Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) was watching The Grinning Man, courtesy of Bristol Old Vic. This is a common horror trope, which made me interested.. of course, they would be watching at a time that didn't suit, so I watched on my own again.

Would you believe, with one thing and another, I literally only just now finished watching it! To be fair, it's slightly long, at 2.5 hours.. but this one, I made the effort to watch to the end. I loved it! Starts out wonderfully macabre, with a gloriously Gothic narrator, and turns out to be based on a book by Victor Hugo. The story concerns a young man, hideously disfigured, his face slashed into an exaggerated, and permanent, smile. Desperate to revenge himself on whoever did this to him, he travels the country with a freak show; he's in love with the young blind girl, Dea, that the show's manager rescued as a child and took in - like himself. But you'll never believe what happens next..

Interestingly, it seems that the original story was set in England, during the reigns of James II and his daughter, Queen Anne, respectively - and the royal family certainly don't come well out of this, portrayed as megalomaniac despots, spoiled and petty, dispensing death as easily as honours. (And she dispossessed her brother in real life, too..)

A beautiful score is beautifully sung - particularly sweetly by Dea, played by Audrey Brisson. A gorgeous show, with a sinister feel throughout - what's not to like?! Very highly recommended - but you'll have to hurry, it's only available till 6pm Friday (UK time).

On Saturday, there still isn't anything I can make on Meetup. But on Friday, UITCS is watching Les Blancs, streamed by the National Theatre. Unable to make it on Friday, I might watch it on Saturday instead..