Play: Ruthless
Last night, headed with TAC again, for Ruthless at Arches Lane Theatre. Had to drag myself from work, and goodness knows I had enough of that to do.. I figured I could still make it by bus though, I was planning to eat in Nando's, which Google Maps said was nearby, in the revamped Battersesa Power Station. And that'd be quick.
Oh wow, was that a mistake.. traffic was like treacle, and when I had to change buses there was no sign of the one I wanted, so I had to take one that I had to change from again. By the time I was doing that, I was in danger of falling outside the hour during which I could get unlimited travel on the Hopper fare - I didn't check whether I did actually get that last trip for free. That last bus was packed, too - I was lucky, laden with a laptop as I was, that someone volunteered me his seat. Interestingly, I caught that bus outside the Royal Hospital Chelsea, and got on with a jolly crowd of Chelsea Pensioners..
Gratefully disgorging myself at last - out the back door, as it was too crowded to get off at the middle - I made my way to the Power Station. Passed a load of restaurants on the way, but I didn't have time. The Power Station was easy to find - I'd never been in before, but followed Google Maps' directions to where Nando's was. Should have been. There was also supposed to be a Pret, which I couldn't find. Lordy - it's nice inside, the decor maintaining the original Art Deco feel - but as intractable to find my way around as any shopping centre I've been in. I found plenty of restaurants inside too - finally found the food court, in an inner section, but it was like a restaurant, where you had to wait to be seated! So I wasn't optimistic about my chances of getting served (really) quickly! I gave up and went back outside, where I found a (posh) supermarket - no sandwiches in sight, best I could find was a packet of Monster Munch. Which I ate at one of the convenient bins, with convenient flat tops for leaving stuff on, located at regular intervals along what I discovered was called Electric Walk.
Then I headed off in search of the theatre, which I found with only a little wobble, by searching through the maze of the village that has sprung up here. I actually walked right past the theatre in the end, it's so nondescript - backtracked and found it. To be fair, they do have a big poster of the play outside! And yes, this used to be the Turbine. I'd had to arrive half an hour early, according to the rules - the friendly lady behind the bar checked off my name, then served me a glass of rather watery Sauvignon Blanc and a packet of crisps. Which I'd finished by the time the house was open - you can take drinks in with you, so I did - and took a seat in the front row, for convenience, there being open seating.
This is a story based on Ruth Madoff - wife of Bernie Madoff, who was imprisoned for the rest of his life for embezzlement of something like $65 billion. His portrait is at the centre here, flanked by their sons - Andrew, on the left, who died of cancer, and Mark, on the right, who committed suicide (Bernie's sister and brother-in-law were duly found dead as well, thought to be a murder-suicide). Both sons died in their forties, and are dead by the time this play is set in. Ruth is living in an apartment on her own - which she apparently did, from Andrew's death in 2014 to 2021.
It's a one-woman show, and runs straight through - a bit under two hours, which was tricky, the seats not being quite comfortable enough for that. I was sure the lady at the bar/box office mentioned an interval, but what the hey. This is actually much better than I was expecting! Emily Swain does an excellent job of holding our attention, and what she portrays is a woman at the end of her tether, with conflicting feelings about her husband, whom she loves and has been married to for 60 years, but who of course was the one responsible for the downfall and vilification of the family - and they were vilified; a lot of people invested in Bernie's business, and lost their money, and as mentioned in the play, she can't step outside without attracting unwelcome and unfriendly attention.
The play wouldn't have been half as interesting, I think, had she not been portrayed as a complete fantasist - fair enough, it's enough to drive anyone insane, the loss of everything you held to be secure, loss of status, of most of your possessions, your husband in prison for the rest of his life, and both sons dead to boot - and she plays it beautifully, flirting with the pizza delivery boy who is the only other actor. I found it absolutely compelling.. runs till the 29th, highly recommended!
And it finished early enough that I could get a bite to eat! Phew.. unwilling to go back into the maze of the Power Station, I headed for the bank of restaurants I'd seen outside - and fancied the Italian, Fiume. Where, happily, they had no problem seating me - a draught from the open door bothered me, but only until I was fed, by which time I didn't notice any more. Gorgeous decor, I have to say - pity I didn't think to take a picture. Bare stone wall on one side, wine rack - just simple, but very classy.
I decided just to have bread as starter, not seeing any others I wanted - and thought I'd try their rigatoni carbonara. He asked whether I'd like the pasta as soon as it was ready, even if I hadn't finished the bread, and I thought that was a good idea. For wine - I was glad they serve by the carafe, as their glasses only extend to medium. So I decided on a carafe - I didn't recognise most of the varieties, apart from pinot grigio, but one of the pinot grigios was the cheapest on the menu, which I thought might not be great; the other was the most expensive, which I baulked at! So I took a punt - the vermentino from Sardinia caught my eye, so I asked for that.
Oh wow, that was a great choice of wine- it was full-bodied and delicious! The bread was soft, with a hard crust - not anything special, but I was to be glad of it. The pasta, and sauce, were good - but the bacon lardons served with it were far too salty, and quite spoiled the experience for me. As I say, I was glad I had the bread - and that it had been left to me - because it provided a break from the salt. But of course, as I'd hoped, I was stuffed. Service throughout was superb.
I thought I'd have dessert - the baba limoncello caught my eye, so I had that. Turned out to be a kind of cake, drenched in limoncello (yum), and served with a dollop of mascarpone cream. Everything was doused in limoncello, and I have to describe it as one of the most decadent desserts I've had. All in all, I had an excellent time - was beautifully treated, and ate well, apart from the carbonara. I'd be delighted to come back - and order something different..
Gorgeous view at night, with the lights.. I could take buses again to go home, and this time I'm happy to say it was much quicker. And walking to catch the bus, I walked along Electric Walk, past all those expensive flats I can't afford, and was so jealous.. Was too tired to blog last night.
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