Play: The White Mouse & Book Club: Cujo

Last Tuesday, back with Buddies on a Budget (BoB) in London for The White Mouse, a play based on the true story of Nancy Wake, a spy for the SOE during the Second World War. Showing at The Theatre on Barnes Pond, who gave us a discount code, lovely! (Two actually, one for each of her groups.) I also accidentally booked with her other group, London Herstory Walks - no harm. Anyway, the theatre turned out to be right next door to Cote, so I booked that as well.

I left in plenty of time - unfortunately, I had to start with the Jubilee Line to Waterloo. Except it delayed for ages starting off.. the driver eventually muttered something about an "incident on the line". He got us to London Bridge, then we delayed again and he advised us to take alternative transport if we could. Oh dear.. I was now worried about my dinner reservation. Managed to get to Waterloo in the end, using a combination of Northern Line and Bakerloo - would have been quicker to take a bus! Naturally, I missed my train though - and they're only every 15 minutes. I got the next one.

It was raining in Barnes. It didn't seem as though I'd save any time by getting a bus to the restaurant, so I walked. Which was fine, apart from having to cross the road at the end, in a stream of traffic! I have to say, they couldn't have been nicer at the restaurant - seated me immediately, and I knew exactly what to order; I had to gobble it a bit. He pointed me at the set menu, so I had a dessert as well - it's ages since I had the chocolate mousse, and it was lovely! Gorgeous meal all round. Slightly after 7, I schlepped next door to the theatre.

The bar is right inside the door, and it wasn't hard to find the group - with unassigned seating, we all headed in together and got seats close to the action, at the side of the stage. As I remarked, I do like to be close enough to trip up the actors! (potentially..)

The action takes place in a bar - the guy to the left of photo turned out to be the playwright and also plays all the male roles in the play - starting with the barman who asks her about her story. And it's a stirring one - taking us on a whiplash tour through her early life and into the war, both actors portraying key parts of the story. Known as "The White Mouse" because of her uncanny ability to evade capture, she could apparently out-fight, out-drink, and out-swear all her male counterparts. The screen at the back displays photos to set the scene.

It's a terrific story, quite a surprising one. And it's only a shame she couldn't find anything quite as exciting to do after the war.. what the hey, I guess there are high points in everyone's life, it's up to us all to make the most of them. She sure did.. a Q+A afterwards allowed us to chat with both actors, and the conversation continued in the lobby afterwards.

I would recommend it, but it finishes tonight and is sold out, it seems! Well, if you can't see the play, it's still a helluva story to read.. Anyway, I had to be in the office yesterday, so it ran too late to blog.

Yesterday, I was supposed to be back with London Literary Walks for The Camden Walk. Booked for dinner beforehand in The Blues Kitchen Camden, just down the road - well, the Shoreditch branch is excellent, thought I'd try this one! The walking group, however, was to meet in The World's End. Unfortunately, as mentioned, I had to be in the office that day.. meaning I'd be dragging the laptop on a walk! However, the walk was then cancelled - and much as I enjoy his walks, I was delighted. Not only did I now not have to drag the laptop on a walk, I got to attend The Horror Book Club's event of the month, where they were discussing Cujo - a book I've always loved. So I bought the Kindle edition, and enjoyed a re-read! I cancelled the dinner reservation, of course - I could eat in the pub the book club was meeting in, the Prince of Wales.

I managed to finish the book on the bus in to work, what with our frequent stops to "even out the gaps in the service". Could hang on a good while in the office, with the late start - always a good look - and it was a short walk from the office to the pub. Past another previous office of mine - well, there are a few of those!

Heading in and straight upstairs, I soon discovered we weren't in our usual room on the first floor - it was way too noisy, and crowded! Plus the tables weren't pushed together in the centre, as they always are for us. (Turned out it was a table quiz.) Heading back down again, I ran into a group member who, happily, knew where we were - there's a door, with a code, at the end of the hall. Plus, he knew the code, handily! Behind the door - yet another flight of stairs! Bah humbug, and me carrying my work laptop. Talk about being banished to the attic.. our room had "The Board Room" written on the door, and is a long, narrow, shabby space - a window was open for ventilation, and a fan at the side helped with that. The sun pelted in - far too much for a horror meeting, if you ask me! Several Rentokil boxes in the hallway testified to a rodent problem..

I dumped my stuff and returned all the way downstairs to order food - as I said, their bringing the food all the way upstairs would serve as punishment for banishing us up here. (Mind you, I think they have a dumb waiter.) I had their small plates again - and for the first time, the "Japanese-inspired" karaage sticky chicken! Which is as delicious as I'd expected - too salty to have more than one portion though, and the taste really overwhelmed the cod goujons I also had. Never mind.. and I should have had chips instead of the "smashed" potatoes - they're not as nice, really.

From the book discussion, some themes were raised. We know this because it was hit on by our organiser, who was taking notes. He wasn't the usual organiser - unfortunately, she was ill. And while he did eventually think of putting a message online to describe where we were - and the code for the door - he could have done it a bit earlier. Anyway, he's a teacher - and boy, does he show it! Even when I ran into him at the bar on a drinks break, he was asking me why I was so quiet.. eh, a hard day at the office, perhaps?! Anyway, I wasn't that quiet - I just hadn't proposed any "themes". Searching for something to say to him, I remarked that it was interesting to hear people bring up things I hadn't thought of - ooh dear, I shouldn't have bothered, he just started questioning me harder about that, and when I honestly couldn't think of anything to say to him, he seemed to take umbrage! Oh jeez, sometimes this club just annoys me.. I was glad when it was over.

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 are eating in Mercato Metropolitano again. 

And then 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! 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, BoB 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.