Musical: Your Lie in April

Today, I was back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for Your Lie in April, at the Harold Pinter. This musical is based on an apparently very popular manga - all official tickets at £25, and annoyingly, it was after I booked that I found out that the seat fillers have it as well, cheaper! (I believe these are preview prices.) Never mind.

Got there a little early, met a couple of them in the lobby - the house wasn't open yet. I hadn't eaten, so grabbed some chocolate from the bar, not having much alternative! Huge markup, but what can you do. We hung out there for a while, then were instructed that we could go down by a back stairs to the Stalls Bar, where we were supposed to meet. It's a small space, which, as more of us arrived, we fairly took over! Someone had dire warnings about the overhang in the Stalls, but it was fine for me, for this production:

The title projected on the safety screen interestingly switches between English and Japanese:

I was a little dubious about this - by and large, I hate coming-of-age stories, and avoid them like the plague. But the classical music angle was interesting, and it has a good vibe. As the show started, I sighed a bit - all the characters, for a while, are schoolkids, there's a preponderance of school uniforms, they wheel lockers on from the side to set the scene. And people are talking about whom they have a crush on. Oh dear.

The lead character is a brilliant classical pianist, whose mother drilled him so hard that he cracked, and hasn't played a note since she died. Enter a new transfer student, whom everyone adores - she's pretty, she's fun, and she has a passion for playing classical violin. She storms the show at the classical competition - gets a place in the second round, and tells him she needs an accompanist. Will he be able to overcome his phobia about playing in order to help her..?

Will he hell. It'd be a short show if he didn't. The music is gorgeous - the more so because of a couple of spectacular singers, notably the female lead, Mia Kobayashi, making her professional debut!! It's a stunning start. But of course, mixed in with the official score is a quantity of classical music - and the male lead, Zheng Xi Yong, does actually play the piano, in which he holds a diploma! The female lead wasn't put through the hardship of learning the violin - interestingly, she is shadowed for her performances by a professional violinist, as she mimes with a violin bow.

So, enjoyable musically - and when we do discover what the actual lie is, it's quite devastating. Bring a tissue, it'd melt the heart of a stone. Quite a show, in fact! Very glad I gave it a go. Runs to the 21st of September - highly recommended. I'd gotten a glass of wine at the interval, tried to leave the empty glass somewhere on the way out - or give it to someone - no hope. So I now have yet another free glass..

We didn't hang around for long afterwards - several people were legging it to get somewhere to watch the match. Now, I'd booked the Angus Steakhouse for dinner, afterwards - and, like yesterday, was far too early again! This time, I decided to try them, and indeed, got seated immediately. And wouldn't you know it, I had a large screen right in my sightline - and was still in the restaurant when the match started, and was there for the first goal, by Slovakia. Which was cheered by the non-English staff..

As to the food, I had a sirloin, with pepper sauce and onion rings. What makes it expensive here is that every little thing is paid for separately - but it was good, and I had wine, and ice cream for dessert. Service is great, and I was well fed. Not a place I'd splurge on too often, though. On the way home, I knew something was happening in the match by the roar of the crowds I passed - and when I got home, I'd just passed another cheer when I ran into one of my flatmates, watching it on his mobile outside. That was the winning goal - for England. And you have to give it to them, it was a great win - well done.

Tomorrow, I'm back with CT again for Vox Anima at Cadogan Hall - time to try out Cote Sloane Square for the first time in ages!

On Tuesday, back with UITCS for Passing Strange, a rock musical at the Young Vic. So that's Bar + Block Southwark - the first of them I tried! and the best.

Wednesday is the company summer party - in The Lighterman. I guess it's heavily subscribed because, unusually, we've been asked not to come into the office that day if we can avoid it - if we're not coming to the party, or not coming from far. So, I'll go straight from home.

Thursday is film - and what's coming up is Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1, a Kevin Costner Western. Looks suitably epic - also stars Sienna Miller and Sam Worthington. Kevin Costner is also director and co-writer. Handily enough, it's showing in the Odeon Covent Garden - walking distance from the office, which I'll have to go into that day - and I can eat in Seven Dials again. Have to do that beforehand - it's three hours long.. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

On the 8th, back with TAC for another talk at The Conduit - this one is History for Tomorrow, about what we can learn from history, and is, as usual, also the occasion of a book launch. Now, here I'd normally go to Bella Italia again - but I've discovered it's actually closer to Seven Dials! So I'll probably do that.

On the 9th, back - first time in a while - with Over 40 Living the Life, for a dinner in the Greenwich Yacht Club. They actually start back doing these this coming Tuesday, but of course I'm otherwise engaged.

And on the 10th, in Greenwich again - I should nearly stay the night! This time, I'm back with London Literary Walks for The Greenwich Walk. We're meeting in The Spanish Galleon, and as usual, I've booked to eat there beforehand.