Walk: Baker Street and its Irregulars, Film: Gladiator II, & Storytelling: Queen of Between
Yesterday, back with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpies, yay! This (new) walk started life as Baker Street and its Quirky Surrounds, and was rechristened Baker Street and its Irregulars. So, back in the same direction as Friday.. gee, I should nearly have stayed the night!
Ah, the buses.. I discovered I could get there by bus in under an hour. Apparently. I'd have to change at Waterloo. I left in plenty of time. Getting to Waterloo was no problem - getting out of there was a nightmare. The #139 was supposed to take me straight from there to Selfridge's, where we were to join the walk. Yeah - except it never came. With no bus apparently due, I got wary - I often run into problems like that at Waterloo - and took the other bus from that stop, the #176, when it came. Then it had to stop dead for a while, to "even out the gaps in the service". Then traffic was terrible.. and finally it dropped me - on Tottenham Court Road.
Now, I knew that was going to happen - but the only alternative I could see was the #139, which I wasn't going to depend on. I'd thought I might be able to get a bus more easily from there - but by the time I got there, bus wasn't really an option any more. Happily, I had the Tube - so I made for that, messaging Laurence as I went to let him know what I was doing. Bless him, he gave me the next two locations. So I thought I'd start at Selfridge's, in case I could manage to catch them before they left. When that didn't work, I hightailed it to Portman Square, the next location, keeping an eye out as I went in case I saw them - I didn't, but I did in fact beat them there, and we caught up with each other on the corner of the square.
Funnily enough, I'd come up by Orchard Street (as I think they did), and one of the first facts I learned on my slightly abbreviated walk was that it's not actually named for an orchard - the name came from a Norman family called that. Anyway, the "irregulars" from the walk title turn out to be the SOE, aka "Churchill's Irregulars". And they had a training centre here:
Just by the way, we passed a drinking fountain with a religious message:
Moving on to the Wallace Collection, we found more ornate fountains (lots of them were apparently installed in Paris, where there was a need for a safe public drinking water supply - and they were carefully designed: the colour carefully chosen, and the height large enough to be visible, but not so large as to cause an obstruction):
We didn't go in, of course - that would really have used up the rest of the day! And so, back to our examination of Baker Street. And I was delighted to hear that Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street, one of my all-time favourite songs, was actually written with this street in mind - I never actually thought it was the same one!
Now, you have to peer very closely at this plaque - which we were looking at from across the road - to determine that it mentions John Lennon and George Harrison. You see, this was the site of a shop The Beatles opened - to try and minimise their exorbitant tax bill on "non-earned income" (98%, jeez)! They had to close it down fairly rapidly, so much stock was being nicked..
And of course, only two Beatles are mentioned on the plaque - because they're the two who have passed away..
Speaking of income tax, here's the chap who apparently introduced it:
And to cross the road at one point, Laurence led us through a fantastic "Wonderpass":
There's even a throwback to the play the night before!
In fact, there is just so much down there..
And we stopped outside the site of a famous robbery - apparently inspired by a Sherlock Holmes story! How appropriate:
Look carefully for London's smallest blue plaque:
Well, the area is a lot more interesting than I'd thought! Afterwards, some of us repaired for lunch to The Volunteer - we hadn't booked, but they accommodated us without trouble. And the schnitzel was much better than at the Boisdale. As were the chips. And bless our server, he had a lot of running back and forth, dividing our bill into separate sections..
Conversation was good, as always. And some of us continued it to The Metropolitan Bar, where - being a Wetherspoon's, and with lower prices - a lot more drink was imbibed, in a comfy booth. And a very good day was had, as ever - thanks Laurence, and all!
As is becoming something of a habit, afterwards I joined Movie Roadhouse London (MRL) for a film! This time, it was Gladiator II, at Picturehouse Central, with Paul Mescal replacing Russell Crowe as the gladiator who shows Rome the error of its ways, and a return by Connie Nielsen as Lucilla.. seems I mistook who was whom, and her son is actually the aforementioned Paul Mescal, by Russell Crowe! So yes, he IS his son.. Denzel Washington also shows up as an ex-slave with plans for Rome. Directed by the very bankable Ridley Scott.
I took the Bakerloo Line straight there, for efficiency - and as usual, the organiser was in situ slightly early. We met in the downstairs cafe, where they don't serve alcohol - I had to nip upstairs to get some more wine. A decently large group, for this - and we had a good chat before heading in. A couple of us were sat in the row with a large aisle - great for legroom, but unfortunately also for people streaming in and out to go to the loo..
Oh dear. This film didn't really work for me at all - and with all the hype, too. Looking at the trailer again, and remembering the experience of watching it, I'm finding even more problems with it. First thing that occurs to me, from the trailer, is - sadly - Paul Mescal just doesn't have the charisma to carry off this role - as I've read in the Guardian review, he does better exploring a character's inner depths, rather than the bravado required here. Russell Crowe did have said bravado - and Pedro Pascal, who plays Lucilla's husband, a mighty war leader, might have done better; certainly, I found his minor character more interesting than Paul Mescal's. What a shame we don't get more of Pedro Pascal, but he gets killed before the finale.
Paul Mescal's wife also gets killed, just as Russell Crowe's did - well hmm, at least it happens differently; Paul Mescal's wife is a warrior, killed during a Roman attack on their city. Not a great family to marry into, it seems.. and I agree with the Guardian's opinion that the best character in the film was that played by Denzel Washington, plotting a coup d' état.
We don't get to find out where Paul Mescal grew up or was living, we don't get to find out how the present, twin-brother emperors came to the throne - but I guess the throne did hop around a bit. Naw, this film is primarily interested in what happens in the Colosseum - and that's suitably spectacular, although our group agreed that the baboon-esque CGI creatures were OTT.
And the film is at its best when it references the original - never a good sign. The original was a classic - a memorable soundtrack, an epic story, absorbing characters. This film has none of that. The original film had us believing that Russell Crowe could really change the course of history - I never got that feeling from Paul Mescal. Even Joaquin Phoenix was a more sinister ruler than the twin emperors we have in the sequel. You know what? Don't bother with this - just re-watch the original, you'll have a better time.
Afterwards, some of us repaired to the nearby St. James' Tavern. Crowded, of course, and I made straight for the loo - but shortly after I returned, wouldn't you know it, we got a table! And some more good film chat was had.
And I'm enjoying The Shard's different light displays, as I head home:
Unfortunately, I was too tired to blog last night, and didn't have time before I left today - I was back with the Crick Crack Club (CCC)! This time, it was Queen of Between, with Lucy Lill and Sarah Liisa Wilkinson, and it was at the British Museum again, last time this year - which meant I needed to leave a huge chunk of time for queueing!
Of course, as is the way with these things, I had no earthly problems with buses today, they appeared as if by magic. And the queue only took 15 minutes, which meant I was so early the room wasn't ready yet, and I ended up sat with a group of people waiting for a guided tour.
Wandered down when they removed the barrier, and found myself in a queue, where my ticket was checked - they didn't open the door for a few minutes more. When they let us in, I made my way to the front row, where I got a seat just off-centre:
The show seems to have sold out - unusually for this venue! Ben Haggarty was MC, as usual - and as he remarked at the end, this was the first time in years he'd seen tandem storytelling. They worked so well together, the show choreographed so that they seamlessly handed over to each other, sometimes in mid-sentence. And the stories were Greek - with a weasel who wanted to be human, a human who became a weasel, and the gods bickering, as they are wont to do. And threaded through all the stories, Hecate/Hecuba, the "Queen of Between" of the title, the goddess of gates, portals, the transition between life and death. Who, as they mentioned at the start, doesn't normally get a starring role, only appearing in the background, or to the side.. except for one story they told today.
With so many interwoven stories, so many stories within stories, so much magic, so many characters, I think some of the audience became a bit lost. But they were so pleasantly told that nobody minded. And my, Sarah-Liisa Wilkinson does make a good weasel.. Roll on next year, and more stories.
Afterwards, out into unexpectedly early rain, and hungry, I checked out The Museum Tavern, as usual - but as can happen (and I expected, with the inclement weather), it was full. So I headed off to Il Castelletto, which is never full, and I was told I could pick my table.
I had the most gorgeous, succulent chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce, with delicious potatoes.. garlic pizza bread to start, chocolate cake for dessert. Really good food.. as I was leaving, the couple beside me, who'd shared a starter of calamari, were asking for a second portion. When told the mains were already ordered, they replied that didn't matter, they'd eat it all.. this is a seriously good restaurant. Friendly staff, too - a real find. Set me up nicely for the interminable wait for the bus home, and the crowd that then filled it.
Tomorrow, I'm headed to Reykjavik, in Hampstead Theatre.. which, ironically, Up in the Cheap Seats went to a while back..
Tuesday is looking like film again. So, what I've come up with is Soundtrack to a Coup d' État, a fascinating-looking documentary about events in the UN in 1960, with the entry of a host of newly independent African nations, shifting the balance of power. We get Khrushchev banging his fist, we get Eisenhower - and we get a political assassination. Lots of shenanigans - and all to a rocking jazz soundtrack. Showing in the ICA.
On Wednesday, another social with The Hideout and their sister group, MRL, at the BFI Riverfront Bar - this one is fetchingly called Frost Descent. Eating beforehand at The Archduke, as usual.
On Thursday, the CCC has an event in The Cube, Bristol - which has the advantage of having streaming tickets, one of which I've bought. I'll probably be in the office that day, and for once yes, heading home afterwards! The event is The Three Snake Leaves - and ironically, is happening in King's Place in January, which I'd have preferred - I always prefer to go to things in person, and especially storytelling. But never mind..
Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend. And on the 25th, unless something else crops up, I'm thinking of just heading around the Southbank Winter Market..
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