Play: The Southbury Child

Tonight, I had booked with The Garden Talks - this online talk was How Do Languages Evolve? But I backed out of that, and headed instead to see The Southbury Child, at the Bridge Theatre, with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS). Had originally booked to see it last Tuesday, but then saw they were going tonight - and the theatre obligingly let me switch for free! And, as usual, obligingly texted me a link to the ticket today, whereby I could also pre-order drinks, if I wanted. Dead handy.

Went early, to get food - with a lot of eateries around there, I thought I'd just mosey down and see what was available. And so it was that I came to The Brigade. Didn't look busy - I checked out the menu online, it looked ok, so I went in and asked for a table. Well, when they finally got themselves organised to decide who was going to deal with me! I thought it was funny when the bright and bubbly young lady asked me how she could help, then said she'd have to ask the manager. This, for a nearly-empty restaurant! Well anyway, she asked whether I'd like to sit in the window, I said sure, and she sat me at a table for four. I'd thought she'd picked up a lot of menus on the way. She asked about water, I asked for some tap water, and when she brought it and started pouring a second glass, I realised that she thought there were four of us..! Oops. I corrected her, she removed all the extra place settings. At least I got to sit in the window though..

That was the last thing that went wrong. Service was flawless from then on.. and OMG, that soup was seriously the best soup I've ever had - French onion, gorgeously sweet. For main, I had the chicken - another beautifully sweet glaze, accompanied by a sauce that was hardly needed, it was so delicious! The only thing that stopped it being the best chicken I'd ever had was that spectacular chicken I had at The Archduke. Just as well I'd ordered a side, as it doesn't come with anything else - the potatoes I had were very moreish, and I scoffed everything. Dessert was the chocolate tort - very dark, so it needed the accompanying orange compote. But wow, what a meal.. complete with a carafe of wine (I love it when they do that), it wasn't exactly cheap, but boy was it worth it. And not exorbitant. And they serve the bill in the dinkiest little pot:

So, I was a little late toddling over to meet the group, just a few minutes' walk away. Late for when they arrived, not late for the play. We chatted for a bit in the lobby before taking our seats.

So, the action all centres on a vicar's kitchen, immediately following the death of a young local girl (the eponymous "Southbury child" - that's her surname) and taking us through the preparation for her funeral, and right up to the funeral itself. It's a turbulent time - perhaps needlessly, all the angst being caused by the mother's desire to decorate the church with Disney balloons, because the child loved Disney, and the vicar's refusal, as he doesn't think that would be appropriate. With neither prepared to back down, something has to give. Along the way, we meet his wife, their daughters, the new curate, the comical local police officer, and some hapless relative of the dead girl, who keeps getting himself into trouble by coming out with the wrong thing.

It's billed as a comedy - and indeed, has several very funny moments. But don't be fooled - there's more going on here. The essential tension is something common to many established religions - tradition versus new ideas, clergy versus the congregation. All that stops this being about the Catholic Church is the married vicar, and the female Archdeacon that he reports to. Oh, and the "thee"s and "thy"s in the prayers - I guess it's a hangover from when the C of E was formed, and they started using the vernacular straight away, whereas Catholicism was using Latin right up to the 1960s.. so when they started speaking English, they weren't using the old-fashioned version!

Ooh, one more difference - the amount to which the church is worried about public opinion. The Catholic church rarely has been, so as long as they're following canon law, the priests can do as they please. Not so here, where the Archdeacon is rather concerned about the discontent that is being fermented in the community over this issue. And as these things can do, the thing grows legs..

I loved it. I wasn't sure about it to begin - comedy is a subjective thing - but the vicar, in particular, has some great lines, and I eased into it after a while. And was lulled into a false relaxation by the time things turned serious. Indeed, the audience as a whole was pretty engaged - I had to love when one of the characters revealed a massive twist to a massive collective gasp from the audience! Nicely played. This is seriously moving at the end, where we are forced to consider the church's role - and why the vicar is so adamant about his position. Not an easy position to hold - and we gain new respect for him as his curate, initially so blase, shows how inexperienced he really is. Very highly recommended - runs till the 27th of next month.

And so to the bus afterwards - funny to think I could have walked from the last place I lived. Hey-ho. And Google Maps misdirected me, telling me I could walk where there was no walkway, so I ended up walking in a circle to where I needed to be. Again, hey-ho.. apart from one sharp braking incident, that nearly saw me fly off my seat, the journey was fine - although I did arrive at the Co-Op just too late, as it had just closed. And the bus stops right outside, nuts!

Tomorrow, back with the London Classical Music and Theatre Group for the opera Otello, at the Royal Opera House.

On Saturday, I had booked with Discover London (DL) for a trip to see a cart making ceremony. Just last week, I saw a new ad from UITCS - sounded good, 9 Circles - a psychological thriller that examines the ethics of war - at the Park Theatre, with lunch beforehand in Palmyra's Kitchen, next door.  And of course Eleanor, organiser of TunedIn London, advertised a concert through the World Music Meetup, for that evening, at City Hope Church. So now I'm going to all three! Should be able to squeeze them in, although I won't be able to join DL for drinks after if I'm heading for lunch..

On Sunday, back with Bucket List London (BLL) - this time, it's a trip to Sandown Antiques Market. Well, I've never been to Sandown, so this could be interesting. Crikey though, with the temperatures forecast for this weekend, I'll have to be careful in the great outdoors..

On Monday, back with North London Friends! for the first time since before lockdown. This is for an Edinburgh Comedy Festival preview, at the King's Head in Crouch End, featuring Lucy Porter and Rachel Fairburn.

On Tuesday.. I'm taking a punt that I won't actually be employed that day, and have signed up again - at last - for a walk with Laurence and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners. This is The Magic of Midtown - and as I said to him, it finishes very near my new home! I also promised to let him know if I can't actually make it - although, even if I have started work by then (which would be surprising), perhaps I could take a day off. Another day predicted to be scorching.. shade recommended!

On Wednesday, I finish my Meetup run with a trip with UITCS to Leicester Square Theatre to see Frankie Boyle, who has a work in progress show.

Next Thursday, I'm thinking of heading - at last - to Summer by the River at More London. This is for a free evening of music, curated by Soho Radio. Meeting someone for this, we are thinking of food beforehand - perhaps The Brigade? Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend. Unlikely to get to a film that weekend, as I need to get my car serviced for its NCT - sooner the better, and I couldn't last weekend.

On the 25th, I'm headed to see The Throne, a comedy about to open at Charing Cross Theatre, in which the Queen gets locked in a portaloo with a staunch republican. Time Out has an offer of £10 tickets for the cheapest seats for this - a saving of more than 50%!

On the 26th - tan-ta-ra! I finally managed to get a decently priced ticket to Jerusalem, at the Apollo. I have heard so much about this, and it's always at the top of the Time Out listings - nearly as hard as Hamilton to get a reasonably priced ticket for, so I'm delighted to get one, if only not to have to look any more.

On the 27th, back to Summer by the River again.. for Bumper Blyton: Improvised Adventures for Grown-Ups! Improvised comedy in the style of Enid Blyton books.. sounds jolly good!

On the 28th - another UITCS event that Meetup finally decided to flag to me. So I've booked to go with them to see Briefs Factory's show, Bite Club! at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Drag, burlesque.. should be fun!

On the 29th, thinking about the National Theatre's River Stage 2022. This will be the first night of the Hackney Empire's Young Producers Weekend, and there'll be some dance and some music.

On the 30th, back in Greenwich with BLL - we're starting with the Old Royal Naval College and National Maritime Museum. Was originally supposed to be the Queen's House to finish, but turns out they're booked out all day for a wedding, despite not having clarified that on the website! Then in the afternoon, we're headed to Eltham Palace and Gardens. Quite the packed day - the organiser's English Heritage card expires, it seems, so he's cramming everything in while he can..

On the 31st, back with TAC for the opening night of I'm Not Myself Today: A Villainous Cabaret at the Bread and Roses in Clapham. An hour in which someone discusses with us why we all love the villain!

On the 1st, I'm going to the Kiln Theatre for The Darkest Part of the Night. Another troublesome website - I tried for days to get it to work..!

And on the 2nd, thinking vaguely about the Camden Fringe, which runs all next month - there's, for example, an interesting audio event called A Little Drape of Heaven, where you hold a precious item of clothing to your heart, then press play to access a YouTube link that you've paid for. Hmm..