Play: Anthropology

Tonight, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for Anthropology, at Hampstead Theatre. Cheap tickets from TodayTix. Now, I tend to go to Ye Olde Swiss Cottage for food when I'm going to this theatre - so that's where I headed. By Tube, as usual these days - and just like yesterday, I didn't get a seat. Well, today I managed one after a couple of stops. So I could read the paper in peace - including the article about all the pollution on the Tube. Hey-ho..

Hey-ho as well at the pub, which had no food menus! So I waited - and waited - for the guy behind the bar to finish with the guy he was serving, whereupon I asked about food, and was told that the kitchen was closed for a week for refurbishment. Bah humbug - I saw there was a KFC nearby, and said I'd try there.

It wasn't busy - I didn't even have to queue, either to order or for my food. And there were plenty of places to sit. Unfortunately, that's where it went downhill.. I remember when they really were "finger-lickin' good", but that was a long time ago. Of my chicken pieces, one was pretty rubbery, the others just - tasteless. The chips were - limp. And they don't do the Boneless Banquet any more - so apart from my drink (which was refreshing), that was that. Pointless exercise, but at least I was fed.

And it did mean I got to the theatre early, where I deposited myself at a table with a glass of wine. I was delighted to find it didn't make me ill either, for the first time in a while! We congregated there, and chatted away - mainly about AI - until it was time to go in.


The usher looked at my ticket and said "straight ahead" - by which he meant it was the row straight ahead. He'd have done better to direct me to the other door - I was right at the other end of the row! Never mind. And as I sank into my seat, I remarked to myself that these seats were comfier than at the National, for The Effect - same length of play, also without interval. Mind you, by the end, any seat would begin to wear.. it's a long time to be sat continuously.

Well, this is a play about AI. You can tell by the fact that there are two laptops on stage at the beginning - they don't leave for most of the play, either. The screen is also used. A brilliant computer scientist's sister has gone missing without trace - to help herself cope with the loss, she recreates her sister through AI, using the volumes of social media footage that her sister has left behind.

But this is an AI that learns, develops - and as the play progresses, its nature and purpose change, as it starts to consider what might have happened to the person it's representing. The play develops cleverly, and by the end, we're left pondering how human an artificial intelligence can become, and we had a very interesting discussion in the bar afterwards about what we'd just seen, and why the AI did what it did. The actual plot, we thought, had some holes - but still, a very thought-provoking play. And considering the amount we all interact with AI in daily life - which we'll be doing more of, too - this is topical. Runs till the 14th of next month - recommended!

Tomorrow, I'm back to Ireland for the weekend. Film-wise, I thought about The Nun II - I wouldn't mind, actually! I've watched the trailer - lots of jump scares, but it is rated higher than the original. But now that the ratings are out for it, I'm going to A Haunting in Venice, a spooky Hercule Poirot mystery, starring Kenneth Branagh. Michelle Yeoh plays the psychic conducting the séance that Poirot is asked to investigate, Jamie Dornan and Tina Fey show up too, she as an old friend of Poirot's who persuades him to take the case. I'll be shopping in Limerick, next to the Omniplex, so will see it there.

Back in London, on Monday, with UITCS again for Crazy for You, at the Gillian Lynne Theatre.

On Tuesday - well, back with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners for the "revised" Passage to Pimlico! He says he's redone it - I hear rumours that I'll have an interview that day, but can doubtless reschedule. Certainly glad to be back with them again. That evening, it's Octopolis, at Hampstead Theatre with UITCS again!

On Wednesday, I'm with CT for a classical concert - a Chamber Recital at St. Mark's, Hamilton Terrace. Regular tickets from TicketSource.

And next Thursday, it's film - and I got enough of the film list done to come up with Phantom Parrot, a documentary about the unusual powers granted to UK Border Police. Q+A afterwards. Curzon Bloomsbury, of course - and already mostly booked out, so I booked. Funnily enough, although I'm still entitled to four free films, I couldn't see how to avail of that! so ended up just getting a discount instead. Will normally not be booking in advance, so should be less of an issue, with staff to help..

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