Play: The Bleeding Tree

Tonight, back in Southwark Playhouse - original venue, this time - with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS), for The Bleeding Tree, a drama involving a murder and a conspiracy of silence. Booked on their excellent PAYG system, where a prepaid amount counts for five shows, no time limit. Can represent a good saving! Some of us were eating in Mercato Metropolitano beforehand.

I arrived really early. Waited for anyone else to arrive - when I heard someone was looking for me, I ordered my dinner. For once, didn't go for pasta - I spied a katsu stall, and made a beeline for that! Very nice it was too - dunno why I didn't before. Anyway, as I was eating, my sometime companion appeared - and when I was finished, her food was ready, and we took it to the Wine Bar (with the seating inside). Where we got a bottle to share. Caveat - the cheaper price is for takeaway.. you can drink it at home, but if it's in the Mercato, it's the more expensive price. Which we happily paid, for a very nice wine. Kudos also to the proprietor, who not only let us bring in food, but cleared it away when it was done! That is a very nice establishment..

She had something like grilled lamb, which seemed most unsatisfactory - rather tough, it seemed. Good to know. Anyway, we finished, just in time for the play, and legged it over there - it's not far. And were seated in time - although she ran to the toilet first, and honestly, so should I have - I was BURSTING for about half the play..

It's about an hour, straight through. Three actors depict everyone in the play they need to - but this is the Australian Outback, by the look of it - the red dust and corrugated iron on stage testify to the rural nature of the place, and they never stop talking about the heat. So characters are few and far between. 

It's a mother and two daughters, and the father is an abusive drunk. And it's no spoiler at all to say that his wife shoots him in the neck at the beginning of the play - good riddance, think they all. Except now there's this body lying around.. the rest of the play concerns the fate of that body, and the other characters are people who come to the house for one reason or another.

The whole thing has a poetic feel.. with no props at all, the three actors portray absolutely everything, mostly through what they say. And what they say - is not for the squeamish. Seriously, I was at the Horror Book Club last night, and I found this more horrific.. So, in short, the mother kills her husband, the three of them hide the body, and everyone who comes in contact with them kind of colludes with them..

Some truly horrific imagery is evoked. More than that though, it's the sense of a community that, whatever your feelings about it, knows exactly what is happening and is just fine with that, thank you. Karma. Whatever you need doing? They'll do.

Must visit Australia sometime.. sounds interesting. Truly, in any case, the play is a fine example of wordcraft. Runs till the 22nd - very highly recommended. But not for the squeamish..

Tomorrow, I'm back to Ireland for the weekend. Film for the weekend - tan-ta-ra, there is one - is The Watchers / The Watched, a new film by M. Night Shayamalan's daughter, Ishana (!), starring Dakota Fanning as an unsuspecting artist in a forest in the West of Ireland, who finds herself trapped in a house with a glass wall. Being.. watched. By something / someone. Limerick Omniplex, as usual. Based on a book - and I see The Hideout is going tomorrow. Well, I couldn't have made that, I have to fly.

On Monday, back with UITCS again for Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder - a musical comedy about the presenters of a murder podcast, finding themselves in the position of sleuths! (Unfortunately, their press night was rained out - a sprinkler malfunctioned, and they had to cancel!) Showing at the Ambassadors Theatre, cheapest tickets from the official source, with a promo code! Stupidly, when I was booking it though, I forgot all seats would be the same price - could have got a better one, never mind. And I've booked Bella Italia St. Martin's Lane again.

On Tuesday, Buddies on a Budget in London is off to the Yamato Drummers at the Peacock Theatre. Their tickets were sold out by the time I came to booking this, but it's the best thing on Meetup for the day - so I booked my own ticket. Eating in Cote Covent Garden.

On Wednesday, back with UITCS for The Finellis, a musical in Wonderville. I remember the food not being great there - will see what my options are nearby.

And next Thursday, back with CT for a talk on The Peasants' Revolt, at Southwark Cathedral.