Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical

Tonight, booked for Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical. Showing at the Lyric. Was looking forward to it. And it proved easier to get to than yesterday's venue. They actually asked me to fill out a questionnaire yesterday, which consisted of one question - have you had Covid symptoms recently? And after I answered in the negative, they consented to email me my ticket.

After another hectic day at work, things died down in the evening, and I headed off in decent time. I could get the #8 - but I'd have to change - or the #11, direct, with a little walk to the theatre. However, the #11 was not shown as coming at any time! That didn't stop it being the first of the two that appeared, and off I went. I was glad to get off, mind, once the small, strident woman got on and sat somewhere behind me, talking loudly - on her phone, it seems. She was both very angry and very religious! The amount of swearing she did down that phone.. as well as predicting that God would smite the (string of rude words)..

Well, the bus beat Google Maps' estimate by 10 minutes, which was lovely. Now, I'd been warned that the theatre wouldn't even open until 15 minutes before showtime.. I arrived five minutes before that, and was rather glad I had, when I saw the queue that stretched right down to Great Windmill Street:

(You can just about see the show sign, off in the distance.) And just as the crowd was trying to decide whether to queue across the road, or at an angle up the pavement, the doors opened and the queue began to move. A very cursory bag check, a quick ticket check, and up a reasonable amount of stairs. A lady at the top asked where I was sitting and told me roughly where that was, then where the bar and toilets were - so, off I schlepped to the bar, where I got a large wine. Decent size, for once. And when I got to my seat, I was glad I'd done that first - it'd have been a bit complicated otherwise.

The lady at the end of the row offered to hold my drink while I struggled into my seat - I was just lucky that the people either side of me hadn't arrived yet. You see, despite appearances, the view wasn't the problem here - I could lean and see all I needed to. It was that the pillar juts into the seating area, severely limiting legroom and manoeuvrability. Mercifully, just as it was starting, the guy to my right confided that there was a free seat beside them, and they were going to move up and I could then have his seat. Ah, bless! So I was much more comfortable - and could stretch my legs into the seat behind the pillar, thus compensating for the generally snug legroom. I was equally glad not to have someone on my left - these seats fit very cosily together, and I felt quite squashed on the side where I was beside someone. Plus, the lady to my left now had somewhere to leave all her stuff!

So, another jukebox musical. I'm not as familiar with Bob Marley as I am with Tina Turner, but I certainly knew most of these, and was surprised that one I was familiar with was one of his! Plus, I just love the laidback vibe of the music.. what a perfect antidote to a stressful day at work. Very pleased with myself.

At the end of the interval.. gee, the owner of the originally unoccupied seat showed up. I was thinking I'd been lucky - the place was packed. Poor guy, missing all the first half! And poor me - I was back behind the pillar for the second half. And the lady to my left had to move all her stuff - somewhere. Speaking of whom, she was a rather large lady, and my left leg was squished into the pillar for the duration - agony. And although I was happy enough to sing along - when I knew the words - when the standing ovation came at the end, and the standing around, bopping to the beat - why, I couldn't! I literally didn't have the room - I'd just have been hugging the pillar. Will never, ever take that seat - or similar, in this theatre - again. But it's an excellent show - currently booking until 17th September.

Waiting for the bus back - which I caught across from Charing Cross - I found myself listening to a peculiar rendition of When the Saints Go Marching In. I looked around for the source - as usual, it was a busker outside the station gate. This busker had appropriated a traffic cone, and was using it as a megaphone.. And so home, and alighted at the stop that is no longer listed on the route.. And delighted to be home earlier than last night.

Tomorrow, back with London Classical Music & Theatre Group, for a concert by the London Philharmonic in the Royal Festival Hall. Really must make an effort to meet the group this time - but it can be tricky, if they don't bring a sign or indicate how they can be recognised!

And on Thursday, the Crick Crack Club is back - online - with Trickster, live-streamed from Oxford again. Well, assuming it works, this time..