The English Concert

Tonight, back with London Classical Music and Theatre Group, for an English Concert of Bach, at Wigmore Hall. Lovely, it's been ages since I heard Bach..

Of course, this is very close to St. Christopher's Place, which is packed with eateries - not all exceptionally cheap. But there is a Cote there.. and I do love Cote.. and it's been a while.. I figured there was no need to book, and I was right. Despite all the people bravely eating outdoors in the cold, there was plenty of space inside. Although I didn't recognise him, the guy who showed me to my table remembered me from the Barbican branch! which was nice. And as I was happy with the selection on the Prix Fixe, I ordered from that - steak frites, and a chocolate mousse for dessert. The steak frites is quick - and the frites were gorgeous, as ever - and while I'd have preferred truffles for dessert, the mousse is quite acceptable. All of this - and a lovely glass of chardonnay - left me just enough time to get to the venue; had I had a starter, I'd have been late.

I went to the bar first, for another glass of chardonnay - I know not to get the sauvignon blanc at Wigmore Hall, it's a ridiculous price. Where we were to meet, the organiser and one other had secured a table - I grabbed another chair, and we chatted convivially until we were the last in the room. As I remarked, they sure do jump at the announcements, here! As our organiser remarked, it's just as well to wait a few minutes after the main bulk of people start to move - less of a queue, that way.

I was in Row AA, at the side of the stage - excellent seats, just with a side view. The music, of course, sounds perfect - and did so for this, a concert that mostly consisted of Brandenburg Concertos. As the helpful text on the back of our free programmes explained, these were composed for a Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt - not all of whose family were so interested in music as he was! Well, we must be thankful that Bach composed for him - this is some of the loveliest classical music composed, I think. And as those sitting beside me remarked, very impressive playing on the harpsichord from the director of the group - Francesco Corti, a substitute, not originally slated to play. Simply stunning.

Sadly, I didn't meet the others again - hope to meet them at another event before too long! Good to have an early night, though..

Tomorrow, it's film again - this one is a BFI presentation of Joyland, an Indian film about a young man who joins a burlesque show, and becomes infatuated with the trans lady who runs it. I'm normally suspicious about Indian film, having had some bad experiences - but this trailer looks excellent, so I'll risk it. Showing in the Vue Islington - which I've booked, for once, as they now have theatre-style seat pricing, different seats in different locations at different prices!

On Thursday, back with TAC for Feel More X Lately, showing at the Lion and Unicorn.

Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend. Where the choice of films is very limited. Mostly kids' films, in fact. Best for me seems to be What's Love Got to Do with It?, a romcom in which Emma Thompson plays the mother of a young lady whose good friend (of Pakistani heritage) decides enough is enough, and he's going to let his parents arrange his marriage. She's a budding filmmaker, and decides this would provide excellent footage for a new documentary. No prizes for guessing how it turns out, I suspect - but it seems harmless enough.

There follows a mostly Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) week. On Monday, back with them for Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, at the Harold Pinter Theatre. This is a rom-com about a couple living in a dystopian state, which limits the number of characters they can speak. Lots of body language then, I guess! Frankly, I was delighted to see that, by the time I booked, the Balcony was sold out - the legroom there is woeful, and good luck to those who've booked up there. The cheapest price bracket left when I booked included some in the Dress Circle - and thanks to Seatplan, I seem to have identified a decent seat among them. Watch this space.. cheapest tickets from the official site, but I booked with From the Box Office, which had tickets at the same price, but without the booking fee.

Next Tuesday, my one non-UITCS day next week - back with Over 40 Living the Life, for a dinner at Greenwich Yacht Club. Ooh la la..

On the 1st, back with UITCS at the Arcola for Afghanistan is Not Funny, the true story of a British comedian and photographer in war-torn Afghanistan.

On the 2nd, with them again at the Peacock (think I can walk to that!) for Bat Out of Hell, a musical based on the music of Meat Loaf. Awesome - just a pity it isn't one of the singalong nights..

On the 3rd, ending a run of UITCS with Lucrezia Borgia, by the English Touring Opera Company, at the Hackney Empire.

On the 4th, back cat-herding - Ivan suggested that whole day for, well, a lot of drinking. And food - he wanted to go back to O' Neill's. Well, he must have been reading the blog - because the other day, he got in touch. To say that, unfortunately, he can't now make it. My other coworker from that company still can, though - as they've both said, it's been so long since they actually met each other! They can never seem to coordinate..

On the 5th, back with Discover London at last - she does excellent walks, but sometimes they clash, and sometimes they sell out before I get to them! This one is Discover Historic Chelsea: From Quaint to Quant - 1660s to 1960s.

On the 6th, back with - you guessed it - UITCS, for Romeo and Julie, at the Dorfman.

On the 7th - not so much appeals on Meetup. Free Stuff and Free Events does have Free Community Singing with Ros Hone and the Global Fusion Sound Singers, which you can attend on Zoom, or in person at Fossdene School Community Hall. Which sounds just fine - except that this is the sort of thing I keep cancelling! So I'm not confirming until nearer the time.

On the 8th - back with the Crick Crack Club, woohoo! for Goddesses in the Garden, at the Chelsea Physic Garden. Features my favourite, Clare Murphy, along with Sarah Liisa Wilkinson, Laura Sampson, and Xanthe Gresham.

On the 9th, my final booking - for now - with UITCS, for Brilliant Jerks at Southwark Playhouse. And wouldn't you know it, I still had credit on my Pay as you Go subscription, so got it for free! And then it's back to Ireland for the weekend again.