Tonight, heehee. Back with Darkfield. (Cue scary music.) They're also doing shows in Canary Wharf this year - three, in fact. This was the first night for those.. and yes, I booked all three, tonight. In fact, they allow for that when you're booking. So, I booked them in the following order: first was Eulogy, an unusual Darkfield concept in that it's somewhat interactive, at various points you have to say "yes" or "no".. Wouldn't you know it though, just yesterday evening, over dinner, it suddenly occurred to me - that I had a work meeting this evening! Supposed to be till 5. And this started at 5.30. Could I get there in time? Not a chance. I emailed them to see whether I could change the ticket - but I was within the 48-hour limit, and exchanges were not possible. Silly me - the meeting was scheduled after I started the job, which was after I booked this: but it was only yesterday evening that it occurred to me. Well, couldn't be helped..
So, I was a bit grumpy, sitting down to the meeting. But imagine my glee - when he ran out of things to say at 4.05!! (We'd started at 3.) No further questions. Woohoo! I legged it out to Canary Wharf. At this time of evening, bus would have taken too long - so I was on the Tube. Didn't take me long to find Montgomery Square, where the shows are being held.. and once you see them, the containers are unmistakeable:
The problem of the evening turned out to be - what to do while waiting for a show to start. I was 25 minutes early for this - wandered over after 10 minutes, and he told me to come back later. But - there's precious little to do around here! Not anything that can occupy you for just a few minutes, anyway - there's a bar just at the edge of the square, but frankly, I was freezing, and didn't want to stay outside in the cold drinking! I ended up pacing a lot.
When they finally let us in, they gave each of us a card - we were headed to a hotel, and these were the names of our suites, which we had to find when we went in, and sit in the appropriate one. Small problem - the lights were already off, inside! I'd turned my phone off, but ended up turning it on again to find my "suite"! Each "suite", BTW, is - a metal laundry cart sort of setup. There's a seat, with a pillow acting as a cushion, and a pair of headphones on a hook - you stow your baggage underneath the seat. They did remember to turn the lights on, after a minute..
As usual with Darkfield, each show begins with a brief blackout, followed by turning the lights on again, which is your chance to leave if you're already freaked. In all the shows I've been to so far, nobody did. Now, this is one of their interesting stories - as it says on the card you get going in, you enter as a guest and leave as staff. You get a "chaperone" - who whispers in your ear throughout. You go down and down to successive levels. You're asked various questions - and your answers determine the outcome. As they say in the blurb, try not to end up as the subject of the eulogy..! Upshot - this is quite clever, I liked it.
Before my next show, I checked my mail - and lo, there was one from the person I'd been speaking to in Darkfield about changing my ticket! (I think she's Australian-based, hence the evening contacts.) She was offering me a refund, and I could go buy my own for another day! Aww.. now, did she realise it had already happened? :-) I was delighted to tell her I'd made it after all. And enjoyed it!
With limited time (50 minutes or so) before my next show, I needed somewhere quick to eat - had a look for where there was a Pret, and headed that way. Trust Google Maps - the first it sent me to didn't exist at all. I found the second, mercifully - downstairs at the Cabot Square centre. Which - after all that - hadn't much food left. I ended up in Gregg's, across the hall, where I had some lovely southern-fried chicken goujons and some very indifferent wedges. But it was piping hot, and just what I needed.
Second up, I chose Coma (they all have multiple showings, so you can decide exactly what you want to go to, and when. They just ask that you leave at least 15 minutes between, which I did.) For this one, we get to lie down - which is nice - and get an option to take a pill. :-) It started at 7.
Yeah - the beds are bunks, and a little squished. I got my headphones tangled up and had to do them again - and when I fixed them, the L-R test that they always do didn't work - both Left and Right ear seemed to come from the same place. And then I couldn't find the pill, supposed to be in a dish "near your head". Turned out that the dish is fixed to the wall, just beside the vent, FYI. The pill, is of course, a placebo - as it says in your ears, less effective than a mint. You don't get water - I chewed mine. Not v tasty.
Honestly, I wasn't mad about this one - I didn't feel the story was really developed, and the voices seemed a bit far away in comparison with the other Darkfield shows. I mainly just enjoyed a lie-down.
Final for the night was the one I heard the best reviews of - Flight is a reconstruction of an aircraft cabin, and the show is based around - well, a plane crash! Booked all of these while waiting for an eternally delayed flight - as I say, every cloud has a silver lining..
The buildings here are prettier at night. But I got tired, after a while, of pacing up and down and trying to stay out of sight - I joined another couple waiting to go in, who couldn't think of anything better to do either. Lots of people were passing and asking the hapless guy at the entrance about the show - he never did get to eat his takeaway! One woman asked "What's it about?" I exhanged a look with the woman beside me and suggested, in a low voice, "Guess..?" She laughed.
Before we went in, we got boarding passes! And sure enough, inside is just like a plane cabin - just a lot comfier than I'm used to, with plush leather seats and tons of legroom! I'd been given a centre seat - handy for this, because I was just in line with one of the dropdown tellies, where the flight attendant is portrayed who starts off the show. Obediently, I buckled my seatbelt and consulted the (rather weird) safety instructions in the pocket of the seat in front. They do provide overhead bins for your luggage, but I popped my bag under the seat in front, as usual.
You're given the usual chance to "disembark" and then plunged into darkness. Now, I'd heard this was based on Schrodinger's Cat - and lo, both Schrodinger and a cat seem to be onboard, which is a nice touch! The idea of the cat being both alive and dead is linked, in this, to the idea of multiverses, and so - as the captain takes the time to explain to us - in some universes, we (like the cat) are alive, and in some - for some reason or other - the plane crashes and we are dead. And - off we go! Realistic as anything, with the drinks trolley and other passengers - and at one point, the attendant tells us that the captain has asked that we all open our eyes. And just at that point, lightning flashes outside the plane windows! Fabulous stuff. Oh, and there's a lot of rattling and rumbling, and shaking of the seats. It's a simple idea, and done very well - I can see why it gets such good reviews! Highly recommended!
All run until the 23rd. I am so glad I got to do them all in one night - not least because it was so damn cold! I was freezing the whole night.. definitely bordering the time to put on winter clothes. Anyway, the bus home was now to take less than an hour, so that's what I did. Had a great night..
Tomorrow is the next of my busy days. See, first I booked with Civilised London (CL) for Tango After Dark, at the Peacock. All good, no-brainer. Then I was messaged by an ex-colleague - another ex-colleague is having leaving drinks that same night, in the Pelt Trader! Hellfire.. so, what I'm going to do is skip drinks with CL after the show and leg it over to the Pelt Trader - I've ordered her not to stop drinking till I get there!
On Friday, something advertised with the Crick Crack Club (CCC) - they're celebrating all things Mexican in Kew Gardens, with Mexico After Hours! With something about the Day of the Dead, no doubt..
Saturday is another of those busy days. So.. first I'm headed on a walk with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners - this one is Paddington - Proud, Perky & Picturesque.
But, for nearly a year now, I've had tickets booked, for me and Helen, for Dara O' Briain in the Hammersmith Apollo that night! Crikey, I'd never even have thought of it if it hadn't been noted in my calendar. So anyway, she can't come to the walk, but we'll meet for dinner beforehand in Bill's of Hammersmith. I can only hope for better service than I got in Bill's of Clink Street..
On Sunday, back with the CCC for Inisfáil, Irish storytelling courtesy of the wonderful Clare Murphy, in the British Museum.
On Monday, I originally booked a free online talk about Railways of Surrey, from the Surrey History Meetup. But I just recently saw (despite the fact that it was evidently posted months ago) an event from Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) - Samsara is inspired by the Chinese novel, Journey to the West, and contains partial nudity, we're told. Tickets for this are quite cheap, and we're all in the Stalls, for once - they haven't even opened the Second Circle, where we normally are! So, no stairs, for a change!
On Tuesday, I've booked for Iphigenia in Splott, in the Lyric Hammersmith.
Next Wednesday, supposed to have drinks with Ivan! Might go to O' Neill's, we could do worse.
On the 20th, back with CL for dinner at Le Sacré Coeur. Always good.
On the 21st, back to Ireland again - and the following Monday, it's my mother's birthday, so I'm staying in Ireland for that and flying back on Tuesday 25th. I've already cleared it with work.
On the 26th, I've booked with UITCS again - for Mary, at Hampstead Theatre again. Political machinations in the court of Mary, Queen of Scots. Funny thing - there were two seats in the main seating section at the cheapest price, but the site objected to me just booking one of them. No problem booking an equivalent seat in a higher price bracket, though! So I booked one of the high seats, at the back, instead. At the lower price.
I hadn't anything booked for the 27th - was thinking film - and then Ticket Text (one of hundreds of ticket organisations I seem to have signed up for) today sent me an advertising email. So, it seems that night the comedy venue, 21Soho, is holding an event of Comedians Telling Spooky Stories. Which sounds the business, for the week that's in it. So I booked. Hallowe'en fancy dress, apparently - well, I'll have a think. I do have some duds that might do.. 😜
The 28th, I've kept free for an all-night drinking session with Ivan. Man, I've missed these! In vino veritas, as they say, and these are wonderful chances to get stuff off your chest. He fancied doing it earlier, but I didn't want to have to take time off work - this was the first overnighter I could fit in.
Which should make the 29th interesting - I'm on another walk with Laurence and the 45+s! Might not actually get to bed in between.. this one is the Edgy London Walking Tour, and is one of his new ones.
And yes, I have something to do that evening! (This month is far too busy.) I'm back with the CCC, for the Game of Candles - their Hallowe'en offering, where they extinguish a candle for every spooky story told. Tim Ralphs and Sarah-Liisa Wilkinson - in King's Place, lovely! I can walk (or stagger) home..
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