Restaurant: An Teach China

Well, I flew back to Ireland today. Amazingly, considering the appalling treatment we got - and I don't know whether to blame Stansted or Ryanair. At the airport, several announcements were made to the effect that the Ryanair app shouldn't be trusted! Later, these were amended to be more specific - apparently, it had incorrectly said that some were cancelled. However, the gate number given was correct - and hallelujah, for once it was accessible by the transit! as opposed to the slog through the airport I normally have.

Yep, and then there was a massive queue at the gate. And then, we had a situation at the bottom of the escalator that was actually dangerous, where people kept being sent down, but the door we were supposed to access was closed, and there was nowhere to go. Which was dangerous. No recognition of that by staff, though, no control. When I made my way through, I ended up in the Tunnel of Doom - where we were stuck in stifling conditions for 40 minutes, all crammed in together. No bus to take us to the plane - because, not that there were any announcements to tell us, but on the plane afterwards, made on a virtually incomprehensible tannoy, we were told (I think) that the plane coming over had something wrong with it and had to be changed, which was the cause of the delay. So there had been no plane to put us on. Yeah, back to cattle class with Ryanair at Stansted.

Oh, and for almost the whole flight, I had a kid kicking my seat. Arriving at last (an hour late), I headed for a takeaway at An Teach China. Decided to have something different - sorry I did. "Crispy General Chicken" is reminiscent of my favourite dish, but they just don't do it very well, and I don't think I'll have it again. Not very tasty. Also seems to be less food in it than in my regular fillet beef szechuan. Well, nothing ventured..

Now, the cinema listings are finally out for Ireland for the next week. Four films I might be interested in, and only one showing in the Omniplex in the afternoon. So I've booked that one for Sunday - it's The Lost City, and stars Channing Tatum, Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt, and Daniel Radcliffe in another of those lost-city-in-the-jungle capers.

The other three only have afternoon showings in Ennis - so, it's there I'm bound. They charge for booking, so I haven't. I have six days in which to see them - watch this space as to when that'll be. In descending order of rating, they are:

The Northman, a Viking caper about a young prince whose father, the King, is murdered, so it falls to the lad to avenge him. Nicole Kidman is the Queen, and it also stars Alexander Skarsgård, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Björk.

Operation Mincemeat stars the ever-dependable Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, and Penelope Wilton in a comedy based on the true story of how, during WWII, they put the Nazis off the scent by handcuffing a case of fake "secret" papers to a corpse, and letting it be found. They've made a play about this too, you know!

Finally, Morbius is another of those superhero things - an antihero, rather. Jared Leto is the hapless biochemist who accidentally turns himself into a vampire - with all the powers that entails. Also stars Michael Keaton.

Well, my friend got back to me - they're away in the middle of next 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. Happily, my boss was also fine with me taking that week as holiday. 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.

Opera: The Paradis Files

Wow, what a day. What an awful day. I'm planning to move, you know, and today was the last day for the estate agents for the new place to get their references, and of all they asked for, all they were waiting for was the guarantor. She was demanding to see a copy of the guarantor agreement - they only sent it today. And lo, she didn't like it. Refused point blank to sign. Which left me with the awful prospect of losing both a gorgeous room in a prime location for a decent price, which I'd been so lucky to snatch from the clutches of other prospective tenants, and also losing a whopping deposit.

Mercifully, a friend in Ireland rode in at the last minute, like the proverbial knight in shining armour, and in response to my urgent plea, stepped in as my guarantor and sent off all the required documentation in 15 minutes. No response from the agents at time of writing, which I'm taking as a good sign. But after that, my hands were shaking. It's been years since I was so stressed, and I don't want that to happen often.

Anyway, tonight I was back with Civilised London, who were off to the opera at the Southbank Centre. The show in question was The Paradis Files. Looking for something to eat beforehand, I tried two nearby places that I was familiar with, only to find both were full. Having a look at the map, I discovered a steak bar/restaurant called The Archduke, which had availability, so I booked it.

Arrived just before my booked time, and was shown to a table near the door. The menu is one of those with wine on one side (which side she had uppermost when she handed it to me), food on the other. I was delighted to see they have wine by the carafe, which is just perfect for me - I chose the New Zealand white. Now, funnily enough for a steak restaurant - I didn't feel like steak! Wanted something a bit lighter, so I chose the rotisserie half chicken, which comes with fries.

OMG It only took one bite of the chicken to know I had something special. I have seriously never tasted better cooked chicken! Succulent, falling from the bone, tender - delicious. Ditto, excellent fries. I would love to try the steak here sometime. Meantime, I asked for the dessert menu - I had time - and sensibly, she waited to the side while I chose. It wasn't going to take long, I'd already identified what I wanted. (And they needed the table - they did fill up while I was there.) I had the ice cream sundae, which was vanilla and chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce. And cream, and a few bits of fruit on top, which I removed - I don't like to mix fruit and chocolate. But wow, what a meal!

I headed to the loo, then to meet the others. I was still a bit early, but in due course our organiser messaged us that he was inside. So I joined him at his table, and caught him up on my news - and had a good old rant about my day. My hands had stopped shaking now, the wine having done its work. And finally our third member joined us, and it was terrific to see them both.

So. That's a screen you can see over the stage, where captions were cleverly displayed on a scenic backdrop. Underneath was a fake piano, the inside of whose lid was attractively painted, as it might have been in the 18th Century. However, there were no inner workings - the centre, where the strings should be, was empty, and the keyboard had no actual keys, but lit up whenever someone was supposed to be playing. Of the two vertical structures, on the left as you look at it was a kind of doorway, though which people passed when coming on for the first time, and on the right a kind of wardrobe, where - much like one of the pop-up opera groups - they stored costumes that could be easily accessed as the production went on.

The production involved many people with hearing or visual impairments, and a substantial portion of the show was given over to describing their own costumes for those who couldn't see them. And so to the true story of a blind pianist and composer, Maria Theresia von Paradis, pupil of Salieri and rumoured lover of Mozart.

The production values were excellent, you'd have to conclude. It's just.. well, I hated the score. Hate that discordant type of music, which coloured my impression of the whole production. Much of the plot centred around her relationship with her parents, and she did have an interesting life, but ugh, that music.. I was so glad it was a lot shorter than the runtime advertised on the venue website. Hey-ho.. on the way out, I ran into an old friend, and rejoining the group, we had a good final natter before parting. This was my only Meetup in a week, and I shan't have another for a couple of weeks to come.

Tomorrow, I'm back to Ireland for Easter - but left it so late to book, I could only get an afternoon flight - no problem getting the day off work though! Now, the cinema listings are finally out for Ireland for the next week. Four films I might be interested in, and only one showing in the Omniplex in the afternoon. So I've booked that one for Sunday - it's The Lost City, and stars Channing Tatum, Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt, and Daniel Radcliffe in another of those lost-city-in-the-jungle capers.

The other three only have afternoon showings in Ennis - so, it's there I'm bound. They charge for booking, so I haven't. I have six days in which to see them - watch this space as to when that'll be. In descending order of rating, they are:

The Northman, a Viking caper about a young prince whose father, the King, is murdered, so it falls to the lad to avenge him. Nicole Kidman is the Queen, and it also stars Alexander Skarsgård, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Björk.

Operation Mincemeat stars the ever-dependable Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, and Penelope Wilton in a comedy based on the true story of how, during WWII, they put the Nazis off the scent by handcuffing a case of fake "secret" papers to a corpse, and letting it be found. They've made a play about this too, you know!

Finally, Morbius is another of those superhero things - an antihero, rather. Jared Leto is the hapless biochemist who accidentally turns himself into a vampire - with all the powers that entails. Also stars Michael Keaton.

Well, my friend got back to me - they're away in the middle of next 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. Happily, my boss was also fine with me taking that week as holiday. 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.

Six, the Musical

Tonight, I finally went to Six, the Musical! Based around the story of the six wives of Henry VIII (very loosely), it's playing at the Vaudeville and I heard good things. Cheapest tickets from Leicester Square Box Office.

Several buses could take me within spitting distance - I took the first direct one that arrived. Along the way, passed the same protest that had passed my flat - not once, but twice during the day!

Anti-fossil fuels, apparently. I can only assume the all walked or cycled there.. When I got off the bus, had to walk up Strand - and as I did, I thought, why don't I try the Lyceum? They have a dining room upstairs. Up I went, discovered that the tables had numbers but no menus - they were in a pile on the bar, looking underused. Well, I picked a table and - as instructed - placed my order at the bar. Got a large white wine while I was at it.

I had it practically drunk before my order arrived. I mean, I'd ordered a starter as well - garlic bread - but they treated it as a side, and I literally got nothing to eat for 45 minutes. I even overheard the girl behind the bar checking with the kitchen that they hadn't forgotten my pie, as a pie had also gone out with a couple of other dishes in another order.. I was worried about making my show, until I checked the ticket and realised it wasn't until 8! First thing I did when the food arrived was to get a refill. And if they were cooking it from fresh, they needn't have bothered - I had a pie whose crust was like cardboard, and the garlic bread was tough as well. I doused the whole lot in the gravy supplied - so different from last night! The whole thing was edible - but bland. Obviously, by the time I'd finished that, I didn't have time to check whether dessert was the same. I wouldn't eat here again - service is friendly, but the food isn't worth the horrendous wait.

At the theatre, of course, I was in the highest level, up a ridiculous number of stairs - the usher who greeted me as I came off the stairs asked whether I was OK. Happily, when I went in, I didn't have far to go - I was in the second row from the back, where I entered. At the end of the row, in the interests of legroom.

So. All six wives appear simultaneously in spangly outfits, perform dance numbers - and each gets a chance to outdo the others in the misery of her story, as told in song. I was right, it's not historically accurate - but at least it distinguishes among them. The songs are catchy. And, eh, that's all I can find to say about it. I'm not into the rap style they use, you see. And, would you believe.. when they've all finished their story.. that's it! 70 minutes runtime. For goodness' sake - at least I got home early! Booking until 2 April next year. For those interested. 

Tomorrow, back with Civilised London, who are off to the opera at the Southbank Centre. The show in question is The Paradis Files. On Thursday, I'm back to Ireland for Easter - but left it so late to book, I could only get an afternoon flight - no problem getting the day off work though!

Now, the cinema listings are finally out for Ireland for the next week. Four films I might be interested in, and only one showing in the Omniplex in the afternoon. So I've booked that one for Sunday - it's The Lost City, and stars Channing Tatum, Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt, and Daniel Radcliffe in another of those lost-city-in-the-jungle capers.

The other three only have afternoon showings in Ennis - so, it's there I'm bound. They charge for booking, so I haven't. I have six days in which to see them - watch this space as to when that'll be. In descending order of rating, they are:

The Northman, a Viking caper about a young prince whose father, the King, is murdered, so it falls to the lad to avenge him. Nicole Kidman is the Queen, and it also stars Alexander Skarsgård, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Björk.

Operation Mincemeat stars the ever-dependable Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, and Penelope Wilton in a comedy based on the true story of how, during WWII, they put the Nazis off the scent by handcuffing a case of fake "secret" papers to a corpse, and letting it be found. They've made a play about this too, you know!

Finally, Morbius is another of those superhero things - an antihero, rather. Jared Leto is the hapless biochemist who accidentally turns himself into a vampire - with all the powers that entails. Also stars Michael Keaton.

Well, my friend got back to me - they're away in the middle of next 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. Happily, my boss was also fine with me taking that week as holiday. 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.

Play: The 47th

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

When I got a email from the theatre, saying I should be there between 6.30 and 6.50 for a 7.30 start, I decided that was reason enough to leave. Happily, I could get several buses - and the direct one happened along just as I did! For food, I decided to try The Duke of Sussex, where I was on my last meeting with Bucket List London - crikey, a long time ago! Not deliberate, I miss that group - it just worked out that way. They only do weekends, and I'm not here for so many of them.. Now, the last time I was here, it was booked up, and I tried to book tonight - but they don't take bookings for one. So I said, well, this time it's a Monday - I'll give it a shot.

No problem at all getting seated, around the back. I'd seen chicken kyiv on the menu, decided to have that - I so rarely see it on London menus. And a glass of chenin blanc - nice and big! Wow, that chicken was lovely, as was the mash that came with it - and the wine. Took a while for my ice cream to come - and when it did, I was sorely disappointed, it was a bit strange. Wouldn't recommend that. But the main course is worth going for. Meantime, I was entertained by the conversation at a nearby table, where a group of Americans were chatting loudly enough to be overheard - and clearly enough that they might have been in a play themselves. Sounded as though they were going to the play too - and one was perplexed that Londoners would be interested in Trump, whose character appears. He then remarked that the first two names he'd seen in the cast list played Trump and Ted Cruz - his least favourite people! One of his companions wondered whether it was a comedy..

I had to ask two different people for the bill, but never mind, the theatre was just up the road. I did arrive slightly after my allotted time, but of course nobody checked. I had to climb all the way to the top, bah - where I was still early enough to get another drink. Would you believe, their screens are so complete in the bar here that you even tap your card through the perspex! You can take in your drink if it's in plastic - indeed, they have a pile of plastic containers just inside the auditorium door - and that's exactly what I did.

Terrific view, even up here in the gods - and with the middle of my row empty, I scooched to a more central position in the second act. Well of course, that lady in the pub was right - this is a comedy. And as for whether Londoners would be interested in Trump..! I hope the reaction when he was first on, at the beginning, scooting around the stage in his golf cart, settled that question for them. The actor gets it about 99% right! Certainly looks the part, too.

It's a damn dark comedy, though. Written in blank verse (!), it obviously owes a lot to Shakespeare - and so much reminded me of one Shakespearian play or another. In the first scene, Trump plays King Lear, having a contest among three of his children to decide which should be his heir. Later, something is wrong with Joe Biden - he sleepwalks the corridors by night, like Lady Macbeth. And the play duly turns into a war drama, the Presidential war council pitted against Trump's troops, some of whom storm the audience to hang banners from the balconies. Just as climactic as a Shakespearian battle scene, with the Trump supporters a frightening presence.

It is absolutely terrific. I didn't over-anticipate it at all.. it was a great choice. And as for what happens? Well, let's say this - Mike Bartlett has a habit of giving the ladies the last laugh - so keep an eye on Kamala Harris and Ivanka Trump, both also quite true-to-life. My word, it's just like being there.. and what an interesting vision of the future. Awesome stuff, best play I've seen this year so far. Runs till the 28th of next month - run and get a ticket! Be warned, contains strobe lighting, a gun does appear at one point, there's lots of bad language - and if you're in the stalls, prepare to be confetti-ed on. And if you're in the very front, you might get sprayed..

Funny to note the lady playing Ivanka Trump, who switched to fluffy slippers for the curtain call. Well, considering the height of the heels she was wearing all night, I don't blame her!

On the bus home, I was entertained by a family who sounded (a) Glaswegian and (b) drunk, so the poor driver had great fun trying to understand them, and the mother of the family was apparently hard of hearing too. Now, on this bus, I had the option to change to one that passes right by my house - the question was, would we coordinate properly? If not, I should stay on a bit longer to get as close to home as possible before I had to walk. Well, happily my Buses Due app was able to tell me that my second bus would come along just after my first - so it proved, and I was dropped right at my door. Sometimes, the universe just synchronises, eh?

Tomorrow, 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 Wednesday, back with Civilised London, who are off to the opera at the Southbank Centre. The show in question is The Paradis Files. On Thursday, I'm back to Ireland for Easter - but left it so late to book, I could only get an afternoon flight - no problem getting the day off work though!

Well, my friend got back to me - they're away in the middle of next 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. Happily, my boss was also fine with me taking that week as holiday. 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.

Film: Uncharted

Now back to Ireland for the weekend again (well, I say the weekend, but it's not really, Sunday's flight now leaves so early). Despite airport-wide delays - my "minor delay" (so described by Ryanair) was one hour and 20 minutes. During which time I became peckish, and splurged on a packet of Monster Munch at W. H. Smith. Which, I notice, cost 10p more than their Liverpool Street branch. Goes to show, beware when buying at the airport.. rarely better value.

For today, I booked Uncharted - an Indiana Jones-style adventure, which I figured would have less style, but at least stars Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas. Figured it could be fun, and anyway, the choice for daytime isn't spectacular. Showing, as usual, at the Omniplex. What has happened to the traffic, however, I have no idea.. it was terrible, and I did miss the very start of the film. Never mind, I don't seem to have missed any major plot points. I did, however, come in at a dark part - literally; I couldn't see where any of the seats were, never mind mine! It was about five minutes before it brightened up enough for me to find my seat and - gratefully -sit in it.

So, the scene I came in on has what's obviously an older brother leaving his little brother. In an orphanage. We quickly fast-forward to the little boy all grown-up, an accomplished bartender and thief, played by Tom Holland. In short order, he's recruited by Mark Wahlberg with the promise of finding his long-lost brother - and the enticing idea of going after Magellan's gold! Especially appealing because the lad is a history buff.

Now, this is where fact and fantasy diverge. Yes, Magellan did lead an expedition - until he was killed - that circumnavigated the globe, the first to do so. And yes, it was financed privately by a wealthy family - not the one mentioned in the film though, of which Antonio Banderas is a member. And I can't say I ever heard of any hoard of gold associated with the trip. But what the hey.

Well, this is a peculiar mish-mash of a film. It starts as a kind of James Bond espionage thriller, with lots of people dressed nicely, in a swish venue - an auction house, where they're all trying to get their hands on a cross that's supposed to be necessary for finding this stash of gold. It then morphs into a kind of Indiana Jones adventure film - indeed, Tom Holland accuses one of his companions of trying to be Indiana Jones - lots of action, exotic locations, dark and mysterious corridors. Finally - spoiler - they do find the stash, including a couple of ancient Spanish galleons, complete with cutlasses etc. This bit is really going to appeal to people who are into that kind of stuff, for example the Pirates of the Caribbean crowd - hell, Mark Wahlberg at one point accuses Tom Holland of acting like Jack Sparrow.

It's entertaining, without doubt - the CGI is good, and there's plenty of action. Still, it lacks the charisma of someone like Harrison Ford, or the sweeping soundtrack of the Indiana Jones - or James Bond - films, and for me, fell a little flat for that reason. Still, this should interest anyone who likes treasure hunts, or as I say, Pirates of the Caribbean. Or who has an interest in history. Shall we say, it'll do until something better comes along.

Afterwards, I fancied a Chinese, and took my mother's advice to eat in Limerick. Most convenient, being on the correct side of the road and nearly at the city limits - is China-Ki, so I rocked up there. No problem in getting a seat. They don't do glasses of wine, it transpires, but instead quarter-bottles - it's a while since I've seen that, but no problem! And it was lovely to have a change in menu - I had chicken spring rolls and General Tso's chicken, and it was lovely. Not the very best I've had, but tasty. Service was good - but they don't bring your bill, you pay at the bar. Like the film, served its purpose.

On Monday, 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 Tuesday, 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 Wednesday, back with Civilised London, who are off to the opera at the Southbank Centre. The show in question is The Paradis Files. On Thursday, I'm back to Ireland for Easter - but left it so late to book, I could only get an afternoon flight - no problem getting the day off work though!

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. Happily, my boss was also fine with me taking that week as holiday. 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.

Tomfoolery

Tonight, Tommy Tiernan was 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. Doing something of a world tour for the next few months.

It was as well that I checked for my ticket early in the day - I'd selected to receive an e-ticket, which was supposed to be stored in my Eventim account - but it wasn't there! Probably as a result of the reschedule. I did come across a phone number to ring if it was within 24 hours of the event - got a quick response, explained the problem, and the nice chap tried to email me the ticket but couldn't. Instead, he switched it to box office collection, emailed me a collection code, and instructed me to have ID with me.

This far from me, of course it was going to be Tube. Google Maps suggested that the Central Line, followed by the Piccadilly, would be faster - and after my last experience of the Circle Line, I'd be forced to agree - so that's what I did. Again, just as well - there were delays on the Circle. I needed to eat, wanted something a bit fast, although I knew the show wasn't starting till 8 - behold, I was walking out through the shopping centre at Hammersmith Broadway and there was a Wasabi. So I thought - why not? It'd been a while, and I used to like it. As I was queueing though, I made the decision to pass on the katsu curry I used to get, and try the teriyaki instead - I have always liked that. Had noodles with it too, for a change. And it was all nice - if perhaps a bit heavy on the soy sauce. I found I couldn't finish it.

And so to the theatre, just past 7, when the doors had opened. There is great value to not being there when the doors open, there's much less queueing. A separate queue led to the box office - and so much for the collection code, he just checked my name against the filed tickets, using my ID. Wow, it's so long since I had a physical ticket.. And to the bar, where the white wine comes in cans. Well, it's ok. And so to the long climb to my seat, in Row X of the Circle.

The support act, as before, is his cousin Eleanor. And thereafter, a 15-minute wait for the main attraction:

Well, the warm welcome that Eleanor got was nothing to the roar that greeted Tommy. His following is loyal - and was pissed. It's more than two years, you know, since this show was originally scheduled here - imagine. And part of the show tonight had him describe how he is re-energised by the energy of the audience, how on long stretches of motorway - or at home during lockdown - his life force just drains away. He thanked us for remembering we'd bought tickets (as one fellow beside me remarked to his companions, he'd only suddenly remembered today..).

He sure was in fine fettle here! He prowled around the stage like a kind of creaky guru, complete with white beard. The crowd was a bit rowdy - drowned out by one group of ladies, he quieted them by saying "ladies, we arranged to meet BACKSTAGE, afterwards.. I have work to do here now!" And he still manages to reduce me to tears. I particularly love his description of his small dog at home, which he doesn't much care for: describes it as a "small, yappy thing - a cross between a mop and a panic attack!" Or then, there's the explanation for why the Russian forces are retreating - it's not that they're being beaten back. Oh no, it's the Irish. They haven't sent over troops (hah! as if - if the Ukraine is short of equipment, sure the Irish never got any..). No, instead they've sent over council road workers with diversion signs. The Russians have just been diverted back to Russia..

Fabulous stuff. Be warned though - the jokes get filthier as the set progresses. Good luck to you Tommy, delighted to see you on the road again!

Happily, I didn't have to climb down all those stairs without a handrail - we had a quick route out the fire escape at the back. Circle Line home, stopped off in Liverpool Street because I was peckish, Wasabi not having quite done the business. Delice de France was still open, and I grabbed a bite there before walking the last bit.

Tomorrow, it's back to Ireland for the weekend again. For Saturday, I've booked Uncharted - an Indiana Jones-style adventure, probably with less style, but at least starring Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas. Could be fun, and anyway, the choice for daytime isn't spectacular. Showing, as usual, at the Omniplex.

On Monday, 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 Tuesday, 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 Wednesday, back with Civilised London, who are off to the opera at the Southbank Centre. The show in question is The Paradis Files. On Thursday, I'm back to Ireland for Easter - but left it so late to book, I could only get an afternoon flight - no problem getting the day off work though!

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. Happily, my boss was also fine with me taking that week as holiday. 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.

Musical: Anyone Can Whistle

Tonight, back with Up in the Cheap Seats at Southwark Playhouse, and another free ticket for me! This time, it was for Anyone Can Whistle, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. In the afternoon, we had the most horrendous thunder shower, and I hoped desperately that would clear up by the time I left!

Well, it did - pretty much. My quicker bus, I was told, was the #35 - and it was due. No sign of it, of course - it didn't actually appear until Buses Due had given up on it. When it did, it was pretty crowded - I ended up upstairs, unusually for me. Where we were entertained by a man - who sounded drunk, but you never know - who was having a conversation with everyone and no-one. We learned that he had throat cancer. He informed us that it would take him, or his voice. I guess he was making the most of it while he could, then..

I alighted - into light rain - and crossed via an enormous puddle to Mercato Metropolitano. When I was looking for somewhere to eat around here, I'd completely forgotten about this place, until Google Maps reminded me! Well gosh, it was good to be back - the Uzbek place looked good for food, but she completely ignored me, so I ended up back at the Italian. Where he gave me a buzzer that would go off when my food was ready. Meantime, I headed off and got a rather delectable glass of wine at the nearby bar - pretty soon after that, my tagliatelle bolognese was ready, and I took a seat at a nearby bench. And it was delish! Returned the dish afterwards, and wandered around with a second glass of wine - I resisted having a third, knowing that I'd be drinking at the theatre as well.

Crossed back to the theatre a little early, where I met the organiser - we were to be the only ones from the group that showed. As I "checked in" at the box office, he warned me that the front row would be subject to audience participation. Hmmm. Anyway, I had my third drink, the organiser and I chatted, and it was good to see him. And we hung around the bar until it was time to go in, just in case. Then took our seats, a spare seat between us where another group member had been supposed to sit, but she couldn't make it.

Oh dear, what a difference from last night. For a start, whyever it was, I couldn't hear all the lyrics - might have been because of the stage design. But that wasn't the half of it. Now, to give it its due, the songs were catchy, the singing was excellent. It's just the completely bonkers, infantile story, which had lunatics escaping from the asylum (the "cookie jar") and hiding in the audience. Which theme was repeated again.. and again.. as if to tease us. Well, at least my organiser got some fun out of it - he ended up with one of the ladies on his lap! She even invited him home for dinner later.

Me, I could not keep from looking at my watch - and apparently my sigh of relief when the first half was over was pointed. We both legged it out of there at the interval. For the love of God, avoid - runs till the 7th. Don't be tempted. But it was good to get an early night for once.

Tomorrow, 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. For Saturday, I've booked Uncharted - an Indiana Jones-style adventure, probably with less style, but at least starring Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas. Could be fun, and anyway, the choice for daytime isn't spectacular. Showing, as usual, at the Omniplex.

On Monday, 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 Tuesday, 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.

Next Wednesday, back with Civilised London, 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 - no problem getting the day off work though!

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. Happily, my boss was also fine with me taking that week as holiday. 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.