Play: The Comeuppance & Dinner: Greenwich Yacht Club

On Monday, I was back with North London Friends - they had tickets for The Comeuppance, at The Almeida, and I got the last of theirs. It sold out for that day, although there were returns.

Getting there was entertaining - turned out no buses were running on that stretch because of water works! Ended up walking to London Bridge to catch the Northern Line - the only way I'd get there in reasonable time to eat! (and isn't it a good thing the Tube strike for that day was cancelled..)

For dinner, back to The Bull, of course.. having had the fish n chips the day before, I decided to mix it up and go for the chicken schnitzel this time! Ah, I tell you, if I lived around there, I'd eat here all the time - it was gorgeous! Served with a half lemon, rather unusually, like the fish.. I tried it, and yes, a lovely combination! The chips were a little too salty, but overall I really enjoyed it. Lovely wine, too.. and after a hard day's work, running to catch up with myself, I tell you, it was a wrench to pull myself away. Particularly as I don't like any of the wines on offer at the Almeida!

Well, I sighed and off I went - it's just a few minutes' walk. I'm afraid the night was downhill from there.. it was nice to see people, but as I say, I wasn't drinking at the theatre, and oh dear, the play.. well, at least we had good seats, in the front row as we were:

Yes, that's a front porch in smalltown America. We join our actors as they gather for a pre-school-reunion reunion. 20 years on, plenty of water under the bridge. As the various characters gather, we learn about the relationships between them - they formed their own close-knit group in high school - and about what's happened to them since - they haven't really kept in touch - before they head off for the main reunion.

Yeah, and that's kind of it. The end, sayonara, let's go home. Except it lasted a whole two hours.. with no interval.. and we were in the front row, so I couldn't easily leave.. I mean honestly. "Yay, great to see you, you're looking great, tell me everything!" turns to something else as people get drunk and/or stoned. And old animosities rear their heads. And then they bury the hatchet - mostly. And that is all that happens. Well, except for Death, who keeps showing up, with an English accent, interestingly.. taking the persona of each of the characters (I think they all got a turn) and saying (s)he will come for someone tonight. That's the entire thing. 

Haven't we seen this pattern a million times before? It's well acted, but gee, no plot - Death provides the most drama of the play, and that, like all the rest, fizzles out in the end. I was so very bored.. tired of seeing a recycled theme rehashed yet again. Yawn. Dunno why it's described as a "satire" - what is it satirising? Reunions? Now, to be fair, I think most people in the group actually liked it - to some extent, anyway, as did a couple of people I ran into from Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS). Anyway, if you think you might, it runs till the 18th of next month.

I was rather glad when it turned out we weren't having drinks afterwards - I usually love to go for a drink with this group, but, as I say, I hate the wine in the Almeida, and anyway, after this play, I wasn't in the most terrific of moods. Ah well, an early night then. No time to blog though - the boss had warned me he'd be sending me something to check, and I had to do it ASAP when I got it, either on Monday or early yesterday! I hadn't got it by the end of Monday, so had to be up early yesterday - just in case. In the end, it arrived at 3.15pm.. I didn't have time to blog though, had a very hectic day.

Last night, I was back with Over 40 Living the Life - a more dependable dinner date this time than the last time I was with them - this one was at Greenwich Yacht Club! Which meant I didn't have to sort food beforehand, so I could work later.. just as well, with everything I had to do. Now, I hadn't been to the Yacht Club since I moved - but even though I'm now living closer to it than ever before, I still had to take the Tube - bus would have taken too long. (Interestingly, the bus stops still displayed a message about water works - even though buses were stopping at them!)

Left it a bit late to walk from North Greenwich, so took a bus - only for one stop, but it's quite a distance to that stop. Google Maps did a good job of reminding me of the route - it's been a while since I was last there! Only thing is, don't follow them all the way, they lead you down the side, where you can gaze at the club through a fence.. I retraced my steps slightly, and found the (open) pedestrian entrance without difficulty. Went upstairs, said hi to the organiser, ran to the loo.. where they had no hand towels, and the bins didn't open properly. Not to mention the annoying motion-sensitive lights, which went off while I was closing the door. Hmm..

Well, it was my understanding that the bar staff knew not to bring our food until we were all there - so I ordered straight away when I came back. Decided I'd try the chicken curry, which I hadn't had here before. Sadly, the bar staff didn't seem to know much of anything - not only did the guy not know whether the curry came with rice (it does), they duly brought my food long before anyone else's. And I'm afraid it wasn't anything to write home about - edible, is the best I can say for it. The rice was nice. The wine was nice, and I had as much as I could squeeze into the evening (I notice the price hasn't increased!) I won't be having the curry there again - I know the fish is good, and indeed, there were no complaints from those who had it - and I know the burger is good - and the one who had that finished it without murmur. The meatballs with pasta had a mixed reaction - two had it, one liked it, the other thought it was bland.

One person had ordered dessert already - I'd forgotten, so ordered late, which turned out to be just as well, as they seemed to forget completely about hers, and brought mine first! We had the same - chocolate and orange sponge - and it was delish. Very much the best part of the meal for me. Conversation was good, as ever.. but pity the one who, searching for parking, had left her car at the nearby estates, and asked one of the club staff, who said she'd be in trouble for it! She ran off to get it - but I think the parking restrictions end at 6.30. Still, don't take my word for it.. The organiser is a club member, so can get parking there. And they kindly gave me a lift back to the station!

Again, no time to blog last night - I was trying to do a film list, and the listings just came out last night.. It sure does take a while! Tonight, back with UITCS - they're off to An Actor Convalescing in Devon, at Hampstead Theatre. I'll try Ye Olde Swiss Cottage for food, as usual there.

Tomorrow, I booked with UITCS again for The Ballad of Hattie and James, at The Kiln. But gee.. then The Hideout advertised Immaculate (as he said on Saturday, "the other nun horror film"!).  Which I'd rather go to - so now, I am. At the Vue West End again.

Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again. For a film, I'm thinking of Back to Black.. just waiting for the rating. It is on in the Omniplex.

On Monday, back with UITCS for Life with Oscar at the Arcola.. £10 tickets with the code OSCAR10, when I booked! The "Oscar" in question is the statuette - this is a comedy about making it in Hollywood.

On Tuesday, back with the Over 40s for another dinner at the Yacht Club.. and now I know what not to order!

Next Wednesday, with London Literary Walks.. he's BACK!! Great stuff - and he's starting, appropriately for me, with the James Joyce Walk. I was actually supposed to go tonight, but it transpired that his popularity is proving a hindrance - he had too many people for tonight, and asked his regulars to switch to another date - he's actually doing the walk twice more: tomorrow, and next Wednesday. So I'm going then. Unfortunately, he closed RSVPs, so I can't remove my name from tonight's..

And on the 18th - back with UITCS, for a new take on A Midsummer Night's Dream (perhaps a bit early) at Wilton's. Wow, Meetup seems to have woken up at last..