Play: Austentatious

These two days, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) - for some reason, I only just saw their advertised trip, tonight, to see Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel, at the Arts Theatre. Awesome! Promised to be good - title decided by the audience on the night.

There are tons of restaurants around there - and as it's a Monday, I might even have got a table. But you know, there are easier things than squeezing into somewhere crammed in the West End, and taking pot luck with service.. Nope, I ate at O' Neills before I set out. Which was much more relaxed - although he spent so long over retrieving my order from the kitchen (they bang on the door when it's ready) that my onion rings were kinda cold by the time they got to me. And he brought them so late (half an hour after I arrived) that I ended up having to take the Tube, rather than the bus(es) I'd intended.

This show isn't the main one here - it's still Choir of Man, which has ads everywhere. But hey, the guy scanning my ticket seemed happy, and so was I. The folks were already in the bar - most of them, anyway. I queued for a drink before I joined them.

Some of us crammed into the Circle Slips - most were in the Stalls. I must say, it was a packed house!

Yes, that's a fiddler over the side, who provides accompaniment to the merriment. He actually couldn't be heard as we took our seats after the interval, what with the hubbub..

So, they dress in Regency garb, and speak in Regency language. Mostly. And someone at the start calls for "unknown Jane Austen titles". They pick one, and we're off. Now, someone complained that it didn't really seem improvised - well, but they never are, completely! Even the best improvisers have some stock phrases and themes - nobody could create a whole two hours or so completely off the cuff!

So, I thought it was funny - not hilarious, but definitely amusing. And I thought it improved in the second half. Not to everyone's taste - but it'd be boring if it were! They do have a sense of humour, and excellent comic timing - one man plays the dashing heartthrob, the other the slightly bumbling chap, and the ladies go around in pairs. Terribly Jane Austen. Recommended - runs Mondays (7.30, with interval), and late on Thursdays and Fridays (9.45, without interval) up to the 19th - limited availability for that night. Oh, and a couple of them hang around the bar afterwards, touting merchandise. So, this is your big chance to meet stars of the stage.. 

Tomorrow, the same group (with a different combination of members) are back at the Park Theatre for the Make Mine a Double series - this week, it's Press, which examines the world of journalism, and Tunnels, about two cousins hoping to escape East Berlin. So, darker than last week's.

On Wednesday.. same problem as last Wednesday. Until just recently, when the London Classical Music and Theatre Group advertised a London Philharmonic Orchestra concert at the Royal Festival Hall for that day! I managed a Black Friday discount too! ;-) So now I'm going to that.

On Thursday - well, my contract has been extended, and I start with the new company next week. I booked an online talk, The Life and Times of Magnus Folk, from the Surrey History Meetup. One of the earliest electrical engineers in England, it seems. Anyway, it's free, and I've now cancelled - I found something more interesting while I was waiting for the play on Thursday night. The Arabic Music, Dance and Party Meetup Group are advertising an evening at the Bethlehem Cultural Festival - tickets from Eventbrite - in which there's a talk about 19th century travellers, as well as discussion of a forthcoming book, and a talk from a female artist in Gaza. Not that the group is advertising it, but there's also an Arab dance after, and another talk - you can go to some, or all. Happening in The Tabernacle. So, I booked a ticket - stopped short of joining the group though - we shall see.

Then back to Ireland for the weekend again - flying Aer Lingus for a change! My passport is due to expire, you see - I don't technically need one to travel between Ireland and the UK, but Ryanair demands it. Aer Lingus doesn't.. I finally submitted a renewal application - and they rejected my blasted photo. So much for the Photo Me booths - don't trust them, they pass photos that don't meet spec, it seems!

Next Monday - yep, the London Chess Community again looked like the best option. Hmm. But just lately - hallelujah! I was saved by London Social & Cultural Meetups, who have scheduled a talk on The 70th Anniversary of the Great London Smog. (Although oddly, we're meeting outside - perhaps the venue is hard to find?) Anyway, I'm delighted - this is that friendly group I joined a while ago for Evensong at St. Bartholomew the Great, and I'm glad to be seeing them again. Mind you, until today, I was the only one who had signed up!

On the 6th, well, Free Stuff and Free Events are holding another online singalong. Again, I cancelled my attendance at the last of these I booked for, so was reluctant to rush off and book again.. Or the Garden Talks have one on How Did Language Begin? Unfortunately, my free trial has long since expired, and they won't let me take out another. Well, I might have paid - but I'd be paying for a month's worth, so I figured I might as well wait until closer to the date, and get the value.. And yay, then UITCS jumped to the rescue again, with a comedy called Dinner with Groucho, at the Arcola. The setting is a dinner, somewhere in heaven, with Groucho Marks and T. S. Eliot the guests.. best available seats for £15 with the code FRANK15, until Friday.

On the 7th, I'm back with UITCS for Baghdaddy at the Royal Court. About a little girl, realising she's half Iraqi, just as the Gulf War is raging. I see CT now has tickets for this.. unusually for this venue!

On the 8th, I've signed up for another Watkin's Bookshop talk! This is Colin Stanley on Colin Wilson's Introducing the Occult. Well, the last talk I was at here was interesting, so..

On the 9th, I'm heading to Lightopia, at Crystal Palace Park. As suggested by Over 40 Living the Life, who are not actually hosting a trip themselves, but just wanted to advertise it. 15% discount if you subscribe to Lightopia's mailing list, 20% discount for purchases of 10 or more tickets. And durnit if Groupon hasn't just advertised cheap tickets..

On the 10th - I've bravely scheduled another meeting of Those who Do Not Come. It's my last weekend in London before Christmas, you see. Well, so far Ivan and my first boss in London are probable attendees, the one person who came the last two times probably not, for once. We shall see - I've booked The Lucas Arms - O' Neill's isn't taking bookings for that day. Deposit payable, refundable with cancellation up to 72 hours beforehand.

And on the 11th, I'm vaguely thinking of heading to see Carnaby Street's Christmas lights..