Musical: Aspects of Love

Tonight, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) at last! Well, I couldn't resist a performance of Aspects of Love, by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with Michael Ball - I'd never seen it. Showing at the Lyric - there have been cheap offers, but the best I could find were with the official website. Aisle seat, for the legroom - thanks for the advice, Seatplan!

Handiest place to eat - as I'd be passing it - was The Lucas Arms, so I quit my work meeting early, there being nothing useful in it anyway, and headed down there. It was mostly empty - no problem getting a table. When I went to order at the bar, I saw one of the familiar faces - who greeted me with what sounded like surprise and delight! He made straight for the wine, asking, "Usual, is it?" and within five minutes, my meal was delivered to my table. And it was delicious, as ever. It's not for lack of enthusiasm that I don't come here that often, just that I do like to try and eat at my destination. But I'm only delighted to come back here! When I checked, it was a full 20 days since I was last here..

Had to get two buses, and in each case, I was just in time to miss one! Also in each case, another was right along after, though. I ended up being a bit early - they hadn't opened yet, and for the first time in months, I found myself queueing outside a theatre..

Ah, dontcha love Theatreland?! In one shot, our show, Les Misérables, and - just peeking out, in between, The Crucible.. Anyway, it wasn't long before the queue started to move, they checked our bags and tickets. I explained to the usher that I was meeting people in the foyer bar - we arranged to meet there, as half the group were sitting down there - and she said I'd have to go in the main entrance, and at showtime, come back out and have my ticket scanned again. Which was what I did. I skipped the photo op, in the foyer:

Ordered a (quite reasonably priced) drink, and bagged the only table in the foyer! Well, it's handy to have something to lean on, or at least put your stuff on. The others arrived in due course, and we chatted away - I needed to drink my whole drink in advance though: I didn't think they'd much like me taking it outside!

Nearly expired on the climb to the balcony - this has been a tough week so far for me, to be fair, and the lack of sleep - and stress - didn't help. Made it alive, surprisingly, and was greeted by two of our group, whom I didn't know, but I had mentioned my seat number on the event page, and so they located me! They were sat just in front of me, anyway. I have to say, from experience, the legroom was fine, even without swinging my leg into the aisle! View not bad either, although I had to lean a lot to see the near edge of the stage - happily, the balcony was half empty, and there was no-one behind me. Also found myself bobbing my head up and down a lot, to see around the railings:

Well, there's one song that everyone knows from this show - and by 'eck, they do it to death, frankly. I didn't recognise a single other song in the show. Mind you, it's a cracker - Love Changes Everything has stood the test of time. And so has Michael Ball's rendition of it. Mind you, the group's general consensus was that the same cannot be said for the plot! So.. in brief, a young French actress in wartime Paris, Rose, finds an 18-year-old American lad - Alex - has a crush on her. And says - OK then! accompanying him to his uncle's villa in the south. They have a brief fling - until his uncle arrives, and she falls head over heels for him (or his money?). So, Alex goes off in a huff, to be a soldier.

Fast-forward a few years - she's the uncle's mistress, then wife, then mother to his daughter, Jenny. Still has the acting career, and seems to be carrying on with one of her Paris hangers-on, Hugo. Whom she drops like a stone when Alex comes back on the scene..

Fast-forward some more years, and Jenny is growing up, Alex is still hanging around, and they start a relationship. Apparently, they've increased her age a bit in this production, to make it a tad less weird. Her dad - Alex's uncle - keels over with a heart attack at the news, and one of the best scenes is his wake, which turns into a Bacchanalian orgy, courtesy of a friend of Rose's. Whom Alex then decides is far better for him than Jenny - who might just be a bit young.. Oh, and Rose makes a fool of herself, throwing herself at him and begging him not to leave her. Michael Ball originally played Alex - in this production, he's the uncle..

Not all our group stayed to the end. Me, I thought the plot was, at best, bonkers, but I adore showtunes, and that one, as mentioned, is terrific, and keeps popping up throughout. Mind you, as I remarked to the group, outside, afterwards - it took Alex rather a long time to find a woman who wasn't related to him! Basically, don't go for the story - go for the music. Runs till the 11th of November - seems to be taking a holiday, the last week in August.

Meantime, we admired the new Coyote Ugly across the road:

A couple of dancers were just visible inside. And just at that moment, the rickshaws arrived, blaring music.. yes, you could say the town was hopping.

Film tomorrow - and I thought I might finally get to see The Blue Caftan! It's Moroccan, and again showing at what is still, for now, my local cinema. Although, checking the listings again, I found a new one - A Crack in the Mountain is a documentary about Hang So'n Doong, the largest cave in the world, which is in Vietnam. Looks gorgeous - but it's only on in the Curzon Wimbledon, at 5.40, which I'd never make in time if I stay at work as long as I should! However, it is on their Home Cinema.. which would also save the fare.. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.

Monday and Tuesday, I'm also thinking of film. The film listings weren't helping my decision much, though - so I consulted my local cinema, which was happy to tell me that it's showing Return to Seoul on Monday, which seemed the best of the fare that day; The Blue Caftan doesn't seem to be showing next week. It's the story of a young French girl, returning to seek her roots in Korea. Looks engaging. But the new listings are finally out! and now, it's Beau Is Afraid. Funnily enough, it comes under the headings of comedy, drama, and horror! The title role is taken by the ever-watchable Joaquin Phoenix, who plays an anxiety-ridden man who, following his mother's death, decides to travel back home. Now, the Hideout (Horror, SciFi, & Fantasy) group that I'm a member of went to see this recently, and raved about it - when pushed, someone said what he liked was the surreal settings, and very black comedy.. nearest showing to me is the Picturehouse Central. Definitely worth a look.

On Tuesday, my local cinema's excellent doc house is showing Tina, a documentary about the phenomenon that was the late Tina Turner!

Next Wednesday, back with UITCS for Bleak Expectations, a Dickens-based comedy, with a different star every week, showing at the Criterion. I think we're getting Julian Clary.. I ended up going up a price band here, the cheap tickets all seemed so restricted!

And on the 8th, back with North London Friends, for the first time in, oh, ages.. we're off to The Park, to see The Shape of Things. Different people from last time, these are some I knew before.

Musical: The Secret Life of Bees

Well, from last week with no Meetups to this week with (almost) nothing else! Today, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for The Secret Life of Bees, at the Almeida - no seats left in the stalls, when I booked! Seatplan made me wary of the cheapest seats, so I was in the next bracket up..

Ah now, I don't get up this way often enough. And one place that's good to eat up by this theatre is The Bull.. I love their chicken schnitzel, but as I see from my blog entry from the last time I ate there, I was too late for it on that occasion! It's close enough to walk.. but just as I was gearing up to go, the rain started to thunder down. Really, thunder. Yeah - no. I took the bus(es) - just in time to miss one, of course! And then, when I changed, we were diverted.. I was wondering how Google Maps came to predict a 15-minute journey to travel two stops! Well, I wasn't too late to the pub - which was pretty full, but I found a free table by the bar. Secured it with my coat and grabbed the barman, asking hopefully for the chicken schnitzel. Well gee, if I didn't get the last one! As I said, that's revenge for the last time I was there.. And it was served quickly, and was lovely.

A short walk then, to the theatre, and met the others in the lobby (where I didn't notice immediately, but they've introduced a couple of low-level tables, complete with chairs!). They could do with them.. there is a perpetual shortage of seating, here. And we chatted before we went in. Ah me, my first Meetup chat in over a week.. And so to our seats. Seems that those of us in the Circle were in the minority in our group - there seemed to have been a last-minute release of Stalls tickets. Ah well, out into the rain again with us.. (the Circle entrances are outside..)

Decent seat, well done Seatplan! The seats are raised, and there's a bar to rest your feet on. Also a decent view, although we had to lean a few times to catch action happening right under us, and I'd have pitied anyone sat behind us! except there wasn't - the row behind us (Row C) was completely empty. So, the theatre wasn't completely sold out, then - just mainly!

Justifiably. I can't quite remember when I last saw something this good - not this year, I think. An incendiary story, set in South Carolina in 1964, sees a young white girl, abused by her father, run away with the black housekeeper - only to find the bee farming community that once took her mother in. Combine that with the racial issues, the movement to get black people registered to vote - and a story interwoven with the events that inspired Mississippi Burning - in a blistering hot summer, and you get a tale that will get your blood boiling.

The staging is excellent, with a revolving pathway on the outside edge, and simple props providing the backdrop throughout. Everything is lit in a wonderful, golden light - honey-coloured, you might say.

But for me, what swung it was the music - catchy and more upbeat than you might expect from this desperately serious story, it was half musical, half gospel concert! A glorious score - and wow, I have never heard better singers in a musical than I heard tonight. The sheer power of the performance blew me away. As someone remarked afterwards, this will probably transfer to the West End - as far as I'm concerned, it's a given!

Runs till the 27th of next month - you'd be mad to miss it! before it transfers, and ticket prices soar..

Tomorrow, I was to be back with Over 40 Living the Life, for dinner at the Greenwich Yacht Club again. Until I got a message this evening to say that everyone had pulled out - dunno why - and it's been cancelled! Ah well - Plan B, as usual, is a film. Now, I already had the film list done for this week - but that blasted listings site is so unreliable, I had to do it again. And sure enough, I came up with a whole heap of films at the top of the list that weren't even on the list, last time I looked! Standout among them is the NT Live production of Good. This stars David Tennant as a German professor at the outbreak of the Second World War, who is forced to examine his conscience.. Closest showing to me is in the Vue at the O2, which I've booked, to get one of the cheapest seats, under their new theatre-style seating. So delighted to have the chance to see this - I missed it when it was showing live.

On Wednesday, I was thinking film again - couldn't see anything better coming up than what's advertised by The London Movie Club and The Hideout: Horror Sci-Fi Club London! both of which I'm a member of. And both of which, it transpires, are run by the same people! So I've signed up with the Hideout. Specifically, what's happening is Alien Day - a special double bill of the classic, Alien, and its sequel, Aliens, at the BFI Imax! See, the first planet where the aliens land is named LV-426.. So, you know, 26th of the 4th.. Now, I've never even been to the Imax, so this'll be interesting! Also good to meet these folks again - apparently, there'll be a break between films as well, when we can have a chat.

And on Thursday, Helen's in town for a conference - we're meeting for dinner at Colosseo, before I head off to join UITCS again, for The Good Person of Szechwan, by Brecht, at the Lyric Hammersmith! 

Play: For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy

For tonight, I booked For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide.. at the Apollo. I had a front-row seat in the Dress Circle - now, I remembered ridiculously tight legroom, here - so I was at the end of a row, and Seatplan said it'd be OK if I leant forward.. Just a few days ago, they asked me to "check in", and thereupon sent me my ticket..

Blasted, boring work meetings always keep me a bit late on Wednesdays - I missed the luxury of the late show starts of the past two days! So, I didn't really have time for a proper meal - headed to Pret, ate quickly. Caught the bus - though I spent so long staring at it, stopped just down the road, that I wondered whether it had actually broken down! Perhaps they've moved the terminus, which is supposed to be around the corner..?

Beautiful evening for a drive, mind, glorious sunshine. On the second bus, we had some fun when a loud-mouthed guy with a Northern Irish accent got on. My, but he managed to start a row with everyone - two people standing on the street where he got on were making faces at him through the bus window, then he started a row with the passengers on our bus who were - rather unwisely - staring at him. The guy opposite him advised them to leave him alone, he wasn't "right in the head", but they were on a roll.. when they got off at the next stop, they were shouting back in at him as well! (Isn't it funny how, when an intervention might do some good, nobody can be found, yet at other times, people won't leave well alone?) Around the same time, the driver told him he'd put him off if he didn't keep quiet. Mercifully, I was getting off myself, the stop after.

Well, that's an unmercifully long show title, isn't it? I climbed the stairs to the Dress Circle, where the doors to the auditorium weren't yet open - got a drink at the bar. No seating.. but the doors opened almost immediately after, and I took my seat. The usher could use a little adjustment in her attitude, mind.. Just a teensy bit snappy.. Also, beware the steps here, they're uneven, and I spilled some of my drink while navigating them. The smoke billowing from stage before the show didn't help.

Yes, that's the view from the seat - Seatplan was dead right, as usual. You really do have to lean forward, and even then the view is partially obscured by that bar with the lights on. Legroom ok, given that I was on the aisle and could turn sideways - which I kind of had to do anyway, from that angle!

My mood was not improved by the incessant, loud hip-hop playing before the start - which was delayed by 10 minutes. I literally had a headache by the time it started. The house was pretty full by then. When the curtain rises, it's to six black fellows, who start with a dance routine - after that, it's kind of like a mixture of group therapy and roleplay, as they relate their experiences as young black men. A poster in the bar gives an extensive trigger warning - well duh, the word "suicide" even appears in the title! Sure enough, there are tales of stop-and-search, of being beaten by an alcoholic father - also someone's description of how black men can try to "better themselves" by "whitewashing" (going to college, acting like a white man), even thinking they're part of the club: until something happens, and they realise they're not.

They kind of lost me when one of them described an incident of "white saviour complex" - i.e. a six-year-old white boy, more popular with the girls than his black classmate, who offers to team up with him. Jeez, damned if you do, damned if you don't, huh? Combine that with the recurrent hip-hop (I don't have anything against hip-hop in general, but I was getting sick of it this evening), and the macho posturing.. the crowd laughing at things I just didn't find funny.. the crowd getting really jiggy with some hip-hop piece I didn't recognise.. and the guys striking a macho pose at the start of the interval, sending the crowd absolutely wild..

I practically ran out of there at the interval. Patently not my thing - I found it far too aggressive, although it certainly appeals to a lot of people. Outside, they had roped off the entrance - I had to squeeze around the barrier to get out. So, not the most successful of evenings! Well, at least I got home early.. Runs until the 7th. You have been warned.

Tomorrow, I'm with TAC for a talk on Arab & Islamic Roots of Europe's Architecture, at St. Mary Magdalene Church.

Then it's back to Ireland for the weekend. On Monday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats for The Secret Life of Bees, at the Almeida - no seats left in the stalls, when I booked! Seatplan made me wary of the cheapest seats, so I'm in the next bracket up..

And on Tuesday, back with Over 40 Living the Life, for dinner at the Greenwich Yacht Club again. Well, it was good last time - good food, cheap prices, good company. Five of us going so far..

Play: The Unfriend

Tonight, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for The Unfriend, in The Criterion Theatre. A comedy about a British family that befriend an American lady while on holiday over there, and agree to keep in touch. Now she's on a plane over to see them - and they've discovered a terrible secret about her! How to they get rid of her - politely..? Sounded excellent. My though, I had terrible trouble trying to find a decent seat - everything left that was cheap seemed to be behind a pillar! and they aren't small pillars, as I discovered thanks to Seatplan. I finally plumped for something in the back row of the Dress Circle, where the pillars are thinner. We were texted a link to our tickets, five hours before start time.. which, as well as preventing scalping, is handy for finding them at the last minute!

Wow, it's over six years since I was last here - but I hadn't forgotten that there are tons of places to eat. Having a look at what was available, I booked a table at the Angus Steakhouse for 6. Had a couple of options for buses - and as I approached, I saw, damnit, I'd just missed one. Nearly didn't make it at all, mind you - as I crossed at the zebra crossing, all the cars were stopped in a traffic jam anyway: but as I stepped onto the crossing, gazing at the bus I wasn't going to make, I heard an expletive to my right. Which was just as well, because it made me pause - at which point, a b****y cyclist sailed past me, at speed, not an inch from my face. No intention of stopping at a pedestrian crossing, of course.

Well, another bus was along in just a minute, literally. I then had to change buses, which involved me crossing both ways at a large junction. I waited for the pedestrian lights to turn green - and, sure enough, as I crossed, had to navigate a whole fleet of cyclists, cycling illegally in all directions. If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times - BAN CYCLISTS IN CENTRAL LONDON!! They're a danger to pedestrians, too many of them not bothering with rules of the road, and absolutely no enforcement. Sick to the hind teeth of them.

In other bus news, we had fun when a tourist family, without much English, and with a pushchair, got on - at the back, because that was the closest door to them! and then had to push forward through the aisle, past people blocking the way, to where they could park the buggy. Ah well, you live and learn..

Saw my first ever Ramadan decorations!

And so to the Steakhouse, where I arrived early, and was seated immediately. Brief panic when I couldn't find my phone, which wasn't in any pocket, or in the outside pouches of my bag - I finally found it on the seat, where it must have fallen out of my coat pocket! Jeez, that was scarier than the cyclist..

But anyway, service was quick and faultless - I remember the first time I was here, when it was a very different story. For starter, I asked what the soup was - had to ask him twice, because it sounded exactly like "liquid potato"! I passed, given the "potato" part, later figuring out that it was probably "leek and potato". 

By the time of my original booking, I had ordered, and been served my starter. Poor guy didn't realise there was a drink as well, though, until I told him - at which point, he looked for guidance to the waiter who had taken the order, who pointed to the drink sitting on the bar, which the guy who'd brought the starter then fetched. Too many people doing too many disconnected tasks.. there was someone different again to bring my main, and another person to clear up. And not enough communication among them all, I think..

The starter consisted of four moreish southern fried chicken goujons, which came with a mayo dip and were gorgeous. For main - well, I just had to have steak. I actually don't that often, even in a steakhouse - but I felt like it today. The smallest is 8oz, which does me just fine - I later saw someone served a massive chunk, and I really don't know how she managed it. So, the "Angus cut" is cooked medium by default - although he did check - and I didn't bother with a sauce; I don't think a good steak needs it. I had onion rings and skinny fries with it - and polished the whole lot off, and it was all terrific.. was given the bill in good time, and took myself off to meet the others.

This theatre is completely in the basement.. and it's a beautiful building!

One quibble - there's very little signposting! I had to ask for the bar, and I'm not sure there was even a sign for the Dress Circle, where I was sitting - later, there was no signposting at all for the toilets! which turned out to be on the other side of the Dress Circle, conveniently for me. The Stalls Bar, where we met, is a poky little place too, although service is friendly and the drinks are cheaper than usual. And we chatted until it was time to go in.

So, as Seatplan indicated, the view isn't too restricted - and legroom is ok, with a large pillar just to my side, which I could lean against, as well as pop my stuff on the floor in front of.

The opening scene, as you can probably tell, takes place on the deck of a cruise ship, where we meet the English couple and their new BFF. Soon, however, the backdrop parts, and the rest of the play takes place in their home - a twin-level set, with a small kitchen and larger living room downstairs, and stairs leading up to a second level, which they enter under the roof of the painted front of the house:

Yes, it's very good! The interplay between the casual friendliness of the American, and the stilted awkwardness of the English family, is beautifully done. I also loved the "passive-agressive" neighbour who keeps dropping by to complain about things, and the gradual unravelling of the English couple is a delight to behold. Yep, a most enjoyable play - runs till the 16th.

As we made our way out, I could hear cheering - of course, I'd forgotten we were right on Piccadilly Circus! where, at that point, there was some line dancing..

Terrific atmosphere, as ever - and what a lovely, mild evening! It was great to stay and chat to people for a while.. despite everything else I have to do. And on the way home, I got to look out the window, from the safety of the bus, at a Deliveroo cyclist, speeding up the pavement in Aldwych..

Tomorrow, back with the Horror Book Club, at the Prince of Wales in Drury Lane, as usual. And wow, this month's book is a doozy - House of Leaves is a massive tome, which I started reading years ago and never did get finished. I couldn't find that copy, so ended up buying it again - but am I finding the time to read it? Well, I'm doing my best, and it is a cracking read. Here's hoping I get it finished in time, as it's quite dense.. Now up to 323 pages through a nearly 700-page story.. Thank goodness for the unconventional publishing style, where some pages have hardly anything on them!

On Thursday, with a bank holiday next day, flying back to Ireland. Aer Lingus, because I left it too late to book with Ryanair, and the evening flights were gone. Now, I have an old friend, Vicki, in Cork, whom I usually go down to see once a year, staying the night - usually at Christmas, but she was too busy for me last Christmas. So we've arranged for me to go and stay next Tuesday, coming back the next day. Now, that realistically means I can't fly to London before the 13th - but with nothing unmissable on the 14th, I'm flying back that day instead. I finally got my holiday request in - as the boss says, let's see what we get done this week.. Well, if I am denied the holiday, I'll just have to take the laptop with me. Which could get interesting, as I'd have to have it on in the car on the road to Cork..

I definitely have to be back for the 15th though, when I'm booked on another walk with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners! This one is A City built by a Genius - Wren's London. And as of now, he's scheduling walks I haven't done for days I can make them! Very cool.. because I do love his walks. And lunches.

Now, my boss suggested - quite a while ago - that we might have a jaunt to the head office in Tel Aviv on the 16th! I hadn't heard anything since, though - so I finally asked him. He confirmed that it won't be until at least next month now - wants to get the latest release out. So I'll be in London that week. However, there isn't honestly much coming up on Meetup - so, for the 19th, I've booked For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide.. at the Apollo. I have a front-row seat in the Dress Circle - now, I seem to remember ridiculously tight legroom, here - so I'm at the end of a row, and Seatplan says it'll be OK if I lean forward..

On the 20th, I'm with TAC for a talk on Arab & Islamic Roots of Europe's Architecture, at St. Mary Magdalene Church.

Then it's back to Ireland for the weekend. On the 24th, back with UITCS for The Secret Life of Bees, at the Almeida - no seats left in the stalls! Seatplan made me wary of the cheapest seats, so I'm in the next bracket up..

And on the 25th, back with Over 40 Living the Life, for dinner at the Greenwich Yacht Club again. Well, it was good last time - good food, cheap prices, good company. Three of us going so far - I'm sure there'll be more!

Play: Lemons Lemons Lemons

This week is mostly Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS). Tonight, 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 guessed! 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'd booked up there. The cheapest price bracket left when I booked included some in the Dress Circle - and thanks to Seatplan, I thought I'd identified a decent seat among them. 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.

Looking for eateries nearby, I settled on Spaghetti House again - not the branch I ate at before, but I had a good experience then, so I said I'd try it. Also said I'd better book - and I was right to do so, it was quite full when I got there, at 6pm! They stuck me in a corner - my place had already been laid out, and I was miffed to realise they had me facing the wall - until I figured out that, had I sat on the other side, I'd have impeded what is a useful passage for them to the back. I was wary of being sat with my back to the waiters, but actually, service was fine - until, of course, I wanted the bill.

I dunno why I didn't try the garlic bread before - I did this time, and it was very moreish! Had the carbonara again, as it was so good last time - and here, they had sauvignon blanc. I was well fed, again - considered having a second wine, but at £12.50 a glass, I thought I'd see what the theatre was selling it for. Didn't really have much time to spare, anyway, if I were going to meet the group - and although I was left for a few minutes at the end, I've definitely been kept waiting longer to pay elsewhere.

And so to the theatre, where, joy, the Dress Circle is on ground level. Mind you, I had to climb to the bar where they were meeting - not that far, though. A large group, they were easy to spot tonight - and lo, the wine here is the same price as at the restaurant. Well, nothing lost either way then - happily, you can take it in. As someone said though, pity we didn't wait until tonight to get tickets - quite a few people cancelled last minute, and we might have got one for free..

Wow, was I impressed with the legroom on this row - no comparison with the Balcony! Back row too, so I could happily lean if I wanted. I was right over by the wall, but the two seats beside me were free, so I moved over one for a slightly better view. Not that I'd have missed much - the only action consists of the two actors, circling each other, and none of it takes place very far to the side.

90 minutes or so, straight through - and yes, by and large we thought it could have been shorter. It's well acted, and the characters are personable - in fact, the conversations they have are very interesting. The pre-quietude ones, that is. (I think that's what it's called, the Quietude Act. Something like that.) You see, after this law is passed, it becomes illegal to speak more than 140 words per day, so the conversations become necessarily stilted.

I couldn't help comparing it to Brexit - the passing of an inane law that does no-one any good, but is inexplicably voted for, to the bafflement of those who are against it. And just like the Covid restrictions, what do we find during the play but politicians making exceptions for themselves - the word limit doesn't apply in Parliament. Or in its restaurants, etc. 

Of course, what it really (to use an example of one of the words that one of the characters thinks could happily be dropped) is getting at, is a dig at Twitter, which used to have a 140-character message limit. And in particular, I guess the play's message is how much communication is lost in that - yes, you can get the basic meaning across; but how much richness do you lose, how much depth of feeling, how much context? How much less do you know about the person? Hey, even Twitter doubled their limit in the end.. Particularly disquieting is when, at the end of the day - when they use their remaining words for a conversation - on one occasion, they start to sing an old song (Total Eclipse of the Heart, as it happens). But then they have to stop, because they've used up their word quota.

It's an interesting concept - for instance, they briefly consider the effect on babies - but it did drag a bit. And the constant back-and-forth between pre-Quietude, when they could let loose volleys of words, and post-Quietude, where they're constantly counting them and inventing abbreviations to save words, is a little confusing. None of the concepts they could have explored really were dealt with - which is why it dragged, I think. Anyway, if you're interested, it runs until the 18th.

Afterwards, we met at the Tom Cribb pub - outside the pub, I should mention. Where we shivered as we discussed the play - could have done with being inside, but never mind. It's bitter out there.. Got one of those weird bus drivers on the way home, who wouldn't stop when I pressed the bell - happily, it wasn't too long before he did, and my way home from there took me past the shop anyway. And I did need some shopping.

Tomorrow, my one non-UITCS day this week - back with Over 40 Living the Life, for a dinner at Greenwich Yacht Club. Ooh la la.. The organiser has provided quite complicated meeting instructions - it'll be interesting to see how useful they prove!

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

On Saturday, 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 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.. Still have to hear from my other ex-coworker with whom I'm in contact, as to whether he can make it himself.

On Sunday, 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.

Next Monday, 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.

Play: Best of Enemies

Tonight, I finally booked for Best of Enemies at the Noel Coward Theatre. This play concerns a series of debates on US television between liberal writer Gore Vidal and conservative William F. Buckley in 1968 - the interesting twist here, given the time and place we're talking about, is to cast William Buckley as black! Had my own seat review on Seatplan to guide me in picking a seat - this is one of those restricted view/legroom theatres. And despite all the theatre offers flooding my inbox, I found the cheapest tickets for this on the official website! Mind you, what with See Tickets doing the selling, I found myself with a second, unexplained, booking fee..

I thought I'd look nearby for food - the nearest place with availability (third I tried) was, to be fair, only a minute's walk away from the theatre! (The joys of a Monday night.) So I booked a table there - it was Spaghetti House. The queue at the bus stop rather phased me - there was such a huge queue, it looked as though there was a shortage of buses! Now, there were a few I could get - when the first of these happened along, I dreaded a scrum to get on. Mercifully, a #205 arrived at the same time, and most of them gravitated towards that! Now, that explains the scrum - that bus is so rare, its arrival should make the papers..

Well, I arrived at the restaurant with a couple of minutes to spare, and was shown straight to my table - the only free table I could see. I perused the menu - it's ages since I've had minestrone, so thought I'd have that: fancied a carbonara as well. And the usual 250ml of sauvignon blanc - unusually, described as a carafe, here! Well, the waiter happened along - I have to say, I've never seen such ridiculously smiley waitresses. This one looked so gleeful, she might burst at any moment. Either it's a great place to work, or they're on something.. her smile didn't falter one bit as she informed me that they had no sauvignon blanc - so I had chardonnay. And they'd just served the last of the minestrone - all right, I'd have calamari. I was ok with the carbonara.

When the wine arrived, it became apparent that the reason they serve 250ml carafes is that the wine glasses are smaller than that. Seems easier to buy bigger wine glasses, but hey. The wine was decent, the calamari passable. The carbonara was lovely, actually - and quite filled me up, which was a good thing. The theatre had emailed to ask me to arrive half an hour early, and I was coming up to that - happily for the restaurant, who'd given me a two-hour max. When I asked for the bill, the server seemed a smidgeon confused.. she brought me the bill, waited a respectable five minutes, and asked whether I was ready to pay now! Ehh..?

Well, they're nice, and worth the slightly higher than usual service charge. Trotting over to the theatre, I walked along the world's longest roped-off area, leading around the side! Nobody waiting in it, just the people to check bags. Right to the end I had to walk, and back. In a side door then, and up (and up and up) what you might call a refurbished fire escape, to get to the Balcony. Would you believe, after all that climbing, the bar is another flight of steps up! (Mind you, I think I spied another on the climb..) Lovely bar, after all that - I got a drink, in plastic so I could take it in with me, and sank into a seat until showtime. When I had a fun climb - down, this time - to my seat, on the aisle in the front row:

Ok seat - decent legroom, actually, and I had the aisle to swing my legs into, and to leave my stuff in. The guy beside me was massively disappointed when I arrived, having all his things on my seat.. Only thing was, we kept having to get up to let people in and out! Anyway, 60s music plays at the start of each half. This is actually a great play for anyone with an interest in the 60s - the events depicted take place then, of course, and we get some 60s fashions: but we also get some real-life stills and film footage, projected onto the side of the stage. Most atmospheric.

The debates take place during a presidential election campaign, and start during a Republican convention in Miami. The fun starts when they move to a Democratic convention in Chicago - the Democrats are at sixes and sevens following the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, and things aren't helped at all by the city's reactionary mayor, who isn't at all a fan of the revolutionary spirit of the age.. and, faced with protests against the Vietnam War, sends in the National Guard.

As to the debates themselves - they're fun, the participants treating them like boxing matches and using them as an excuse to slag each other off. Mrs. Buckley is frequently seen giving her husband advice, as Gore Vidal's companions also do for him. Each is very keen to best the other, and the verbal battles are terrific. Not that they're given great rein to wax on about subjects at length - television doesn't lend itself to that. Gore Vidal is certainly better at soundbites - but it's perhaps Buckley who has the definitive final word, warning that democracy cannot survive when menaced by moral supremacy. For the latter part of the play, such argument as there is finds itself superseded by the riots erupting around them.

So, not one for those hoping for deep political discourse - but it is riveting, and a real window into the past. Runs till the 18th.

Afterwards, I had a choice of buses home - bless continual decent internet access, so I could keep adjusting my journey to find the most comfortable trip (least walking).

For the next week or so, it's all Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS)! Tomorrow, for some reason, I hadn't seen their advertised event to see Orlando, based on the book by Virginia Woolf, and showing at the Garrick. For this, however, I found the cheapest tickets from Official London Theatre (OLT).

On Wednesday, we're 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 seems to be selling out..

On Thursday, 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.

Next Monday, we're heading to Noises Off, starring Felicity Kendal, at the Phoenix. Again, cheapest tickets from OLT.

On the 31st, 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!

On the 1st, 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 appeals massively at the moment - 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'll 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.. 

On the 6th, my first actual event with that group. 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.

Musical: Cinderella

Tonight, finally went to see Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella! I heard good things.. it's playing at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, which was new to me - Seatplan was invaluable in choosing the best seating option. What's On Stage provided the cheapest price for that seat, though!

Looking for somewhere to eat beforehand, I didn't even know where it was.. Drury Lane, it turned out. I fancied Cote - and the nearest was the Covent Garden branch. So, there I headed - a bus kindly obliged me by arriving just as I did, and I arrived at the restaurant on the dot of the time I'd arranged for. I was just a little dubious after my experience at the St. Martin's Lane branch - but I needn't have worried. Service was quick - and friendly as could be - and the food was excellent. And this time, I got to have chocolate ice cream - which is so rich, I swear it's the chocolatiest thing on the menu! I know it was a Tuesday, but they just seem better managed here. Kudos.

And so, up the road to the theatre. Ahah! It's the one where School of Rock has been playing every time I've passed it! I just never went to see that, and had never been inside. Well, tonight I got to see the interior. Stairs or escalator up to the lobby, where, as the usher said, "everything is". Oh, and on the escalator, oddly, you stand on the left. Upstairs, you can have the Winter Garden bar on one side, or the Sean Kenny bar on the other - naturally, I went to the latter, and after a trip to the loo, got myself a drink and consulted the nearest usher about the fact that only door numbers, not seat numbers, are displayed on the signs, while a seat number, but no door number, was displayed on my ticket. For seat #4 in the Circle, she directed me to Door 5.. and wow, what a lot of stairs! Ah well, it turned out that the seats either side of me were empty, which gave me plenty of space - indeed, while the Stalls were pretty full, the Circle was half empty. Good legroom, and as promised by Seatplan, the view is just fine - the corner of the stage is cut off, but nothing happens there.

Now, this starts off simperingly sweet. Never fear, it doesn't continue that way.. this is Cinderella with a few twists! I mean, when the rhyme for "Cinderella" is "salmonella".. For a start, Prince Charming has been killed in battle - he'd been engaged to Cinderella, and when his shiny new statue is defaced, the people turn to her (this is a hint that the engagement was not exactly a fairytale). So, his shy and retiring younger brother - generally considered a poor substitute - is now heir to the throne. And needs a bride. And has to choose one at a ball. And.. you know the rest.

Cue the interval - and I needed the loo again. Unfortunately, the nearest toilets from upstairs only have three cubicles, and the queue lasted forever! Happily, the interval lasted long enough for me to grab a rather nice choc choc chip ice cream. The vendor asked me whether it was my first time seeing this (!). I mean, I have been known to go to repeat showings of things, but generally restrict that to U2 concerts..

And so to the second half. And if you thought you knew the story, think again.. this has been rethunk. Oh, and if you're in the front stalls - in front of that barrier - try not to leave your seat in the second half. Because - possibly just to centre the stage for the ball - the stage rotates, and for a while that bit of the audience ends up on the other side. Must be interesting if you are sitting there, mind.

The music, as you'd expect, is cracking. And I love what they've done with the story! Yes, this is good fun.. Booking until the 19th of February, recommended. Very clever take on the tale.

Damn cold again - I'm back in my winter coat. And it drizzled on me on the way back, unexpectedly. Tomorrow, back with Civilised London (CL) - for a play this time. This is The Fever Syndrome, at Hampstead Theatre.

On Thursday, back with TAC for One Night With Robbie Williams. This is at The Courtyard.

On Friday, my job still being up in the air, I've provisionally - again - booked with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners for a daytime walk. This is Tinker, Tailor, Soldier & a Hatful of Spies - and comes highly recommended from previous attendees! In fact, I got the last spot (at the time, anyway). Do hope I can make it.

That evening, back with the Crick Crack Club (CCC) for - The Grand Annual Lying Contest! at Rich Mix.

On Saturday, I had booked with Walks, Talks & Treasure Hunts for a Regent's Canal Walk. But yay, Laurence and the 45+s then advertised another walk for that day, which is pretty much guaranteed to be superior. So I've booked it. This is Scandals, Scriptwriters & Sumptuous Architecture - and of course, it being a London weekend, I can go!

That evening, an ex-colleague of mine is having a leaving do - he's emigrating. Happening at The Woodman, in Highgate. I said I'd put in an appearance.

On Sunday, the CCC again! Emily Hennessey and Sheema Mukherjee are at the British Museum, with Holy Cow! Tales from the River of Life. Unfortunately, the London Landmarks Half Marathon is also that day, so I'll probably be on the Tube, at least getting to the museum. 

On Monday, I'm back at the Park Theatre for the first time in nearly three years! This is for Clybourne Park, a comedy about a white family moving into a predominantly black neighbourhood.

Next Tuesday, I'm headed to But I'm a Cheerleader, a musical comedy at the Turbine Theatre.

On the 6th, back with Up in the Cheap Seats at Southwark Playhouse, and another free ticket for me! This time, it's for Anyone Can Whistle, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

On the 7th, Tommy Tiernan is playing at the Hammersmith Apollo! Now, I failed to get a ticket for this the first time around. Then it was rescheduled because of Covid.. and I got a ticket for the rescheduled event! Then that was rescheduled.. third time lucky?! Love Tommy Tiernan. The show is called Tomfoolery. And then it's back to Ireland for the weekend again.

On the 11th, I've booked for The 47th, at The Old Vic. Written by Mike Bartlett, this imagines the American presidential elections of 2024. I am really looking forward to this play..

On the 12th, I'm finally going to Six, the Musical! Based around the story of the six wives of Henry VIII (very loosely, I'd say), it's playing at the Vaudeville and I hear good things. Cheapest tickets from Leicester Square Box Office.

On the 13th, back with CL, who are off to the opera at the Southbank Centre. The show in question is The Paradis Files. Next day, I'm back to Ireland for Easter - but left it so late to book, I could only get an afternoon flight, and will have to start my new job (whenever) by asking for that day off work!

Well, my friend got back to me - they're away in the middle of Easter week, back on the 21st, so the most sensible thing to do seemed to be to visit on the 22nd, which I've now arranged with her. Whether I take that week as holiday, or take the laptop there and work from Ireland, remains to be seen. Anyway, I'll fly back to London on the 24th. And on the 25th, I'm off to The Corn is Green, at the National.