Comedy: John Bishop - Work in Progress

Tonight, Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) were off to see John Bishop at the Leicester Square Theatre. Love him, so I booked as soon as I saw this advertised - one of the few things for this month that I booked last month! Not that it came close to selling out..

There are plenty of places near there to eat. Mostly overpriced, a lot substandard - and likely to be busy. It's possible to eat well there, but it's not so easy. Anyway, the show is a late one, and I was hungry long before it was time to head in - I headed down to The Lucas Arms. It was bitterly cold outside - so what a haven awaited me inside, with delicious food and service so prompt that the cutlery and napkin got to the table before I did! Service with a smile, too - and they nearly have my order by heart!

When I got back, it was to discover that Amazon had delivered my parcel - and left it outside the flat door. Inside the building, but outside the flat. Not acceptable at all - especially when they disingenuously said on the receipt that it had been "handed to resident". Of course, they don't offer a way to complain about that.. Never mind, all's well that ends well, and it was an excellent buy..

Worked a little (what else was I going to do?) and headed in later - still freezing outside, and me without the top button on my coat, which will keep popping off. Got to the theatre too early - they only open the bar an hour before the show, and I was 10 minutes before that - so I strolled around Leicester Square for a bit. There isn't a lot to see, now that the Christmas decorations have gone.. I was glad when the clock struck nine, and I could head in. The bar is is in the basement, and I was a solid 10 minutes waiting for the people in front of me to complete their order. Hey-ho, I got a drink at last, and took a seat. But, not seeing anyone else from the group, when the house was declared open, I made my move - I was sat beside what seemed like a family, who were talking incessantly about which of their many sun holidays was best.. Not a sun holiday type of person, me.

And so upstairs, to quite a decent seat.

Turned out that, of the four of us attending in this group, three were sat together! which was nice - it was good to chat. Now, both of my companions had seen the Mother Goose panto that's running at the moment, in which John Bishop stars - thing is, he was coming straight from there tonight, and neither thought he'd make the comedy show for 10! Sure enough, although they made us take our seats in time, the minutes ticked by.. it was 10.15 by the time he actually came on. Which, as one remarked, might have been the reason for all the empty seats - not everyone lives as close as I do, and can blithely stay out so late.

Anyway - as our organiser was to remark afterwards, she's never before seen a comedian do a WIP without any notes of any kind! I have, but it tends to be only in the case of well-established comedians, secure in their performance skills. Basically, the naturally funny - and Lordy, he is that. Tonight was kind of like a comedy jukebox, where he perched on the stool, sipped from a can of lager (best for his throat, he says), and invited us to ask him questions. Whereupon he'd launch into one story or another, one often reminding him of the next.

He started on the panto, naturally enough, and how - on this night, of all nights - they started half an hour later. And also on what it was like to kiss Ian McKellan on stage - tonight was, apparently, the 60th performance, so he's done that rather a lot! A long, meandering routine about pantomime was followed by someone shouting a question about politics - the loaded question was, "What do you think of our present government?" He's rather famously anti-Tory, and his routines about them are hilarious. I particularly like the description of Boris - and this is one I hadn't heard before - as looking like he's just woken up on someone else's floor, the morning after the night before.. and this, as he says, being the man who can't remember being at a party.. in his own house..

His Irish connection came up - apparently, he'd give anything for an Irish passport, and he had an interesting tale about his mother's family being gunmakers in Antrim.. but wow, he ventured far and wide in his performance tonight, even teaching us some sign language, and reciting Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? to a lady from the front row, who'd met her husband at a punk gig in 1977. Still rocking a long leather coat, too.. In all, an excellent night. He's doing it all again tomorrow night, and the audience is in for a treat.

On my way home, completely ignored Google Maps in favour of a quicker, and more convenient, bus route..

Tomorrow, we're off to The Vaults Festival - specifically, The Welsh Lxdies, a bilingual show about the women of Wales.

Then back to Ireland for the weekend again. With partial film listings finally out for there, it's looking like The Fabelmans, in Ennis - an autobiographical tale from Stephen Spielberg, about how he got into filmmaking.

On Monday, we're heading to Noises Off, starring Felicity Kendal, at the Phoenix. Again, cheapest tickets from Official London Theatre (OLT).

On Tuesday, with a group I haven't joined in a Very Long Time - I'm back with London Dramatic Art, from whom I've got a front-row ticket for Sylvia, at The Old Vic; this is the story of Sylvia Pankhurst, and stars the excellent Beverley Knight. Completely sold out - this was my only way to get a ticket!

Next Wednesday, back with the Horror Book Club. This time, it's The Ballad of Black Tom, based on the Lovecraft story, The Horror at Red Hook, but told from the perspective of a black man. I managed to get through the club's book, and read the entirety of the story it's based on, which is much shorter - and less coherent. Again, the meeting is in the Prince of Wales, Covent Garden. Question is, will the kitchen be open..?

On the 2nd, I'm on my own for My Son's a Queer (but what can you do?), a musical at the Ambassadors Theatre.

On the 3rd, my first meeting of the year with London Classical Music and Theatre Group! We're off to Wigmore Hall, to listen to the Hagen Quartet play Mozart. They're Austrian, so that's appropriate.. I just need to remember not to drink the ultra-expensive sauvignon blanc!

On the 4th, well, Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners are back to Greenwich again. Now, I have been there with him before.. not sure how "new" this one will be, but hey, it was a great day last time! Indeed, that evening might be the time to meet Ivan - and our coworker, if he's recovered, by then, from the jetlag he'll suffer from the trip to India he's currently on!

On the 5th, nothing on Meetup appealed massively - I thought I might go for a walk along the Ken's Events route, if I feel like it! (on my own). Or Over 40 Living the Life has advertised a walk along the New River.. I'd have to see, as I have to pay to sign up (refunds given to those who then come). And I might well change my mind.. which I finally have, now that Free Stuff and Free Events has advertised a blues concert at the Earl of Chatham, Woolwich. It's a way out, is all - but then, it's free, if I want to cancel.

On the 6th, my first actual event with the Over 40s. We're off to How Not to Drown at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East - the first event of theirs for which I couldn't get a cheaper ticket! So I decided, if I couldn't beat them, I might as well join them. True story of an unaccompanied, 11-year-old asylum seeker.

On the 7th, excited to be headed to see Derren Brown in Showman, at the Apollo Shaftesbury Avenue. Cheapest tickets with OLT again.

On the 8th, off to The Lehman Trilogy, at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. Based on the true story of the bank that collapsed. Got the last £39.50 ticket!

On the 9th, back with UITCS for Winner's Curse, at the Park Theatre - an interactive show about a peace negotiation. Turns out North London Friends are headed to it the same night - what, are they now copying this group, as another group did some time ago? (since closed down). And then I'm back to Ireland again.

And on the 13th, I'm headed to Allegiance, starring George Takei in a musical based on the true story of his time in an American internment camp during the Second World War. Showing at the Charing Cross Theatre.