Play: The Comedy of Errors

Today, delighted to be back with Expat Bucket List London! Well, back with the founder of both this and Bucket List London - I hadn't actually been with the Expat group yet. Yippee, back to the Globe - for The Comedy of Errors. Unfortunately, while I was in the Lower Gallery, as usual, the others were upstairs.. the organiser did offer to switch with me, so I'd have some company, but I wouldn't subject him to such a lower-priced seat! Anyway, I do like to be close.

Slight confusion beforehand - I couldn't find the message where we'd arranged where to meet, but thought it was the river entrance - but when I got there, there was no sign. So I meandered around to the other entrance, then back - and wouldn't have spotted them at all, but for that he spotted me. Do you know, it turned out I was the only one of us to have been there before! so I did a wee tour for them, before we went in. Someone had advised him against the Lower Gallery seats, tsk..

It was such a hot, clammy day - as usual, the ushers' main job was preventing groundlings from sitting on anything. Several people were fanning themselves, lots had the Globe "hats", which provide a shade for the eyes but not much else. I really pitied people caught in the sun, when it came out - a couple felt faint, and were let sit in the Gallery. (You can actually see my fellow group members in the photo, if you zoom right in.. they were directly in my sight line.)

Well, the performance - typically for here - was as merry and raucous as you could wish. A boat "sailed" in through the crowd a couple of times, and there was a bit of banter with the crowd near the stage. Interestingly, I see they now have two groundling rates - near the stage and not near, perhaps? One of the main performers had injured herself, and someone had to stand in for her - as another explained at the start, with absolutely no rehearsal - they don't have understudies. She acquitted herself quite well, although having to read, and not getting to dress up..

Well, 'tis another barmy tale of mixed-up identities - Shakespeare did seem to fancy those. Identical twin brothers - to be fair, played by similar-looking, and identically dressed, actors - are separated at birth, and their lives follow quite separate paths. They finally fetch up in the same city, and hilarity ensues as one is mistaken for the other. The craziness is compounded by the fact that each has a manservant who is the brother of the other's - and guess what? They look alike, too. Or maybe people don't pay so much attention to servants - certainly, they dress the same, though. There's also a father knocking around - and as the Duke says at the end, there'll be a lot of gossip at the feast!

As usual, my side view wasn't really a problem - except when there was some visual gag, and a huge laugh from the crowd, just as the actor was standing on the other side of a pillar from me. They had a platform running into the audience this time - that's nice, you do see more. Not to mention it gives the groundlings another thing to lean on. Only quibble from me - the father, in particular, had poor projection: and frankly, they all needed to yell today - the helicopter that keeps swooping over was particularly noisome. Hovered right above for what must have been 15 minutes - I swear, I have a theory they're watching the show. The actors feel it too, of course - in fact, it was even woven into the text today, with one of the servants complaining about the helicopter! ("Whatever a 'helicopter' is..")

Well, despite that, another fun production at the Globe - and as usual, this feels like the start of summer for me. Runs till the 29th of next month. Afterwards, with the organiser having to shoot off, I didn't wait for them - headed off to the adjacent Pizza Express, as usual when I'm here, and asked to sit upstairs, for their gorgeous views. And tried another of their new starters - the garlic mushrooms are very moreish, very strong flavour, what with the balsamic syrup.. served with slivers of goat's cheese, which counterpoints the flavour nicely. And I had my usual carbonara (which arrived while I was still tacking the mushrooms) - didn't honestly think I'd manage to finish it, in this heat, but I surprised myself. Had to be ice cream for dessert, of course. And then a bus home - and here's an interesting thing - I caught it on Blackfriars Bridge, and lo! it has something like half the number of steps up to it of, say, Waterloo Bridge. Now, that's a fact worth knowing, if you're not keen on overexerting yourself..

I fully intended to move into my new flat tonight, stay till Monday - when I'm at something nearer my old place. I packed a load of stuff - as much as I could reasonably take in one run - and slogged out there, in what was a cooler, but still muggy, night. On which none of the buses obliged me, and I was waiting for ages. Only to discover that my flat key wouldn't work! They obviously gave me the wrong one. Well, I knocked, and lo, the flatmate whose room is near the door let me in. So at least I got to meet him! We confirmed that I had the wrong key - I did get into my room though, which has a code (or I probably wouldn't have). But, well, I did leave some stuff, moved the furniture around, hooked my phone up to the WiFi.. Not practical to move in though, until the key issue is sorted. Not and have to have someone let me in all the time! I still have the old place until the end of next month anyway.. I'd just have liked to leave more stuff out there, but it didn't work out that way. Never mind.

Tomorrow, back with Discover London - History Walks and Events to Discover the Secrets of the 19th Century London Docks. Always love this part of town - again, this is walking distance from my new place. So it would've been nice to stay the night.. So glad it's not on till afternoon, and I can lie in!

On Monday, got a cheap ticket with CT for From Swing to Soul, a concert series at Wonderville. I do wonder whether they fixed their tech issues from last time..

On Tuesday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) again - this time, for A Strange Loop, at the Barbican. Multi-award-winning, it seems - cheaper tickets available from WhatsOnStage (WOS), fulfilled by London Theatre Direct. Interestingly though, to get the cheaper offer, buy through WOS..

On Wednesday, thinking film - and delighted to see that Asteroid City has risen in ratings, and is now top of my list! Ah well, that's a no-brainer - a Wes Anderson comedy, with an all-star cast, including Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Maya Hawke, Rupert Friend, Steve Park, Liev Schreiber, Matt Dillon, Steve Carell, Tilda Swinton, Jeff Goldblum (playing an alien, appropriately I guess..), Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie.. and probably some other people I recognise. Anyway, I love Wes Anderson's stuff - and it's on in my local cinema (for flat #1). My new flat isn't so close to a cinema, so I'll stay in the old one for this, while I still have access to it. And there are showings all day, so, given that I probably shan't have any other demands on my time that day, until I get another job, I can go to whatever suits!

On Thursday, thinking of heading back to Watkin's Bookshop, for the first time in an age - they have an author talk called Holy Waters - Searching for the Sacred in a Glass. There's a new book about this, which considers the use of alcohol in religion - sounds interesting! Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.

And on the 3rd, I'm back with UITCS for A Playlist for the Revolution, at the Bush Theatre.

Play: Henry VIII

Tonight, woo! back at Shakespeare's Globe - for Henry VIII, which I'd never seen. And it's years since I was last here.. and what a shame the weather report was bad. Never mind..

It lashed at lunchtime - just as I was headed out for food. Lovely. Thunder too, and cold.. I put something a bit warmer on when I got back. Deciding on food, I suddenly thought - why not Bill's? Not far from me, not far from the Globe - I could walk to both.. so that's what I did. Happily, the rain had stopped, it was lovely and sunny, and a bit warmer.

And it was an inspired choice! No need to book, I was seated without trouble. Service was quite quick, and I see they're dog-friendly! (Well, I heard as much, from a loud-mouthed canine at a nearby table.)

Wow, terrific food. I had calamari, which was delicious (Moo Cantina, take note) - and minute steak, which was like how it used to be like at Cote. And they were both off the set menu. The wine was lovely. I'd taken the precaution of checking the dessert menu as I was waiting for my order to be taken, so knew I wanted ice cream and could give her that order straight away. Excellent meal, I really should come here more often!

A short walk then to the Globe. From dodging rogue cyclists, north of the river, I went to avoiding gangs of joggers, south of the river.. was in good time, and queued for wine at one of the stalls. I see they offer 500ml portions of wine now! so I asked for white, was given a choice of pinot grigio, chardonnay, or sauvignon. I chose the latter. Turns out that the 500ml comes in a screwcap. plastic bottle.. she asked me how many glasses I wanted, and I told her "one!", and assured her I'd drink it slowly.. and as I turned away, struggling to get my card back in my wallet while holding the drink, I was assisted by an usher. V friendly here!

Had to laugh at the content advisory.. as usual..

Seriously - people need to be warned about blood and executions, in a play about Henry VIII? The gun, I grant you, is anachronistic - although they might have had muskets, but the one used in this play is modern.

Oh man, it was so, so good to be back here at last!

I was doing so much gawping that the usher you can see in the front of this picture came and asked me whether it was my first time! No, I told him, just my first time since lockdown.. Anyway, the large crosses and preponderance of gold on stage (ingots and gold backdrop) give an indication as to the themes of the play. Religion and money, hey? My, my.

Oh, and the quirkiness you'd expect from the Globe:

That is a seat for commentary (one of two).

This was the first evening since lockdown that I really recognised the London I love, the one that keeps reminding me why I stay here. Mind you, not everyone was so enamoured.. three middle-aged ladies took the seats beside me, and the one next to me wouldn't stop glaring at me! Now, I think at first she took exception to my bag and drink, which I'd left on the bench beside me. There is plenty of room, but I put them on the ground anyway. Didn't stop her, she just kept glaring - I can only assume that she wanted my seat! I was at the end of the row, you see, which is to the side of the stage - and the end has the best view. Mercifully, they all left at the interval - I guess it was their first (and last) visit, and they hadn't realised the sightlines would be restricted.

Interesting play. Henry himself is a bit too old, as played - this guy has grey hair and looks in his 60s, while the play runs from 1526 (he meets Anne Boleyn) to 1536 (Catherine of Aragon dies). So he'd have been aged between 35 and 45. But anyway. Catherine is beautifully played, trying to defend her position against a hostile English clergy, that declares for Henry, and pleading her cause with him, as he ignores her. Torn from her only daughter, she is a tragic figure. Anne, mind you, is very dubious about becoming the next Queen - and who could blame her? Wolsey is another one you feel sorry for - yes, he feathered his own nest: but we know several others such, and his precipitous downfall seems too harsh a punishment. The only one who really comes out of it well is the baby Elizabeth - born at the end of the play, her adult self comes on in magnificent garb in a kind of preview of what is to come. Runs till the 21st of October.

So, a lovely evening! Until, wouldn't you know it, as I came out, it was to the sight of yet another cycling hooligan terrorising a pedestrian. Bloody typical - I've said it before and I'll say it again, CYCLISTS SHOULD BE BANNED FROM CENTRAL LONDON. They obey no laws, and there is no regulation of them. It's an utter disgrace.

Tomorrow, back with Up in the Cheap Seats for Bonnie and Clyde, at the Arts Theatre. Now, most of the group going booked this ages ago - I just booked recently. And I noticed that all the cheapest seats were bench seating, which didn't sound terribly comfortable. But for under £2 more, so £25, I managed to get a ticket in the next band up - in the rear stalls - from Todaytix! See, they have this great £25 ticket offer until Sunday. Whatever about the show, the offer is highly recommended!

On Thursday, back with London Classical Music and Theatre Group - this time, we're at the Royal Festival Hall, where the Philharmonia is playing Mozart and Bruckner. Which makes this my best week for Meetup since lockdown, the only non-Meetup day being today! The last time I saw this organiser is even longer ago than I saw Didi, the organiser on Sunday! (She's a classical guitarist - I just found her page..)

And then back to Ireland for the weekend. The film for the weekend - is looking like Top Gun: Maverick! in which Tom Cruise reprises his fighter-pilot role of so many years ago. Also stars Jennifer Connelly, Val Kilmer back as Iceman, Ed Harris as the rear admiral. Now, that should be fun!

Film: Eddie the Eagle & Play: Emilia

Tuesday was my birthday, and I had every intention of taking the time to see something. And that day, Up in the Cheap Seats was watching Emilia - a recording of a past show, its run is now extended to the 2nd. And they're still taking bookings - for the minimal fee of £1! So I booked that as well. Gee, it feels great to have things booked again!

But hey, the week turned out to be hectic, which can happen - in the event, I only started watching it today. And then, I wasn't half an hour in when it crashed - and since the television had improved in the meantime, I watched that instead.

Tonight's film on tv was one on my list - imminent, in fact! So this was a handy way to get to see it. Eddie the Eagle is the true story of what you might call one of England's eccentrics, Michael Edwards, who decided - with little training, but a heap of enthusiasm - to enter the Olympic ski-jumping event. The UK had never entered the event before, and he became quite the celebrity -setting, by definition, new UK Olympic records.

He's played by the excellent Taron Egerton, with Hugh Jackman as an ex-champion who takes pity on him and trains him, and Christopher Walken as Hugh Jackman's ex-mentor, now a sports commentator. And wow, what an uplifting film! Really, the story of an enthusiast, with little talent apart from a passionate interest, and absolutely no support, is a dead cert. If you read about him, you might discover that his gear was borrowed from other teams. His father was dead set against it, until he proved himself. And as for the UK Olympic Committee, who changed the requirements after he'd qualified under the old rules - just to stop him getting in - well, when did anyone ever expect the UK establishment to act fair? Never has before.. (he stymied them by meeting the new, more stringent requirements). Highly recommended.

Afterwards, I returned to Emilia. Didn't watch much more of it, though. In common with at least some of the group that watched it on Tuesday - according to the comments - I didn't like it much, and didn't think it was going to improve. It's a Shakespeare's Globe production, which doesn't do much to recommend them.. Three actors portray her (in an all-female production), but forty minutes in, the youngest is still doing the job, although already pregnant by then. Perhaps they switch to the next when she gives birth.

Anyway, that's not my problem - my problem has more to do with the sketchy sound (I recommend the link with captions), and the generally shrieky production. They must have got hoarse, yelling at each other and completely overacting throughout - and neither was I fond of the twerking that constitutes courtly dance. When we were introduced to the rather camp Shakespeare, I bailed (the story is based on Emilia Bassano, rumoured to be the "dark lady" that he wrote about, which is what sparked my interest). Nice outfit she had on - that's the best I can find to say about it.

I owe myself another film for today - Emilia was supposed to be a birthday extra! Of the next on my list, La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil is next alphabetically, and having no particular preference, I'll probably go for that. Courtesy of Sands Films, it has the added advantage of being short. Not tonight though - it's gone too late.

And tomorrow, my first Meetup of the month! London Social Detours, naturally, with a virtual themed tour "Spies, Lies & Espionage".

Play: The Merry Wives of Windsor

Last night, I headed to The Merry Wives of Windsor, at the Globe. And wouldn't you know it, it completely rained itself out on Tuesday, and yesterday was the first day with no rain in two weeks! Feckin' freezing, though.. it would be the day I'd be sitting outdoors.

It'd also be the day I decided the toothache that developed suddenly, and for no good reason, on Sunday night could no longer be ignored. I mean, I couldn't finish my lunch - every mouthful caused me pain. So I looked up the closest dentist - and wouldn't you know it, Vestry House is a five-minute walk from the office: ah, the convenience of working in central London. And they could see me almost immediately! Right then, off I went. And they were lovely, and the dentist was very accomplished. Turned out to be one of those complicated procedures though, where she not only had to replace a filling, but also plaster a hairline fracture, and do some cleaning. Really, there was so much work involved, I (almost) didn't mind the price tag. Which, to be fair, did include a premium for an emergency appointment.

Well, afterwards the pain was gone - as long as I didn't poke the tooth the wrong way. So, in due course, off I set to walk to the Globe.

Sure enough, it was damn cold - and as I neared the far side of the bridge, my tooth started to mutter. I navigated through what sounded like a group of foreign schoolkids, being assigned groundling tickets, and took my seat in a nearly empty section - the theatre was only half full. I'm guessing that was the cold. My tooth definitely didn't like it, and as I sat down, it developed into a full-blown pain - the kind where I was seriously considering chewing the pain relief tablets in my bag, as I didn't have anything to wash them down with! But it only lasted about five minutes, and hasn't been back since. What a difference from the early part of the week..

Someone was blowing bubbles! Now, I hadn't seen anything really good in the Globe this year so far. Delighted to say that this show bucked the trend! The madcap tale of Falstaff's shenanigans is given a 30s setting, with a terrific jazz score, and really the most terrific Falstaff - quite hilarious, especially as he picked on a poor couple in the pit. And wouldn't you know it, hardly any gender-switching - what a relief. Runs until the 12th, on selected days - this is far and away the best production they've had all year. Highly recommended. Just wrap up.. and take cash, because they're collecting. And my tooth complained again on the way home, but no actual pain this time, just throbbing. It took my phone so long to turn on though (I needed it for directions) that it ran too late to blog.

Tonight, I'm back with Civilised London - this should be interesting. Red Palace is an immersive cabaret experience - lots of fairytale characters, I believe - at the Vaults. And I really hope the weather is ok, because I sourced the most fantastic outfit for it..! Supposed to rain, but it might at least hold off till we get there. On Sunday night, someone from the group took the trouble to read the T&Cs - fair play her! - and realised that we have to wear masks. Damnit, and I have one from Venice that would have done perfectly! except it's back in Ireland. Ah well, they'll have cheap ones for sale on the door - just hope I don't freeze.. Tooth is very sensitive, but basically behaving, and I've packed the drugs. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend - the start of another brief hiatus from Meetup.

On Monday, I'm off to Shushkin's Stories, at the Barbican. Performed in Russian, with English surtitles, it's a dramatisation of the short stories of Vasily Shushkin.

On Tuesday, off to Wilton's, for Lady of Jazz.

On Wednesday, heading to the Turbine Theatre, for Torch Song. This is the inaugural show at the new theatre in the revamped Battersea Power Station!

Next Thursday, back with Meetup - North London Friends is off to A History of Water in the Middle East, at the Royal Court. Another where I got my ticket from the organiser.

On the 11th, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) - to Southwark Playhouse this time, for Preludes. D' you know, I bought their passport a while ago, which entitles you to cheap tickets to five shows - and of the last three I booked, something else came up for every single one! Hope I make this one.. reports of it being "weird" don't phase me in the slightest!

On the 12th, seeing the matinee of Solaris at the Lyric Hammersmith. Turns out that both UITCS and Love London Theatre, Arts, Music & Stuff (LLTAMS) are going - so I booked with both! Why not? Each requires you to buy your own ticket. And since only the organiser and I are going from LLTAMS, I hope we can merge.. Ivan is talking about possibly meeting up that evening.

On the 13th, joining the London Improvisation Community Group for the first time - they have a show called Happily Never After at the Pleasance - part of the London Horror Festival.

On the 14th, I'm seeing Mother of Him, at the Park.

On the 15th, UITCS is off to the Albert Hall for Symphonic Queen - the Royal Philharmonic is performing Queen.

Then begins a long period of non-Meetup stuff. On the 16th, I'm heading to the ballet Manon, at the Opera House.

On the 17th, the Crick Crack Club (CCC) is back at Rich Mix, with Melusine. TUUP is the headliner on this occasion, which should be terrific!

On the 18th, Helen's in town, heading to a Midge Ure concert at the Palladium - we're meeting for dinner beforehand. Now, that's the day I should be flying back to Ireland - so I'm going the next day instead. And with my mother's birthday during the week - and not having any major holidays booked - I said, why not just take the week off and spend it in Ireland? So I am.

On the 28th, the CCC is back again - Ben Haggarty is in Soho Theatre with Grim Grimms - a dark take on fairytales, highlighting four lesser-known tales of the brothers Grimm. With musical accompaniment. Tickets weren't available when I noted this in my calendar - they are now, and will likely sell out.

On the 29th, I'm trying to persuade the social group from my former company to come with me to a Design My Night event - Fright Night Cinema is showing Hallowe'en in the Rivoli ballroom, with a themed cocktail bar and people dressed in spooky costumes. Now, that sounds like fun..

On the 30th, back with Meetup at last - UITCS is at a mixed programme by Birmingham Royal Ballet, at Sadler's Wells. I've seen part of it before, and it's excellent.

And for Hallowe'en, The Embers Collective stepped up to the plate, with a storytelling performance called Witch, at The Jago.

Play: The Comedy of Errors

Tonight, with the London European Club at the Globe - we risked The Comedy of Errors. Unfortunately, the organiser couldn't make it, and I hadn't met any of the others before - we'd see. Anyway, I learned my lesson from last night - I wrapped up a bit better!

Now, I had a feeling that meeting people wouldn't work - so I hung on at the office; I certainly have enough to do! Decided to test Google Maps' 13-minute walking estimate from the office - moving pretty quickly, I did manage to beat it slightly (and cursed several joggers along the way!), but I was glad of the extra couple of minutes, what with the queue at the entrance, and the bag check. They were ringing the summons bell as I crossed the courtyard. And yes, everybody else in my row had taken their seat, and I had to get them all up.. the usher suggested I go on the far end, but that's a much worse view! No, they all had to stand to let me pass. Too bad - the view from my end, further from the wall, is almost as good as you can get in the Globe. And, of course, in the front row, I had the front rail to lean on. And was nice and close to the pit, and the great atmosphere there.

Oh thank goodness, the Globe has something decent to show this year! Third time I've been there this year - and third time lucky, because this is hilarious. Not to everyone's taste, mind - particularly the opening language, which could be considered a bit difficult; that's probably why I saw some people leave early. I also detected a number of people laughing quite randomly at the start - probably hadn't a clue what was going on, and just laughed at the first hint that there might be a joke there!

The basic story sounds quite daft - identical twin brothers, with, for goodness' sake, the same name - have identical servants (I think they're supposed to be twins, as well). They were separated by the usual storm at sea, and much confusion ensues when they end up in the same place.

You know, for once, the Globe manages to skate over the possible confusion here! Despite the characters' identities being mixed up in the play, we can figure them out quite easily - we can see they're supposed to be identical, by their identical costumes, but they are quite distinguishable. One of the servants is male, the other female (both supposed to be male, but this is one case where gender-switching actually helps). One of their masters is Irish, with a beard - the other is English, and clean-shaven. The couple of other men in the play represented by women are played unconfusingly, and don't get into the plot so much anyway. I was delighted to see that, for once, the wife of one brother - and even her sister - are actually portrayed by women!

Major slapstick ensues, as none of the protagonists meet their doppelganger until the last scene. So, the wife who gets mad at her husband for being late for dinner ends up sending for the wrong man, and refusing her husband entry when he does arrive.. each brother sends his servant on a message, then meets the other servant, who has no idea what the man is then talking about.. it is played for laughs, as usual, but this time it makes sense. And their sense of comedy is spot-on. Yippee, I can recommend something at the Globe..! Also showing on Friday - part of their Refugee Week.

With no chat among Meetup participants, I just headed straight home - to be honest, it's good to get finished at a reasonable time.

That's it for me and Meetup for over a week! Tomorrow, I'm seeing Showtune - an evening of Jerry Herman music - at the Union Theatre.

On Thursday, I'm still looking at a film - but of course, my choice keeps changing! Now, top of the list is a preview of Pain & Glory, the latest by Almodóvar, starring a very grey Antonio Banderas as an ageing filmmaker, looking back over his life, and Penélope Cruz as his mother, in flashback. On Thursday, previewing at the Curzon Soho. I'm keeping an eye on it.

I'm back in Ireland for the bank holiday weekend - Ryanair strike permitting! Depends on what nationality our pilot is - and whether they voted to strike..

Next Tuesday, The Embers Collective is back - at Dalston Eastern Curve Garden this time. There'll be storytelling, there'll be music - and hopefully food. And we're making that the occasion of this month's social from my last company! Be great to see everyone again. And at least I don't have to depend on the Tube this time - unlike last Thursday!

On the 28th, London Science Events is off to a Science Museum Late.

And on the 29th and 30th, finally back with Up in the Cheap Seats - first time in three weeks! On the 29th, it's HMS Pinafore at Wilton's.

And on the 30th, we're at Treemonisha, by Scott Joplin, at the Arcola. Part of the Grimeborn Opera Festival.

Play: Twelfth Night

Tonight, back with the London European Club - we were off to the Globe, for Twelfth Night! When I booked, the only tickets left were in the Middle Gallery, and they subsequently completely sold out. Happily, this was the first day in an age when no rain at all was forecast, and it stayed sunny - and even warm, in the sunshine.

It's a quick - and gorgeous - walk from my new office to the Globe, and this was my first time to avail of it:

We met beforehand in the Founder's Arms - well, a few of us did. For all those that signed up, only two of us actually met the organiser - then again, a couple of people did sign up who posted that they were having trouble getting tickets; perhaps some couldn't manage it. I'd just got a drink when I met the others - the place was typically full, but we shared an outside table with some American-sounding girls. And we spent a convivial hour or so, chatting theatre and venues.

At the Globe, I left them - we all had tickets for different places. Mine was Gents Box A - right at the corner of the stage - front row. It's not the best view in the house, but it's not bad - I did miss some actors' expressions when they turned to the front, given that mine was quite a rear view.

It's quite comfy too - the benches in the box have backs and cushions (although someone across from me also rented one, which he plopped on top of the bench cushion), and the walls are nicely decorated:

The play - as ever here - started with a musical number. And, as ever, the music is terrifically entertaining, the players interacting with the crowd as well, and one demonstrating his ability to do the splits. I have to say, these days the music is the highlight..

Bring back Emma Rice, I say - the plays were better in her day. I still love the venue, but honestly, I'm beginning to wonder.. I will say this, this evening's offering was an improvement on Henry IV Part 1. It could hardly be worse! I've come to the conclusion that they are currently incapable of doing serious work.

This, however, is a comedy, so suited better their need to entertain. The cross-dressing is still in fashion - not as confusing as before, but with a girl (Viola) that dresses as a boy in the original story, we now have a boy dressing as a girl who dresses as a boy. Which means we're looking at a boy.. whom everyone in the story also perceives as a boy.. but who is actually supposed to be a girl. Head-wrecking. Oh, and while I'm on the subject of Viola, let me mention that that was the most wooden delivery of lines I've ever heard - not a glimmer of understanding from the actor. All but two of the other roles are reversed, too - but easier to understand.

I enjoyed it, basically - despite random bursts of laughter from the audience at inappropriate moments. Looking around the galleries, I saw a lot of bored faces - the play does improve in the second half, though. But it's hard work, always having to remember what gender people are supposed to be - and, for the record, even Olivia (played by a man, natch) wears breeches under her robe.

Runs till the 21 August - looks like the only availability remaining, at time of writing, is for four dates in August, and two of those are limited! I think you might not regret missing this year's season entirely..

Tomorrow, ironically, I have a ticket for Pericles, again at the Globe. That's not a comedy.. and indeed, tonight's organiser said he'd seen it, and was highly unimpressed. I booked it before I saw Henry IV Part 1 - and am happy to miss it. (Supposed to rain, anyway.) Instead, I'm headed for a meal. Now, Let's Do This has been my go-to group for meals, but one of the organisers has branched out and formed a new group - Civilised London. So I'm headed to eat with them! This time, it's Ecuadorian - we're headed to the Myddleton Arms for a drink, from which we'll make our way to El Inca Pleyebo. Should be interesting!

On Wednesday, Up in the Cheap Seats enticed me with an invitation to go see The Damned, by the Comédie Francaise, at the Barbican. (Surtitles provided.)

And on Thursday, I've booked with Spooky London for another pub night - this time it's in The Flask. However, our monthly office curry night might be that night - watch this space.

Play: Henry IV Part I

This evening, I treated myself to a trip back to the Globe! It's been so long. Looking back - OMG, the last time I was here was with the Man with the Hat! nearly two years ago. His very last event. My mother - given my continuing garden leave - tried to get me to stay with her a few extra days, on no notice at all! but this was one of my main arguments against. Henry IV, Part I was the occasion. Funnily enough, the Globe thought I'd already been, and offered me a special offer on Part II! I contacted them late on Saturday night to confirm that I could show the ticket on my phone - first thing next morning, they got right back to me to reassure me that yes, I could, or get the ticket printed on the spot. Very helpful.

It wasn't actually too cold today, although not exactly warm. I took the bus most of the way, and had a short walk - once Google Maps stopped sending me in the wrong direction! My, it'll be such a short walk from my new office.

Mind you, I associate this venue so much now with the Man with the Hat that I felt quite lonesome, as I crossed the bridge to it. (I could have gone with Cultureseekers, but they charge £12 to join.) Never mind, I arrived in decent time, and took my seat in the front row of the lower gallery (stalls, if you like). I have to compliment them on the decor - alluding to the several alliances in the play, the galleries are festooned with banners, and quite fetching!

Let me start by saying that this is far and away the worst thing I have ever seen here. It's a very good thing that I already knew the history, because the production is so confused that it was no wonder the audience just laughed at random points through it, apparently assuming it was a comedy. There seems to be no distinction between serious scenes and humorous ones, the delivery being hysterical in general. Now, you can excuse that in the case of Hotspur - after all, he got that nickname for a reason: but that's the campest king I've ever seen. Even the actors don't really seem to understand the meaning of the lines - or perhaps they just don't care, playing everything for laughs, emphasis in weird places.

A lack of clear diction, and bad projection of voices throughout, doesn't help - and neither does the cross-dressing. I saw so many women dressed as men - and one man dressed as a woman, who got a laugh (why?) - that I was seriously confused when I saw a woman dressed as a woman (Hotspur's wife). It's taken to a ridiculous degree in the last scene of the first half, with Owain Glyndwr played by a woman, and his daughter played by a man - it took me several minutes to figure out that that was supposed to be him speechifying, and not his daughter. I was just too busy trying to strain to hear what she was saying!

I will say this - the Welsh song that the "daughter" sang to finish the first half was hauntingly beautiful. Not enough to make me stay past the interval, though - with only the battle of Shrewsbury to come, I could imagine the screeching that would ensue, and I left. It was getting too chilly anyway. Had to agree with the guy who walked out behind me, remarking to his companion that he couldn't take any more standing, listening to something he couldn't make any sense of. Runs till the 11th of October - I strongly advise against seeing it. In fact, given that the same actors seem to be in the accompanying plays - Henry IV Part II and Henry V - I'd probably advise against those, too.

Well, it was a lovely stroll back.. and after a strenuous climb onto the bridge, it was lovely to see a bus ready and waiting to whisk me home!

The next three days are all with Up in the Cheap Seats. Tomorrow, we're at the Royal Opera House for a mixed programme by the Royal Ballet.

On Thursday, we're back to Sadler's Wells for the opening night of Yang Liping's Rite of Spring.

And on Friday - for something completely different - we're off to the Park Theatre for The Last Temptation of Boris Johnson! Brexit, of course, should feature strongly..

On Saturday, mention was made last week of Ivan playing piano, at some bar or other. But as a venue wasn't specified, I doubt it'll happen.. Instead, I thought about cinema. Top of the list came Amazing Grace - a documentary about Aretha Franklin, who recorded an album of the same name before a live audience in a church. Apparently, she repeatedly blocked its release while she was still alive! I believe I saw Mick Jagger, in the audience in the trailer.. Anyway, with both showings at the Curzon Bloomsbury sold out, I thought I'd better book when I saw availability at the Rio. I booked the matinee - then remembered I'm supposed to be able to pick up the keys to my new place on Saturday! Still, it shouldn't take too long to get back - depending on where it's happening. I've emailed the estate agent to find out what's happening there, having had no news yet.

Play: Romeo & Juliet

And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain..

Oh wow, the final Man with the Hat event finally, inevitably, rolled around. Family commitments beckon, and he's closing down the groups as of tomorrow. Doesn't know when, or whether, he'll be back.. a sad, sad day indeed.

Let me pop up that screenshot again of my Meetup activity, with the groups with which I've been most active:

Yup, there go the two groups at the top of my list. :'-(

I had a late meeting, but it did finish a bit early, and I decided to walk, in the end - it's not much quicker to take public transport to the Globe. Mercifully, it had warmed up quite a bit - the cold weather having done its damage to me! And what a lovely surprise - a group member who hadn't got a ticket had dropped by anyway, just to say goodbye! Chats with the Man with the Hat pre-event had to be taken in snatches - he was fielding phone calls from people who were lost, dealing with sporadic people coming up to him to collect their tickets. He did have 46 coming, after all..

It's impossible to be sad around this man. There's more than one reason that he has such a loyal following - he has a sunny personality that smashes through the gloom. Anyway, I hung out there until it was nearly time to go, shepherding a member of London Dramatic Arts (LDAM) who was finding herself at the Globe for the first time, and was uncertain where to go. And for my part, I was comfortably snuggled at the back, which suited - I didn't want a breeze making my still-sniffly cold any worse. Having said that, it had warmed up so much that I actually took my coat off for most of the first act!

Now, this production of Romeo and Juliet has attracted mixed reviews. The Man with the Hat did mention, mind you, that it was supposed to be very popular with the kids - sure enough, the place was packed with school groups. To give credit to the girls' school filling my section, they were extremely well-behaved - and I think they performed the best rendition in YMCA of anyone in the theatre!

Yes, you're right - I don't remember YMCA popping up in the original version either. That's the Globe for you. Neither do I remember the actors being in clown face paint.. and wow, the fight sequences are something else, with strobe lighting, streamers that shot out and wrapped themselves fetchingly around a support wire, MTV-style music.. I'm actually not trendy enough to have the vocabulary to describe the opening scene of this production, which is kind of mind-blowing..

Happily, it calms down a bit after that. And I've gotta say, it's a brilliant idea - we don't know what age Romeo is supposed to be, but Juliet is only 13 in the play, and I'd guess him a little older. So, teenagers then. And what appeals to modern teenagers..? Exactly. They play their parts perfectly, a bit of teen gawkiness adding to the charm, and the MTV-style posturing fits perfectly with the brashness that we often see with teenagers. They keep the original text, just the odd interjection added - and oh, the music! The music is absolutely perfect, going from slightly insane at the party at the start of the play, to a sudden shift to a much softer tune as they see each other and fall in love. Complete change of mood - perfectly chosen, as ever!

I loved it. Purists will hate it - well, don't come to the Globe then. But for everyone else, I really recommend this. Runs on selected dates until 9 July, better availability the earlier you book - many dates are sold out already. And as for their warning on the site, about guns - don't worry; although there are guns, they're not fired. The characters just say "Bang!". And, further to that review I read, the dinosaur is quite sensibly woven into the production - and I saw no sign of the submarine they mentioned! Unless they were referring to the torpedo that's been suspended over the stage for weeks now.

Afterwards, we met with the Man - who'd already hung up his Hat! He'd checked, and there was space in the Swan, so in we went - in fact, it was quite deserted, and we took over the alcove at the end. Didn't stop it taking forever for me to be served, though, as usual.. and hey, another of our members, who lives nearby, had dropped by for drinks! Awesome.. and a really great night was had, a fitting end to the group - with the Man with the Hat staying to the bitter end, as he used to. Farewells had the potential to be teary, but we survived. Hey, who knows we shall meet again as a group.. but I look forward to that day.

By now, it was after midnight - I had great fun trying to find somewhere quiet to ring my mother and pretend I was at home! Blasted busker, under that bridge.. and as I paced up and down in the rain, this would be the night that my mother decided to have a nice, long chat. Afterwards, across the same bridge - and with a choice of two buses, it wasn't long before one came and I could get home at last. (Wise of me to bring my Oyster card - I'd have walked if it had been early enough, but at this time I just wanted to get to bed.)

Tonight, it's back to Ireland for the weekend. On Monday and Tuesday, I'm off to Pint of Science - following a theme, given my background, I'm headed to a talk on Small Is Beautiful (quantum physics) on Monday and one on Across the Universe (cosmology) on Tuesday. Both now sold out. Rock on..

On Wednesday, London Literary Walks is off to Highbury. And so am I.

On Thursday, I'm booked for free comedy in Hammersmith, with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon & Greenwich, Random London, and London Live Comedy. Something, frankly, that I usually cancel, but you never know - nothing better has yet come up for this night!

Next Friday, I saw that London Social Detours (a side-shoot of Ken's Events) were charging £3 to go to the free jazz concert at the Royal Academy. So I was going to go on my own. Free. But then the London European Club (LEC) advertised a Norwegian Dixieland concert at Jamboree.. well, that sounded like more fun, so now I'm going to that instead.

On the 20th, I'm doing something local - a guided walk on Residents, Rascals & Riots, in Holborn. With London for a Tenner or Less.

The 21st, LDAM is headed out of town. We're going all the way to Northampton, to see a couple of Shakespearian plays, one directed by one of her members. Richard II, to be precise, with Titus Andronicus to whet our appetites. No-one has signed up apart from me, but what the hey I've never been there, so it'll be interesting.

On the 22nd, I'm off to Ugly Lies the Bone, at the Lyttleton.

On the 23rd, I'd booked with Funzing UK for an Infinitease Burlesque Show. In Leytonstone, so if anything better came up in the meantime, I was up for it! That's a terribly long way out. Anyway, the other day I got an email about cheap tickets - apparently there's a burlesque festival on - in Hackney, which is a bit closer. And a lot cheaper. So now I'm going to that instead - Funzing can be cancelled up to 48 hours in advance without penalty.

The 24th was supposed to be the Man with the Hat's last event, but he had to cancel. Instead, I discovered that the UL Alumni Association (UL is my alma mater) is holding a talk on Brexit that night. And I was going to go to that - but lo, Funzing came up with something better! So now I'm going to Urban Legends of London. 

The 25th, Crick Crack is back - at Crouch End Arthouse again, unfortunately. It's just so far! Still going, of course - the more especially because it's Michael Harvey! He's worth the trip. Then I'm back to Ireland for the Bank Holiday weekend again - and taking the bank holiday, this time!

On the 30h, LDAM are at the Olivier to see Common. So am I.. on a cheap Travelex ticket, which I booked direct with the venue. So I'll be avoiding them, since they don't appreciate that.

On the 31st, free comedy in Hammersmith was up again (temporarily), with the above groups, plus London Art Comedy & Culture Lovers (another offshoot of Ken's Events). But yay, it's now been replaced by another Funzing event - a Luxury Chocolate evening! Helen's popping along, too. The code Fun_Day10 got us a 10% discount.

On 1 June, I eschewed the free comedy in Hammersmith for the Ghosts & Executions Tour, with London for a Tenner or Less - even though that guide wasn't great the last time, so I cancelled this previously, he's better than that free comedy! Oh, and I forgot to mention, the code WELLBEING30 got me 30% off this. How it qualifies as "well-being" I don't know, but I'm not complaining!

Then I'm off down to Helen for the weekend - she told me about this Living History Festival, and I said yes please!

The 5th, I'm back to Soho Theatre with the Crick Crack Club, for something called The Frog Princess - Punked. Ben Haggerty, the mc and co-founder of the club, told us the other night that there's going to be a full punk band - goodness, who would've thought that Sally Pomme Clayton had a hidden punk side!


And the 6th June, I'm with the LEC, to see the Images Ballet Company at the Arts Depot.