Tonight, back with This & That (not for ages, then twice in one week!). This time, it was a pre-Paddy's Day concert with the Band of the Irish Guards, at the Guards' Chapel. I'd have left a bit earlier, but we had an emergency meeting at 5pm - in which we were asked to work from home from next week, if possible, to prevent the spread of coronavirus. I can live with the idea of not having to trek to the office in the mornings!
Well, this made me a little late - and we were to meet in The Old Star, but not to stay for long. So I decided to take the Tube - and it was nicely uncrowded. To be fair, the District and Circle lines generally are! Got a seat the whole way. Unfortunately, at St. James' Park station, I was unable to find the right exit - well, it wasn't too far to walk around. And the pub is right across the road.
As I made my way to the door, I spied the organiser through the window - which was lucky, as when I got in, the din was horrendous! and the crowd dense. Even having seen him, he wasn't easy to find - he and another had managed to find a spot at the top of the stairs. I got drinks in, and then found myself - yet again - in the unenviable position of the one who was jostled by everyone heading in and out. What with that, and everyone having to shout to be heard, I was glad when we left.
And so, down to the Guards Chapel, where at least two of us had never been.
The band emerged, uniforms immaculate and buttons and shoes shining, in red but sans bearskin hats. Logically, I guess. I'd have been far too distracted if they'd worn them, wondering whether they were going to fall off.
The repertoire was listed in the free programmes that were thoughtfully provided:
Now, to those familiar with the pieces, it was amusing to note the revolutionary songs among them.. The Boys of Wexford, for instance. And A Wexford Rhapsody includes some of Boolavogue and The Croppy Boy, for goodness' sake! Ah well, they do fit the brief of military music.. and after all, they weren't sung - the lyrics didn't come into it. Just as well, considering the subjects of the songs were in revolution - well, against the predecessors of the people playing the music. Least said, soonest mended. ;-)
So, the concert - which lasted just over an hour - was a mixture of full-blast, big band material, and softer pieces, which I preferred. Particularly lovely, I thought, was Blackwater, which I'd never heard before. Rollicking Rakes is a play on the Rakes of Mallow. And the evening was most enjoyable. The chapel was mostly full - and he gave us special thanks for coming out, what with all the health scares. I donated to the collection on the way out - but the guy in uniform, holding the plate aloft, didn't look at all impressed with my contribution; he was evidently much happier with what was given by someone behind me, who received effusive thanks!
And so back to the pub for one, and a discussion mainly about film.. and coronavirus, which was inescapable, with a large tv in clear view. Happily, we had a table this time. And then home. Stupidly, I waited on the wrong side of the road - and realised too late to catch my bus, so I had to wait for the next. At least there were so few people travelling that we sailed past most of the stops, and I was absolutely flown home!
They haven't yet closed the airports, so tomorrow I'm back to Ireland for the weekend. On Monday - all going well - back at Soho Theatre again: this time, for the opening night of Tom Rosenthal's show, Manhood.
Tuesday is, of course, Paddy's Day itself - and like last year, I'm off to the Irish Centre in Camden. And again, they have a St. Patrick's Night Special - I've already booked my ticket. Dunno whether anyone will join me, but hey.
On Wednesday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for Be More Chill, at The Other Palace. My only Meetup that week!
Next Thursday is going to be hugely busy for me. So, first I'm at Soho Theatre for Jena Friedman's show, Miscarriage of Justice. And then, wouldn't you know it, The Embers Collective scheduled a series of shows at the Vault Festival. And blast it if I wasn't already booked for the whole week! But hey, with the comedy show finishing at 8.30.. and the storytelling not starting till 10.. this one was doable! Their show that night is Queerstory - LGBTQ+ - themed. And I'm going.
On the 20th, finally getting to see Dear Evan Hanson, at the Noel Coward Theatre. It got the royal seal of approval last week, of course! And it's about time I saw it - UITCS went last year.
On the 21st, a proper social at last from my last company, woo-hoo! We now have 5 (possibly 6) confirmations for a dinner at my current favourite Italian - Amarcord Museum. The place with the chocolate mousse cake to die for.. I've booked, on the assumption that I won't get any more takers. And that laying a space for 6 is much the same as laying a space for 5. And I've asked specially for the chocolate cake.. again, all going well; I've heard of restaurants closing as a precaution.
On the 22nd, heading to the last night of a classical spectacular at the Albert Hall. Popular classical tunes, complete with lightshow - sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
On the 23rd, back with UITCS for Far Away, at Donmar Warehouse. Unfortunately, I'm now hearing really bad reviews of this - ah well. Not surprised, given that it's by Caryl Churchill, who also wrote A Number. Which I didn't rate highly.
On the 24th, seeing The Dumb Waiter, by Harold Pinter, at Hampstead Theatre.
On the 25th, back with UITCS for Clybourne Park, at the Park Theatre.
On the 26th, back with them again - for the opening night of a Ballet Black Mixed Bill, at the Barbican, for once! Much handier for me. Interestingly, no fewer than three Meetup groups are going to the same thing - but UITCS advertised it first, and I've booked with them and will not be repeating the chaos of multiple bookings that I tried previously. One in particular, Love London Theatre Arts Music & Stuff (LLTAMS) - which has a habit of booking the same thing on the same night as UITCS - has introduced a new rule that you can't book with them if you've booked with someone else as well. Well gee, no problem - wasn't going to anyway. Not really the way to increase your group's attendance, if you ask me. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.
On the 30th, ironically, I'm with LLTAMS for something that they're the only ones to advertise! It's a classical concert of religious music at Queen Elizabeth Hall, and should be lovely. The first Easter-related event I'm going to.
On the 31st, back at the Barbican for It's True, It's True, It's True. Dramatisation of a 17th-Century rape trial.
On the 1st, I find myself with London Science & Geek Chic Socials! We're off to a talk at the Star & Garter (Greenwich), entitled Greenwich Skeptics: A Magician Among the Spirits, which describes the confrontational relationship between magicians and psychics - the name is taken from a book by Houdini.
On the 2nd, back with UITCS at the Barbican - this time, it's the opening night of Orlando.
And on the 3rd, back with them again for Last Easter, at the Orange Tree.
Tonight, I was holding off on deciding what to do until I heard for definite from my friends, who were supposed to be coming over. But one of them realised she needed her passport renewing, so they had to wait to do that before booking - and lo, the flight prices increased too much in the meantime. So now they're not coming this weekend - which left me free to go to a talk at Southwark Cathedral, courtesy of This and That (TnT)! I know the organiser - it's about time I got to one of his events, and it'd be good to see him again. The talk was about the pilgrims' route from Winchester to Canterbury - I have a particular interest in medieval history, so this appealed. (Interestingly, London Social Detours was going too.. and charging £3.50.)
I bravely set out without my Oyster card - this should be walkable, closer to home, but even from the office. And to be fair, today was the first day we got a hint of Spring - gorgeous sunshine all day (if cold) - so I didn't mind. And it was a lovely walk, apart from the dreadful crowds I had to push through at Bank and Monument junctions. Arrived in time - and indeed, before the organiser, whose train was delayed, apparently. Met one of the group outside - the other had, it seemed, gotten a spare ticket from some other random attendee, and gone in ahead of us.
So, most of us sat towards the back. There were two screens for slides, of which I had a decent view, and although the talk had a constant backdrop of the buzz of conversation from a pub outside, gee, for me, it just added to the summery vibe. As did the slides themselves, with gorgeous photos of leafy lanes and idyllic country villages. The presenter was quite entertaining, mixing history with practical information - like which supermarket to walk past, and where to get your pilgrim's passport stamped..
Most enjoyable. And afterwards, we made for the pub - tried the Barrowby & Banker first, as the nearest, but honestly, I know it's Friday, but the level of noise..! particularly from the sound system, blaring out right beside us. So we repaired instead to the Bunch of Grapes. Where there was music - but unobtrusive - and things improved mightily when some kind lady offered the table as she was leaving, and we got seats to go with it. The post-work, just-having-one crowd duly cleared out, and the noise level was low enough that we could hear each other speak. Just about. And we prevailed upon our organiser to stay for one too many. :-) Well, that's what Fridays are for. It was a good night.
Tomorrow, I'm headed back to the Lyric Hammersmith, for something called Love, Love, Love, written by the excellent Mike Bartlett. Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) is heading to this later in the month, I see.
On Sunday, I was thinking of film - got the film list done on Wednesday, then wasn't too pushed about what was coming out on top. Not that it was easy to get the listings, mind - my film site has a new look, still apparently gets the new listings on Tuesday evenings, but now doesn't seem to list the times for the following week along with the new films! So I can see what's on, just not where or when. I managed to Google a couple, which had their own websites, and from those I determined that they're not showing on days that'd suit. Others, I wasn't so lucky with, and just had to guess on the basis of the cinemas in which they were showing this week, whose websites I then had to check.
Anyway, the upshot was that I thought Meetup had better suggestions. So now, on Sunday I'm joining North London Friends for a concert called Some Kinda Wonderful - a tribute to Stevie Wonder. Run by the Chickenshed - the link was broken for a while, but was working again, last I checked. Unfortunately, it's all the way out in Cockfosters - ah well.
On Monday, back with UITCS for City of Angels at the Garrick. Funny thing is, I was recently looking ahead for shows to book, and this came up - was on the point of booking for it, busily looking for deals, when I suddenly realised I'd already booked! The perils of booking early.. I booked this the day after Christmas.
On Tuesday, whoop-de-doo! Finally got a decently priced, decently located ticket to the show of the moment, Hamilton! Showing at the Victoria Palace, booking through Ticketmaster exclusively. Booked the same day as City of Angels - I often block book. So I get to see whether it lives up to the hype - I'm just delighted to be able to stop searching for tickets for it! Must just remember to bring the ticket to the office with me - they insisted on posting it.
On Wednesday, back at Soho Theatre (hopefully - at least the show is later than Tuesday's, which I missed!). This time, it's Sara Barron's show, Enemies Closer.
On Thursday, back with TnT (feast or famine, I guess!). This time, it's a pre-Paddy's Day concert with the Band of the Irish Guards, at the Guards' Chapel. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.
On the 16th, back at Soho Theatre again - this time, for the opening night of Tom Rosenthal's show, Manhood.
The 17th is, of course, Paddy's Day itself - and like last year, I'm off to the Irish Centre in Camden. And again, they have a St. Patrick's Night Special - I've already booked my ticket. Dunno whether anyone will join me, but hey.
On the 18th, back with UITCS for Be More Chill, at The Other Palace. My only Meetup that week!
The 19th is going to be hugely busy for me. So, first I'm at Soho Theatre for Jena Friedman's show, Miscarriage of Justice. And then, wouldn't you know it, The Embers Collective scheduled a series of shows at the Vault Festival. And blast it if I wasn't already booked for the whole week! But hey, with the comedy show finishing at 8.30.. and the storytelling not starting till 10.. this one was doable! Their show that night is Queerstory - LGBTQ+ - themed. And I'm going.
On the 20th, finally getting to see Dear Evan Hanson, at the Noel Coward Theatre. It got the royal seal of approval during the week, of course! And it's about time I saw it - UITCS went last year.
On the 21st, a proper social at last from my last company, woo-hoo! We now have 5 (possibly 6) confirmations for a dinner at my current favourite Italian - Amarcord Museum. The place with the chocolate mousse cake to die for.. I'll make a booking soon, just waiting to see whether there are any other takers.
On the 22nd, heading to the last night of a classical spectacular at the Albert Hall. Popular classical tunes, complete with lightshow - sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
On the 23rd, back with UITCS for Far Away, at Donmar Warehouse. Unfortunately, I'm now hearing really bad reviews of this - ah well. Not surprised, given that it's by Caryl Churchill, who also wrote A Number. Which I didn't rate highly.
On the 24th, seeing The Dumb Waiter, by Harold Pinter, at Hampstead Theatre.
On the 25th, back with UITCS for Clybourne Park, at the Park Theatre.
On the 26th, back with them again - for the opening night of a Ballet Black Mixed Bill, at the Barbican, for once! Much handier for me. Interestingly, no fewer than three Meetup groups are going to the same thing - but UITCS advertised it first, and I've booked with them and will not be repeating the chaos of multiple bookings that I tried previously. One in particular, Love London Theatre Arts Music & Stuff (LLTAMS) - which has a habit of booking the same thing on the same night as UITCS - has introduced a new rule that you can't book with them if you've booked with someone else as well. Well gee, no problem - wasn't going to anyway. Not really the way to increase your group's attendance, if you ask me. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.
On the 30th, ironically, I'm with LLTAMS for something that they're the only ones to advertise! It's a classical concert of religious music at Queen Elizabeth Hall, and should be lovely.
On the 31st, back at the Barbican for It's True, It's True, It's True. Dramatisation of a 17th-Century rape trial.
On the 1st, I find myself with London Science & Geek Chic Socials! We're off to a talk at the Star & Garter (Greenwich), entitled Greenwich Skeptics: A Magician Among the Spirits, which describes the confrontational relationship between magicians and psychics - the name is taken from a book by Houdini.
On the 2nd, back with UITCS at the Barbican - this time, it's the opening night of Orlando.
And on the 3rd, back with them again for Last Easter, at the Orange Tree.
