Play: The Enfield Haunting

Tonight, I went to The Enfield Haunting. Starring Catherine Tate as the mother of the girls around whom paranormal phenomena seem to occur, and David Threlfall as one of the researchers, it's based on real events.. showing in the Ambassadors Theatre. Booked with a Seatplan voucher - and what's more, by booking with them, you get more points - towards another voucher! Not so bad.. Also much appreciated that they re-email me the ticket on the day.

Small amount of trouble booking a restaurant - one wanted me to call, because it was so close to time! Nuts to that - I searched on, and finally found a booking with Il Cucciolo. (So many Italian restaurants around here, it was bound to be one.) Then I had to leg it to get there..

On the way to the restaurant, I passed the back of that fantastic installation on Tottenham Court Road:

Once at the restaurant, I had to wait.. and wait.. for the couple by the window to leave, and the table to be cleared. I started to read the paper I'd brought.. at least the guy smiled charmingly as he apologised for the delay. I might have chosen not to sit just there, mind - I got a slight draught from the door, on what is a bitterly cold night. But it's a small place, and never mind..

Looking out the window, I was glad to see that Soho hasn't lost all its character!

I had garlic bread to start - and the chicken special, in red wine and mushroom sauce, sounded exactly what I was looking for! so I had that, too. And they do a couple of wines by the half bottle - I had the Frascati, which came with a dinky little cooling sleeve that you just pop the bottle into. And the food was very nice - albeit the garlic bread was a bit lukewarm - perhaps they forgot about it and left it to cool; typically for Italian restaurants in the West End, they were run off their feet.. I'll say this, though, they had the best dessert menu I've seen in ages. I could have chosen several - as it was, they took their time getting it to me, and I didn't want to rush, so I left it. Reluctantly:

And so to the theatre - and en route, waiting to cross the road, I realised I wasn't wearing my scarf! I thought about going back for it, but decided against it.. got to the theatre, the usher gave the exact same spiel to me that she had to the lady in front of me - there was something about "coming back to the lobby", which I didn't catch. So upstairs I went. There's only one upper level here, and I was in it. Queued for the bar first, ordered - and as I turned to go to my seat, someone pointed out I'd dropped my scarf! Wow, it had been caught up in my coat somehow the whole time - just as well I hadn't gone back for it.

And so, down to the Circle - and the usher explained that I was over the other side, and I had a choice of crossing past people in the row, or going back downstairs and up the other side. Ahah, that's what the one downstairs had been at! Nuts to that, I picked a fairly empty row and crossed over there.

Crikey though, I picked a great seat - I knew it was an aisle seat, but not that the aisle separates it from the other seats in the row, so it sits in glorious isolation, with a wide floor space beside it to leave my coat (and scarf) on, nobody on either side, the aisle curving so it's right in front of me (infinite legroom), and even a wee shelf that I could leave my drink on. B22, if you're curious.. or you could have the seats in front of it, if you wanted two. The view was better than I'm used to - closer, and although a teeny bit of the stage was obscured, it wasn't bad at all! Not to mention that there was no-one behind me, so I could lean with impunity. If I wanted:

Of course, we needed multiple levels - the hauntings were supposed to have started in the children's bedroom. This play seems to start near the end of the occurrences, when sundry paranormal experts had examined the case, and many had concluded that the girls were faking it - indeed, they had been caught out in faking some things. The question then rested on whether the entire thing was a hoax, or whether there was some truth in it.

The play doesn't go into great detail about what actually happened, but of course, they can't resist putting some scary stuff in. And it does look good - but I daresay you'd have to be quite easily scared to find this actually scary. It's quite a short one, and I thought it ended rather abruptly - but then, so did the real-life case, with no conclusive evidence either way. So, neither one thing nor the other - not attempting a proper ghost story, but neither proving it to have been a hoax. Dunno, I left rather unsatisfied. Ah well.. At least, when I got home, I had the lovely surprise of discovering that my flatmates have finally decided to turn on the heating. Low - but at least it takes the chill from the air!

Tomorrow - Wednesdays seem to be becoming my Meetup days - I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for the Matthew Bourne production of Edward Scissorhands, at Sadler's Wells. Love Matthew Bourne - but by the time I got around to booking this, it was nearly sold out! so, for once, I'm in the First Circle - a level lower than normal. Which should be just fine..

On Thursday, back with the Backyard Comedy Club - tickets from CT again.

Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend. Film is The Boys in the Boat, the story of a Depression-era rowing team, competing in the Berlin Olympics of 1936. (Isn't it funny how many films are being made about the time around the Second World War right now?) I've booked for the Omniplex.

On Monday, finally getting to see the RSC production of Hamnet, the story of Shakespeare's short-lived son. Playing at the Garrick.

Next Tuesday, seeing Rock 'n' Roll by Tom Stoppard, at Hampstead Theatre.

On the 17th - which is a Wednesday - yes, back with Meetup! This time, it's the New Year Social co-hosted by the London Movie Club (LMC), the Hideout, and London Hot 100! all of which are run by the same people. I've just booked with the LMC myself, which was the first to advertise it. Back at the BFI.

On the 18th, Helen is in town - and suggested we have dinner, and head to the Canary Wharf Winter Lights! Excellent idea - I was thinking of seeing them, but didn't have a specific date in mind. Must try not to be in the office that day - I hate the idea of lugging a laptop around! We're heading to Amerigo Vespucci for food..

On the 19th, back with CT - for a show called The Gods, The Gods, The Gods, at Underbelly Boulevard. New venue, it seems!

The 20th is when I'm trying to catch up with all those ex-colleagues.. still waiting on word of whether Ivan can move his rehearsal from that day.. he says he's "working on it".

On the 21st, I'm back with London Walking Tours, Art & Culture Explorers for Jane Austen's London Walk..

On the 22nd, back with North London Friends for the first time in ages! They had one remaining ticket for Cold War, at the Almeida - otherwise completely sold out! So I bit the bullet and bought theirs - albeit above my normal price range, including a Paypal fee, and with a Meetup fee on top.. it was that or not see it at all! It'll be good to see them again, too..

On the 23rd, back with UITCS for Blood on Your Hands, at Southwark Playhouse - for which I used the second of my theatre vouchers, bought under their Pay as you Go scheme, where you get them at a discount.

And on the 24th, another CT ticket - this is for The Gorgeous Diva & Katie Norris Double Bill, at the Pen Theatre. Somewhere else I've never been, hmm..