Comedy: Namaste Bae

Tonight's show - second night in a row with CT at Riverside Studios for their Bitesize Festival - was Namastae Bae - a satirical guru. And wouldn't you know it, it's the same actor! After booking, I realised that London Baroque Music Lovers had an event this evening - they were going to Prom 7, at the Royal Albert Hall. Durnit, forgot about that when I was booking for today! but I was booking a lot, and it was late at night, so I was tired. Never mind, that was quite a late event anyway. Shame though, I hardly ever meet this group these days - their events aren't very frequent. Anyway, a sometime companion of mine was looking at that event, asked me about mine, and expressed an interest in both - I thought it'd be too much of a rush to get from one to the other.. and after last night, I thought I'd probably prefer the comedy. In the end, she just went to a second prom.

Got a seat on the Tube the whole way this time, and remembered to pick up a paper for the journey! So, a pleasant journey, actually - not to mention that you now get internet reception on the Tube. Very satisfying. For food, I thought I might try Gregg's, also in Hammersmith Broadway. They didn't have anything I fancied though, so back to Wasabi it was. Where I was, again, tastily fed - just not sufficiently. And despite them advertising WiFi, I couldn't get any.

Nor could I in Riverside, FYI, where, again, I picked up my ticket and queued for a drink. Stuffy inside - I sympathised with the ladies, coming out as I entered, who gave a sigh of relief as they met the cool breeze outside. They've changed the queueing system from yesterday, would you believe - you now have to wait at the side for your drink to be delivered. Which, to be fair, does speed up the process, meaning that you can have two people serving - one taking the orders, one fulfilling them. And then I sat drinking it, facing the entrance to Studio 3, for quite a while as the crowd gathered. Interestingly, this was much busier than last night. I couldn't get a seat in the front row - squeezed in along the wall and got a seat towards the side, on the second row.

I was to be glad I wasn't in the front row - I've never seen such a level of audience interaction. Actually, he tended - sensibly - to pick on men, though; women would have been much less accommodating, more self-conscious, unhappier about it, which he obviously understood. You also run a great risk of being picked on if you sit along the centre aisle. Arguably, however, the worst of the audience participation on this occasion did fall to a friend of his, sat in the front row and right in front of me - I overheard his conversation with his companions beforehand. He was a bit unfortunate, however, to pick on someone else in the front row who patently didn't want to, and wouldn't, participate.. he handled it very well, I have to say.

What sort of participation, you might well ask.. em, a lot of it is physical. Pretty much all of it is ridiculous - the idea is that he's a guru, and we're on a "healing course". He has the entire audience making noises and gestures through much of the show. And nobody escapes physical participation completely, given that he keeps spraying the audience with his botte of "kombucha". Well perhaps if you sit towards the back, towards the side, and are female, you can expect to be left alone. Otherwise.. Mind you now, for all that women are generally left alone, one young lady has the honour of being asked to be his "sister-wife", which involves a high degree of interaction.. Lordy though, he's so ridiculous, you can't help but laugh.

Another very physical, very sweaty act - this is obviously his schtick. But he is naturally funny, with a really open and earnest face that you can't be annoyed at. Approach at your peril, you have been warned - but he is good. This show runs alternately with Dangled until Sunday - what an exhausting week he's having! Me - I was glad to escape relatively unscathed from this, and to get home early, although it does run a bit longer than Dangled.

Tomorrow, back with London Literary Walks (LLW) for a walk about Newton and Legal London. We're meeting in The Devereux, but they don't do proper meals - I'm eating in The George, up the road, beforehand. At least, after last week, I have some idea of the complicated street mapping!

The next two days, back with Over 40 Living the Life. On Thursday, it's Afrique en Cirque at the Queen Elizabeth Hall - always love a circus!

On Friday, it's Slave Play - at the Noel Coward, it got a terrific review. Stars Kit Harington - who apparently gets his kit off! (pun intended). Eating in the nearby Bella Italia.

Saturday was the next date possible for my ex-coworkers' reunion, what with everybody travelling hither and yon, and suffering from jetlag.. I was thinking of going back to Brown's. But then Ivan requested Sunday, because he's rehearsing that day - and the others were fine with it. But now it turns out he's needed in Scotland, where his family lives, on Sunday, so kind of has to meet us on Saturday.. he's cutting his rehearsal short.. and you might ask why I say it's like herding cats! So we now seem to be back to that day again.. I've booked The Albert for that day now, instead of the next.

On Sunday, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) (at last!) for a short play, Comment is Free, at the Putney Arts Theatre. Sounds really interesting, having cancel culture as its theme. It's part of their Box Set Summer Festival - they do have a discount if you book multiples. The organiser is availing of that, but I'm not - I've seen one of them (A Hundred Words for Snow), which was a memorable production, but I don't generally like to repeat myself - and I'm not around for the others she's going to, the following weekend. I only just remembered to book somewhere for food afterwards - I'm heading to Lila, just up the road. It's got great reviews, and it's years since I ate Thai food!

On Monday, finally going to Mnemonic, at the National, which this group is seeing tomorrow, but of course I'm already occupied that day. Does sound interesting though.

Next Tuesday, back with CT: for The Improv Comedy Show - Can We Have a Word? at Upstairs at the Green.

On the 31st, I'm back with UITCS for Starlight Express! Heard of this, never seen it - it's at the new Wembley Park Theatre. And I'm trying out their Studio Five restaurant beforehand.

On the 1st, heading to Frankie Goes to Bollywood at the Queen Elizabeth Hall again - should be fun. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.

On the 5th, heading to Next To Normal, at Wyndham's - cheapest tickets with TodayTix. Eating at Bella Italia again.

On the 6th, headed back with CT to Stagetime - more improvised comedy - at Shoreditch Balls! Eating at the nearby Blues Kitchen, which I love.

On the 7th, back with LLW for Dickens, Woolf and Lawrence. Meeting at The Dolphin, but they don't do food, so I'll eat at the nearby Isolabella Italian restaurant beforehand.

And on the 8th, back with Buddies on Budgets for a sketching evening (!) in Phoenix Garden. Tickets from Eventbrite. If I go.. not usually my thing, but we'll see.