Musical: Standing at the Sky's Edge
Last night, back again with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS), for Standing at the Sky's Edge, at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. I'd heard great things about this musical..
Looking for eateries near the theatre, I came across one I'd never heard of.. Philomena's Irish Bar & Kitchen, of all things! They don't seem to take bookings - happily though, when I arrived, the place was half empty! Might be different when there's a match on - they do advertise themselves as a sports bar. For last night, though, I easily got a table, ordered at the bar, and was swiftly served.
Pictures everywhere of St. Philomena. They have Irish memorabilia:
..and a preponderance of Irish-type decor, the likes of which I was familiar with, decades ago!
(mind you, the wi-fi sign is a bit newer.) Quick, free WiFi too.. and a photo of O' Connell Street in Dublin, back in the day!
The food came, thankfully, quickly, considering I'd arrived later than intended - it isn't gourmet, but what it is, is hearty and tasty. I had the chicken schnitzel - very nice indeed. And as I was finishing my wine, she came to ask whether I'd like another - wouldn't have minded actually, except I had to be going!
I'd chosen it for its proximity to the theatre - and sure enough, it's just a block away. Up to the bar to meet the group - and first for a drink, which I remember as notoriously pricey here! Well, was I to get a shock - they've reduced the variety of drinks, and reduced the price! So, a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc is now 20% cheaper than it was the last time I had it here..! I had two..
We chatted for a bit, then headed up - in the case of those of us in the Circle, up what appeared to be interminable flights of stairs. I'd made sure not to take a seat at the very end - it is a bit at right angles to the stage. Otherwise, not a bad seat in the place:
Observe the musicians on two levels, at rear of the stage! Well, this is based on the story of a real-life housing estate in Sheffield - the logo (I love you will u marry me) started out there as graffiti, and apparently became such an icon that they held onto it and reproduced it in neon, in the end! The stories are fictional, the place real..
Whoof, it's amazing. Drop-down displays give the year - there are three stories - the earliest, chronologically, begins in 1960, a young, working-class couple moving into this spanking new, modern development. The second story has a refugee family fleeing Liberia in 1989 - not too happy about where they've come to, with the cold, the rain, and the drug dealers. And the third story starts in 2015, a young, successful career woman moving into one of these swanky, newly developed flats, hoping for a new start after the breakup of her relationship. And yes, they're all connected..
Generally they focus on one at a time, but there are a few clever moments when all share the stage, the choreography better (and more complicated) than when the same happened in Double Feature. The stories move on through the years, and while personal, also bring in the wider social context - for example, we see three elections - the earliest being Thatcher's. They even play a snippet of that hypocritical speech she made, quoting Francis of Assisi - ugh, I can never stand hearing that. Naturally, this is swiftly followed by scenes of people throwing rubbish around.. cue the interval, of course, as they have to clear all that up!
So, those are the basics. Now, the icing.. the music is terrific! A mixture of rock and ballads, with all characters getting to sing - and they're fabulous. Some really stand-out voices. And wow, particularly as the second half begins and we know the characters in each story are having their problems.. so moving, really. I wasn't sure what to expect at the beginning - but it won me over. Truly excellent show, very engaging, and a fascinating spread of the history of an area over more than 50 years! Currently booking to the 3rd of August - very highly recommended!
Tonight, we have a work social! Cool.. loving the frequency of them. They're going bowling - well, I can watch.. last time I went bowling, I injured myself! In fact, this is proving so popular, they've had to move to a bigger venue.. we're now in Bloomsbury Lanes. Anyway, therefore I'm in the office today - didn't make it in as quickly as planned, and discovered myself deskless; they weren't joking when they said there wasn't enough room for us all! Well, HR kindly asked someone to move to the subsidiary office to give me room.. he knows where it is, I don't! So anyway, I had to get to bed early - hence the delay in the blog.
Tomorrow, back - at last - with London Baroque Music Lovers. We're attending a concert called Lucky Charm, by Ensemble Les Ombres with Fiona McGown, at the Cine Lumiere, of all places! Hmm, I wonder where that'll be - hardly in the cinema!
Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend. Sunday is Mother's Day, so I'm flying back a day later, taking Monday as holiday.
On Tuesday, back with CT at the Americana! This time, it's a jazz night.. which I should get more of an experience of than that magic show.. and this time, I'll know to starve myself beforehand!
Next Wednesday, another of those multi-Meetup socials.. I've signed up with The London Movie Club, and we're off to the BFI Riverfront Balcony Bar again! Excellent venue.
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