Social, St. Patrick's Day parade, Concert: Seven Drunken Nights, & Musical: Just for One Day

Saturday was my monthly catchup with ex-colleagues - this time, only James could make it, what with Ivan rehearsing and Martin at the theatre. Anyway, we booked Brasserie Zedel, which I had such a great impression of before! Lunch, and then I thought I'd like to check out the bar..

We arrived at about exactly the same time, and went straight downstairs to the brasserie - him taking copious photos, for which I don't blame him; I was the same, the first time. We had booked for lunch at midday, and were actually slightly early - it was 12.30 before the band started up! We got complimentary bread, then he had the steak haché - I fancied a change, although still steak, and wow, when I saw they did an onglet, that was absolutely my meal of choice; it came swimming in a sauce of red wine and bone marrow, and yes, was delicious. I see they also do wine by the carafe, so I had that. For dessert, I tried the lemon tart, which was lovely - he had coffee. And proclaimed that it was an excellent choice, and he'd happily come there again.. Well yes, it's got gorgeous décor, good food, and a good price, in a very central location - what's not to love?

Unfortunately, it turns out the bar doesn't open till 3, and we were finished long before then - indeed, we were warned that we'd have to stick to our allocated time, which finished at 1.45. So we searched for an alternative - and then I thought of Henry's, which wasn't too far. Sure enough, they had plenty of space - and James remarked how quiet it was. We spent the rest of the day there - and I even got to meet his brother, who was in town! Yes, there's a family resemblance.. and we chatted convivially until it was time for them to go. Roll on the next cat-herding exercise..

It ran too late to blog; yesterday was, of course, Patrick's Day - and Buddies on a Budget was off to the parade! And so was I. Now, transport needed serious consideration - buses were avoiding the vicinity of the parade, of course, so I couldn't get one all the way there - I could have got one as close as possible and walked, but (a) I didn't leave early enough for that and (b) I figured it might just be too chaotic to try to walk through crowds. So, Tube was the sensible option - and therefore, I ended up being quite early! It was fun coming off the Tube - many fellow passengers were obviously on the same mission, and there was a sea of green, the kids all excited.

Outside, I turned out to be the first of the group there - and a small crowd gathered around me in due course, as I left messages for those who might be lost; Mandy had had a guided walk that morning, and wasn't as early as she might otherwise have been! But hey, she made it in time.. problem is, you never know, with these things, how many people will actually show up. Some people had come to the wrong meeting place - we did what we could in posting messages, but well, it's not easy with a parade, and crowds round about. Having said that, it wasn't that crowded where we were, happily.. good spot to stand, near the start! It drizzled on us, of course - as I remarked, it'd hardly be an Irish celebration without some rain..

It was a sea of flags:

Leading the parade on this occasion was Panti Bliss - and wouldn't you know it, one of our group had spotted him on the Tube there! but wasn't sure - he apparently waited until he arrived before glamming up. (If you look to the right of the photo, you can just catch a glimpse of Sadiq Khan as well.. looked very diminutive beside him, I have to say!):

Plenty of marching bands, all looking smart in their uniforms:

and there were floats:

From one of the floats, they were handing out Tayto and Cidona!

As you'd expect, there was a "diversity" presence:

There was some fun when we saw an ambulance approach, sirens blaring - turned out they were part of the parade. To be fair, the other side of the road was probably kept clear specifically for emergency vehicles:

I have to say, the artificial grass company display was impressive:

Mind you, most of the colour came from the South American contingent, with their fabulous outfits - someone said they were in it because they were from fellow Catholic countries! Can't say I've ever heard that before..

A famous Irish dance school made an appearance:

And wow, the Hare Krishnas looked great, combining their robes with leprechaun hats.. they played music as they danced along, and were also handing out bookmarks:

I had to explain camogie to someone:

..and I see they just won something!

I'm sure The Saw Doctors were actually playing on that float.. certainly sounded like them!

St. Patrick made a couple of personal appearances:

Well, it was a long parade.. and then we kind of got a repeat, as we trotted alongside it to Trafalgar Square, where an afternoon of attractions was organised. There was a stage, with performances of Irish dance and trad music, as well as a poetry reading and a lovely short, animated film - highlighting Ireland's thriving film industry, of course, and one of the highlights of the day! They also had a shop for, you know, that stuff you can't get abroad and that you miss:

Highly popular was a reconstructed Irish cottage:

Outside, they were making Brigid's crosses from rushes - inside was a pretty accurate reconstruction, with a hearth on one side of the single room, seating on either side, and a bed on the other. Plenty of authentic-looking accessories. In the middle was a small table, where two ladies were industriously slicing soda bread and scones into small individual portions, buttering them, and adding corn beef to some. For the visitors, you know! (No vegan options though..) You could also have tea. Of course. Whiskey? I'm not sure, I did hear a rumour.. me, I was peckish, so I had some bread. Otherwise, I didn't stay long though - honestly, I've spent enough time in cottages very similar, and they didn't need to explain anything to me. I went back out for some fresh air - as I say, it was popular, and pretty cramped!

I had a stroll around the other stalls - one was for the tourist board, and at another, you could be photoshopped into an image with an Irish celebrity! But I think we'd all had enough at that point - some of us then decided to repair to the pub. We ended up at The Golden Lion - managed to squeeze into a small table upstairs, and I went to order chicken kiev, which I had to do downstairs. When I came back up, the people at the larger table next door were just leaving, and we spread out at their table. Which was when we started to fall foul of the waiting staff.. well, to be fair, we already had, when we were at the small table and short of space, by putting a chair in front of a serving door, which was a fair point.

The same person was then very snippy about asking us to move our stuff so she could clean the table we moved to (which we already had).. then she was snippy about the salt cellar, which was out of place, and asking us pointedly to put it where it belonged. And then there seemed to be some kind of altercation downstairs, where someone snapped at Mandy about bringing her own things upstairs. And then my lunch disappeared.. in retrospect, I think what happened is that I'd given them the number of the small table, which of course we then vacated. I did notice a staff member look puzzledly at that table - possibly, my food was cancelled at that point! Now, seriously - I'd not only ordered, but paid for my food already - how likely was I just to leave without even saying anything?

Well, after a while, the lady who, I surmised, was having a bad day seemed to have a suspicion that I was waiting for food.. and possibly figured out what had happened.. she did ask me in the end, and I got it not long after, to be fair. And the outside was burnt - but looking at the last time I was here, it was the exact same! So, just the way they do it, then.. I was relieved to have food, mind. But yeah, I suspect the staff were a bit stressed, yesterday..

Well, I mooched around the area with the others for a while after - I wasn't going home, because I was off to Seven Drunken Nights at the Dominion Theatre - well now, I could hardly resist! The title comes from the famous song by The Dubliners. On our perambulations, we had an interesting sojourn in the Saatchi Yates Gallery, where one of the staff asked to take a photo of one of our group, with a painting whose subject she resembled! Definitely one of the more interesting interactions I've had with art! We happened by Fortnum & Mason as well, before we finished:

I had some time to kill - wasn't hungry, having eaten, so I was just looking for somewhere to sit, with a drink, for a while.. not the easiest of asks, on such a day! So I was delighted to discover that All Bar One, around the corner from the theatre, wasn't entirely full! I plonked myself there for an hour and a half..

When I left, it was to discover a queue for the theatre that extended around the corner! They hadn't opened the doors yet, it seemed. Well, we made it in eventually.. they were evidently doing a good trade in Guinness too. I was glad I'd plumped for something slightly more expensive than the cheapest seats:

Well, there's a bar on stage - which mainly does service as O' Donoghue's in Dublin, where, apparently, "it all began". There are five musicians, with another chap playing the barman - now, they don't claim to be portraying the Dubliners; they're very clear throughout that this is a tribute. Mind you, they go some way towards looking like them - the guy portraying Ronnie Drew informed us that one of the younger performers was actually his grandson!

Throughout, film and a display of still shots screened on the rear of the stage give a sense of place, with pictures of Dublin portrayed on screens to the side as well. And yes, this is really a jukebox show - all the hits, pretty much, are performed. What is lovely was that, all through, they encourage active participation, with people singing and clapping along. To be fair, I did know most of the numbers.. and I felt for the guy in the front of the Circle, whose enthusiasm reminded me of myself at a U2 concert. There he was, only bursting out of himself to jump around, wave.. and then he'd look around sadly, as no-one joined him, and he felt obliged to sit down again. Now, what anyone with such a yen should do is book a box seat.. I watched a couple in a box to the side, standing, drinks in hand, swaying along for the whole thing! Nobody behind them to disturb, you see..

I did learn some things that surprised me. Such as that Ronnie Drew learned flamenco guitar in Spain before joining the band.. and indeed, that they collaborated with Phil Coulter! And indeed, the singer playing his part performed the most beautiful solo version of Phil's ballad "The Town I Loved So Well".. (omitting the politically sensitive verse). The standing ovation that earned from parts of the audience was well-deserved, and one of the show's highlights! Also moving was the rendition of "Raglan Road" at Luke Kelly's funeral.. So, a show both riotous and moving.. I think the entire audience was captivated. On the bus home, a family who had attended were already planning their attendance at the company's Christmas production..

Now, this has been a helluva post to write, so I couldn't manage to get to it in full during the day. I was going to go to a film this evening as well.. and Up in the Cheap Seats are off to Just For One Day at the Old Vic, tomorrow! The musical about Live Aid, dontcha know.. Ooh, sez I.. I couldn't resist this, if only to see someone portray Bono! Wondered how many more I'd recognise.. I booked through Seatplan.  Anyway, I was rather frazzled when I was booking this, last Monday night, having just flown back to London - my mother's landline was down, and of course it was up to me to do what I could to fix it. (It eventually fixed itself by means of her dropping the handset on the floor.. works fine again now..) Well, wouldn't you know it, I accidentally booked the show for tonight instead of tomorrow. Darnit! They wouldn't let me change it - ah well.

So, along I went this evening. For food, I thought about the Duke of Sussex - now, when you book with them, they don't give immediate availability, but rather tell you that they'll get back to you. Indeed, last time I tried, they did get back to me to tell me the reservation wouldn't be possible. So, when I hadn't heard anything - well, there was a call from an unknown number, but that turned out to be spam - I said I'd wander off in that direction anyway, and surely find something. Handily enough, where I needed to get off the bus was exactly where they usually stop to change drivers - so I didn't have to wait for that, this time!

Schlepping along to the Duke of Sussex, I saw they had an outside menu, so stopped to peruse it. Lo, they've changed it! I wasn't as keen on this one, but decided to see whether there was space anyway. Checking the inside, I saw there wasn't - I see they're no longer so careful about responding to people! Doubt I'll be back here. No, I tried Bar + Block instead, which has been fabulous every time I've eaten there. Interestingly, they didn't allow me to book for 6pm, although every time after it was free - I figured this might be because it was now after 5.45. So I booked for 6.15, and set off - it's about a five-minute walk. (They do require bookings, but hey, at least they give immediate availability!)

I arrived at about 5.50 - sure enough, the place was practically empty. I mentioned to the barman that I was a bit early for my reservation - he asked me to wait for the maitre d', which I did. When I told him the same, he gestured to the empty restaurant and remarked that he didn't think that'd be a problem! I was quickly seated, and almost as quickly fed - they could really teach their Aldgate branch a thing or two!

I consulted my blog to remind myself what to order - this time, I tried filet steak, but otherwise followed what I'd had before - fries, with red wine and mushroom sauce to dip the fries in, because it's so lovely, but not to get it anywhere near the steak, which is gorgeous enough without. And with lovely garlic mushrooms.. it occurred to me that, if I were ever asked for a final meal request, I'd like it to be from here! A trio of mini desserts to follow, because they're lovely, and because I'd been served so quickly that I had time. Ah me, I do love this place..

So, that was the start of a most excellent evening. I was only a short walk from the theatre:

..and I was delighted I'd splashed out on a Stalls seat!

(That's what passes for a safety curtain, BTW.) Well, one of the posters describes the show as pure nostalgia, and they're not wrong.. It did take me a while to accept the guy playing Sir Bob, but you know, he's quite decent - he's tall, a bit lanky, has a Dublin accent, and he can sing.. perhaps not quite rude enough, although there is plenty of swearing.

Now, many of the reviews have criticised the show's lack of plot, clunky script - ah nuts, who cares?! People, certainly, who remember the original concert just want it reproduced on stage - we don't care about dramatic development, just an overview of what it took to put it together is enough! And I LOVED it! The guy beside me remarked, at the interval, "You know ALL the songs!" "Well," I said, "most".. I sure did sing along. Somebody to the side was waving her arms a lot. Otherwise, the audience sat a bit schtum. As I walked to the bus afterwards, someone remarked to his companion that he was surprised the audience didn't get up and dance..

There sure is a medley of hits! Geldof gets to sing "I Don't Like Mondays" - well, given what he did in the actual Live Aid performance, where he stopped for a long, dramatic pause at the line, "The lesson today is how to die.." they had to include that, didn't they? Another highlight is "Bohemian Rhapsody".. Ultravox fans will be similarly happy with the many appearances by Midge Ure, who helped to organise both Band Aid and Live Aid. As for U2? Well, we do get a beautiful rendition of Bad - by the show's band in general, rather than reproducing U2 themselves. And that's it - apart from showing the picture of the members of Band Aid on the rear stage, Bono on the left. In the hat..

Awesome night. So now I'm going to a film tomorrow instead - and that would be Article 370, a Hindi film about a young woman in the police or something. And I have to go all the way to Cineworld Wembley to see it..

On Wednesday, back at last with London Classical Music and Theatre Group! We're off to the Opera House for a ballet..

And on Thursday, I'm back with London Social Detours at last.. she usually runs daytime events that I can't make. Anyway, we're off to a free concert by the Guildhall School Big Band, at the Barbican.. And then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again!