Musical: Cable Street

Tonight, I was headed to film - I was finally seeing The Zone of Interest, a recreation of the story of the Höss family, living a normal family life in the shadow of Auschwitz (Rudolf Höss was the commandant). Showing in my local cinema - not that the film listings tend to include the Curzons, generally.. but, as usual, I know to check separately.. Funnily enough, the same day, a couple of Meetup groups were going to a musical, in Southwark Playhouse, set around the same time - it's about the Cable Street Riots. I'd have loved to have gone, but it was completely sold out by the time I came to think about it! Until.. I got a message yesterday morning that one of the groups - Buddies on Budget in London - had had two people drop out because of rail strikes. And the organiser had bought tickets.. so there were two tickets going a-begging! And I got the last one.. Never did get a taker for that cinema ticket, of course..

As always, went to Mercato Metropolitano beforehand. Marvellously handy that the #C10, which passes near me, deposits me just across the road from it! I usually get pasta here, but fancied a change this evening - spotted a stall selling katsu, and went for that! Unfortunately, while it's tasty, you don't get much for your money - perhaps it's not surprising he wasn't busy. Three pieces of chicken, almost the only sauce to be found clinging to them, and a bowl half full of bland rice. I left most of the rice.. don't think I'd bother with it again.

And so across to the theatre - where the lady at the door asked whether she could scan my ticket, and I informed her she couldn't, that someone else had it! Everyone else had the same problem, of course. Now, I was quite early - as were a couple of others in the group - and we propped up a table in the bar until they opened the back bar.. I'd been wondering why it was closed, but it turned out to be for redecoration!

That, it transpired, is a noticeboard, where you could leave your memories of the eponymous street:

Meanwhile, I supplemented my meagre katsu with (two packs of) Tayto, which they obligingly stock in the bar.. cue the other Irish attendee in the group asking me whether they still make King crisps, which I was happy to tell her they do! Anyway, we chatted away merrily - and happy chaos ensued with the arrival of the other Meetup group attending tonight, Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS)! Well, how funny, with people from each group recognising each other, and having to explain that no, we were there with a different group..

We had side seats - which are just as good as any, as it's in the round. Well now - this is a manic musical, and no mistake. We wondered, beforehand, how you could make a musical of the Cable Street riots - we were to find out, as the first half showed us the mingling of the different communities in the area, what with the Irish and Jewish communities living cheek by jowl, mix in some Communists, some people gathering support for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War - and, of course, the British Union of Fascists, led by Oswald Mosley. 

And it's a musical. Well hey! what a great excuse to mix in some Irish melodies - we get a bit of Molly Malone, a snatch of Rocky Road to Dublin - and how well that song's frantic rhythm mixes with this story. The melody is used again - I spotted it a few times after. And we get a bit of The Wild Rover. There's a little of what sounded Jewish to me - and there's rap, there's punk.. Not to mention, when the campaigners for the Spanish Civil War arrived and lent their chant of "No pasarán!" to the Cable Street rioters, I was put in mind of Christy Moore's song "Viva la Quinta Brigada" - the first time I heard the phrase..

It was a passionate time, and the poster boards displaying slogans are evocative. The first half has the Jewish people, the Irish, and the English competing for limited jobs, their families in constant fear of eviction in recessionary times. Group is set against group - a fertile setting for the black-shirted fascist hooligans. By the second half, though, the poor of Cable Street have gathered in unison against what they realise is their common foe.

It's thrilling. It's beautifully sung - one solo, in particular, made me catch my breath. And what a rousing cause.. by the end, I'd happily have joined the lady in front of me who stood to clap, if I hadn't been holding so much stuff! Very highly recommended.. Runs till the 16th, but currently COMPLETELY sold out for its entire run. Beg, borrow, steal a ticket.. I'm delighted I saw it. I do expect this to live on - it's too good not to.

Sadly, by the time I emerged from the toilet at the end, all my group had gone! I'd have thought they'd have had enough to talk about to keep them there a few minutes.. ah well.

The next two days, back officially with UITCS. Tomorrow, we're at The Merchant of Venice 1936, in the Criterion Theatre. This production, in association with the RSC, is also based around the Cable Street riots. Got the very last ticket, as I recall.. with a Seatplan theatre voucher. My companion of Friday and I are headed to Brasserie Zédel afterwards.

On Wednesday, we're at Nachtland, at the Young Vic. Three days on roughly the same theme.. and it seems appropriate these days.. this is about a family who find a painting, stashed in the attic. It's by, as described, a failed Austrian artist who abandoned his original vocation for Nazism.. The thorny question here is, what exactly to do with it..

On Thursday, there's a concert at King's Place that sounds rather good. Worksongs is part of their Scotland Unwrapped series, and has the Maxwell Quartet playing a mixture of classical music and Scottish traditional. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

Next Monday, I'm back with CT for Magic Monday at Americana! This is a magic show, which I can't even see advertised on their website - but anyway, the booking fee is discounted from dinner, so this sounds good!

On the 27th, back with UITCS for An Enemy of the People, at the Duke of York's Theatre - got the very last cheap ticket for this from London Box Office!

On the 28th, back with CT again - and back to Backyard Comedy at last! This is for Joke Thieves, where people tell each others' jokes.. Gee, it's weeks since I've been there, it'll be good to be back.

And on the 29th, I have a Crick Crack Club event.. this is online from the Oxford Story Museum, and is Dark Tales from the Wood. As told by the excellent Daniel Morden.