Play: Britannicus

Headed for a late lunch this afternoon, which served for dinner as well.. and I fancied having a trawl around my now-local train stations! I could see nothing in King's Cross - apart from a walk of fame, naming all the films that were shot there!

So, over to St. Pancras - passing a checkin queue, for the Eurostar, that I can only describe as horrendous! As I passed, an announcement apologised for the delays, and advised people to have their Covid vaccination documentation ready. Hah! I somewhow suspect that's not what was holding it up, so much as a personnel shortage..

Anyway, restaurants were, apparently, upstairs. The lift was broken, so I schlepped all the way over to the other side of the station for the escalator - they really don't make it easy to get around here! Made it upstairs eventually, meandered around.. didn't see anything that grabbed me until Carluccio's. Ah, I thought, I have good memories of this chain.. so I wandered over, after a bit got someone's attention. She asked whether I'd like to sit inside or outside - jeez, given that the restaurant itself is in the station, it hardly makes a difference.. I decided to sit outside, so I could people-watch.

Oh, I really should have checked the online reviews. Service here is so hit-and-miss as to make you wonder whether they're taking the p***. I started making note of the timings; 15 minutes to get anyone to take my order (I resorted to drumming my fingers in an annoyed manner, in the end), another 15 minutes to get my drink (at least they serve wine in carafes), another 20 minutes to get my soup. Soup, FFS! In the meantime, they'd passed with soup for someone else - they're surely not going to say they make a fresh batch of soup for everyone! I presume theirs and mine came from the same pot - could the waiter not have carried two bowls? Could someone not have reached in and filled a separate nowl for me? Wouldn't have taken long - they definitely weren't busy. I think it was the manager who eventually brought mine - my exclamantion of "Finally!" went straight over her head. Oh, and the bread served with mine was a bit stale. Funny tasting soup, too - I wouldn't have it again. But by now I was starving.

Five minutes or so after that, someone finally thought to remove the extra setting at my table. Meantime, I finished my soup, and checked in with a phone call to my mother. Described to her what was going on - for instance, how I'd watched the ladies at another table arrive, be served, finish, pay, and leave, while I was still waiting for my starter - and I have to wonder whether someone wasn't listening! All of a sudden, service became quick. I wasn't off the phone when my chicken came - which was ok, nothing special, came with sauteed potatoes (eight bite-sized pieces, I counted). I grabbed someone for the bill after that - I'd have loved dessert, but not only had I already been there quite long enough, but I remembered that the cafe at the theatre did great cake, figured I'd go for that. And gee, I hardly had time to sip my last glass of wine when the lady came with the bill and the card machine, and asking me whether it had all been ok! Yeah, not worth the price.. certainly, don't go there if you're pressed for time!

On my way out, passed not one, but two pianos being played! Interestingly, one was attracting much more attention than the other..

Tonight, headed to Britannicus at the Lyric Hammersmith (and damned if CT doesn't now have tickets for this as well!). Thought I might make my initial office trip today, it'd shorten the journey. But then, I wanted to change clothes, so it was handier to be at home.. and anyway, I'd have had to be up half an hour earlier! And so home - briefly - and to the theatre, which I still had to take the Tube to! With luck, I might have managed a bus from the office in an hour.. well, never mind, I was on the Circle, which is spacious and has a good overground section. 

Damned if the theatre cafe no longer does cake! Muffins, yes, but I didn't feel like them. Bah humbug. So I had a glass of wine, headed up when the house was open. And I was front row, centre! Unfortunately, beside what acted like a group of schoolkids, all jittery and shaking the seats - happily, they were very attentive during the show.

So, this is set during the early days of the reign of Nero, when his mother, Agrippina, who secured the throne for him, finds herself shut out as he shows the first signs of the duplicity that would define his reign. (Does the fact that I couldn't stop comparing him to Boris Johnson say more about Boris, or about me? To be fair, the actor is blond..) Anyway, the play concerns both his relationship with her, and also with his step-brother, Britannicus, the late emperor Claudius' son, and so with a stronger claim to the imperial throne than Nero himself. So, nothing to do with Britain then.

It is a marvellous display of unadulterated power - the jitterbug beside me was enthralled. Nero's bloodymindedness, the way no-one can trust anyone, the complete betrayal of everything that you might consider sanctified.. there's a reason people like plays from this period in history - the emotions are so uncomplicated, although the actions are savage. The only thing I found unnecessary was the fits that everyone goes into, between scenes. We get it, it's stressful - do you really have to act out the emotion? Anyway, it's well-acted - highly recommended. Runs till the 25th. No interval, which is always nice - there was a Q+A after tonight's performance, and I debated - briefly - staying - but well now, did I really want to sit and listen to the actors expound on how it was to play someone nasty, or someone who's lost everything? Not so much - I decided I'd like my evening back, and scurried off home.

Tomorrow, must leave back the keys to my old place. Then back to Ireland for the weekend. And with a couple of films showing that I'd be interested in seeing, the higher rated is a horror film (yay!) called Men, in which Jessie Buckley decides to take a trip on her own through the English countryside, following her ex-husband's suicide. She rents a country manor from an odd chap, played by Rory Kinnear - and he ain't the only odd man she meets! England can be a rich trove of horror stories - certainly, the books are hardcore. Let's hope the film is as well. Written and directed by Alex Garland, who has an impressive pedigree as a writer. Has a slightly earlier showing in the Omniplex, so I'll think about heading there.

On Monday, I've booked for Tony! The Tony Blair Musical, at the Park Theatre.

On Tuesday, booked for Girl on an Altar, at the Kiln Theatre. This is the story of Clytemnestra and her husband, Agamemnon, following his sacrifice of their daughter to the gods.

On Wednesday, I was going to a concert in the City Churches Music series. This is Brilliant Brass, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Brass Quintet in the church of St. Stephen Walbrook. This day, however, tied with the following day as the preferred day for our work dinner, and the boss decided today to pick Wednesday, venue TBC. I got my ticket for the concert from CT, and have now cancelled it - no ill effects, as of yet!

Next Thursday, headed to Mad House at the Ambassadors Theatre. 

On the 17th, back with the Crick Crack Club! for The Nine Muses of Queen's Crescent, at Rich Mix. Courtesy of my favourite storyteller, Clare Murphy, whom I haven't seen in an age!

On the 18th, I had booked with TAC for Haydn's Creation at St. Pancras Church, Euston. And then I saw that Bucket List London had booked something for that afternoon! specifically, a trip to Greenwich Royal Observatory and/or the Ranger's House. Ah well now, I haven't been out with this group since January! Ironically, that's where I first met Laurence, on so many of whose walks I've subsequently been - and who knows when I'll see him again?! since he seems only to run walks on weekdays, now. I seem to be swapping one for the other.. So anyway, I'm now going to all of the above. One of those busy days.

On the 19th, back with London Guided Walks - but, armed with the information that they now advertise through TAC, I've booked through them instead! This is the Secrets of St. James Walk, and given how I booked, I must remember to bring £3 cash on the day. I have to admit, the standard of these walks is excellent.

On the 20th, back with Up in the Cheap Seats for Jitney, at The Old Vic. I didn't fancy the cheapest seats - but gee, SFF had seats in all but the most expensive price bands, for very little more! So I now find myself in the central Stalls for this..

On the 21st, I'm at the Royal Court for That Is Not Who I Am, a play about identity theft, from a mysterious writer about whom we have few details, except that he has worked most of his life in the security industry. Ooh..

On the 22nd, back with TAC for The Lark Ascending and Piano Quintet, a classical concert at St. Giles' Cripplegate, a church I've often passed but never been in! Part of the City Churches Music Festival.

And on the 23rd, back at the same festival - with CT, this time, for a concert of English Song at the lovely church of St. Bartholomew the Great. It's been too long.. Then back to Ireland for the weekend again.