Wonderville Magic and Illusion

Tonight, I booked with a new Meetup group - Soho Comedy Factory Shows and Socials, which organises free events on Wednesdays at the aforementioned Soho Comedy Factory. But on Monday, I got an offer from CT for seat-filling for Wonderville! magic & cabaret, so I went to that instead. I've had bad experiences with free comedy!

Decided there must be somewhere decent around there to eat - and decided to try Angus Steakhouse. Now, it is an age since I was there - in fact, I don't think I've been there since I started this blog! and the last time was notable for its terrible service. Well, I said I'd risk it. Got buses out there - hot, stuffy buses - I'd booked the restaurant, but didn't need to, it seemed. Still, better safe than sorry. They have seating over three floors - I was led to the deliciously cool basement.

Far from the neglectful service I was used to here, tonight they couldn't do enough for me! Constantly asking whether everything was ok, or whether I needed anything, always someone passing to ask for anything I did need - it was lovely. Food is moreish - I might have had calamari to start, but having had them yesterday, I opted for the southern fried chicken goujons with garlic mayo dip instead - might have had the garlic bread, but it's fougasse, and my experience of that is it's just too much. And they were gorgeous..

For main - well, I figured it was just too hot for steak. Instead, I had the tagliatelle chicken alfredo - and it was lovely, a nice-sized portion, and chicken on the whole nice and tender. A couple of glasses of wine, and a lovely big portion of ice cream with chocolate sauce saw me right - and the tip was completely optional, and entered on a separate device! Good value too, for what I had - yes, can finally say I would recommend this place again! Dunno how they are when they're busy - but then, a large, Spanish-speaking party did come in while I was there, and my service was just as good..

A short trot down to Wonderville, then - on the site of the former Planet Hollywood, it seems! Head down Haymarket, you can't miss it on the right:

We queued to have our names checked - those with CT tickets had them in envelopes with our names on them, ooh! ;-) All the better to let them know if we didn't come, perhaps - it's automatic expulsion if you book for last-minute seat filling and then don't show. Anyway, we were then "shown" to our seats - I don't know why he bothered, he was so vague! He waved me in the general direction - checking my ticket, I found a table and seat number. The tables have numbers, but not the seats - I had to kind of guess.

Next issue - there is WiFi, but it doesn't work. This is a particular problem when you want to order a drink, which has to be ordered via the app and delivered to the table. I found I literally had to go back out to the bar, which is near the entrance, to place my order (by phone), then return to the table to wait for it to be delivered, as they don't take physical orders at the bar. O for the love of.. Also, while I knew I was ordering white wine - and what size - I had no idea what it actually was! It would have been nice to have sauvignon blanc - I ended up with chardonnay. Ah well, it was palatable.

Free tapas is provided - you don't get to choose what. And as someone remarked, it might have been better to have all the seating at small, round tables - in the interests of sightlines. There were plenty of long tables, like ours - and it was kind of difficult to see what was going on, on stage, unless you were in one of the very front seats..

With all of that, the acts were actually very good. We had an elderly, but sprightly, acrobat / singer:

 a fantastic dancer / juggler:

a rather good magician:

and a trapeze artist - the only act that didn't come on twice - and who performed in the middle of the audience (some people had to be cleared from their seats). Worked really well - what a shame not all the acts could have been so accessible.

And each (maybe with the exception of the trapeze artist) had a good dollop of comedy in the act, and all held together by the jovial MC. So, really good show - it's just a shame about the venue. I believe this is only their second night - they really have some things to iron out. Still, recommended - if you can get a cheap ticket. Not worth it at full price - not at this venue. Runs until the 30th of October.

My route home was plagued by diversions - first, it turned out Aldwych was half closed, so I had a trek to catch the bus home. Now, he told us we were also on diversion, and the next stop would be King's Cross - fine by me, that was where I had to get off! Except he didn't stop at King's Cross. Neither was there a notification that we were approaching King's Cross. I don't know where we turned, but next I looked, we were in flippin' Camden! I pressed the bell as soon as I realised - but it was minutes more before he deigned to let us off. I was now so far from King's Cross, I had to get another bus back there. Last thing I needed at that hour..

Tomorrow, I've booked a free ticket with an improv group called Kid Smokers Improv! at Barons Court Theatre. (It's Pay What You Can, actually.) They're actually stepping in while Avocado Presents takes a summer holiday - they seem to have a residency here, now. Anyway, I've seen Avocado Presents before, and they're excellent - so I figure I'll give these people a shot! Avocado Presents, interestingly, have a Meetup group now - Watch Improv & Chat Comedy! which I've also just joined.

On Friday, I booked for the Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street Tour with Poppy's Events for 40s 50s and 60s, another new group to me. But Laurence and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners have a walk that day as well - the Strange Tales of Old (and New) London Tour. And with one company I applied to having rejected me, and the other saying they won't let me know before that day - it looks as though I'll be free. So now I'm going on this instead - don't fancy doing both, although I could. And, of course, we're headed to the pub after.

On Saturday, I'm off to see The Ehrlich Brothers, a magic show at the Wembley Arena. This is with Friendly Frolickers 50+ Meetup Group - so I've joined them as well. I was - as often happens - rather frazzled when I booked though, and completely forgot that they have their own, discounted tickets! Blast - they do this specifically so that they can sit together. Well, I've booked my own - more expensively - and explained. Can't be helped. Oh, and again, CT now has tickets for that very day..

And on Sunday, I booked with the 45+s again - but not with Laurence this time! They do have walks guided by other people, and this one is of Brick Lane. Except.. today I noticed it's also on TAC. So I've now cancelled my original booking, and booked through them instead (cheaper). Oh, how mercenary of me.. but the guide was the one who decided to advertise it there as well!