Play: Cockfosters
So, last night saw me with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for Cockfosters, at the Southwark Playhouse (SP) (Borough). I booked this on the Pay as you Go subscription - which I recently renewed: and I have to urge you, if you want the same, to hurry and take one out, because they're not accepting any new applications after the end of the year! Provides a discount and never expires - well worth it.
Well, I headed off early to grab something to eat in Mercato Metropolitano (MM) - but lordy, what's happened to the place?! I know it's some months since I was last there - but every place I used to like to eat has disappeared! The katsu places, the pasta place - even the good burger place, which I tended to avoid because they didn't provide cutlery. At least the wine bar is still going.. I finally plumped for an Indian street food stall, and ordered butter chicken. Unusually for here, he didn't give me a beeper, just said it'd be 5-7 minutes. Hmm.. well, I got my wine and waited.
Well, it was more like 9 minutes.. and it was served in a way I'd never seen it served before - I guess that's authentic Indian, I dunno. Lots of different stuff - sauces, rice, naan, chicken - all on a tray. Sadly, I found it absolutely tasteless - the garlic naan he'd asked whether I wanted with it was better. But, to be fair, that could have been me rather than the food - I think my sense of taste disappeared for a while. Even the wine tasted off. Still.. MM really doesn't seem as appealing any more..
And so to the theatre bar - and as I discussed with the others afterwards, with all the warnings the theatre sends us about going to the right venue, we were all paranoid we were at the right place, and checking our tickets right up to the last minute! Got a drink and a packet of Tayto - found the others up the back. I got one of the last seats! And that's when I figured I'd really lost my sense of taste, when the Tayto was tasteless.. sacrilege! Anyway, we had a large group - and as tends to happen, the boys n girls tended to separate. And we chatted until it was time to go in.
A sign as you enter points to the Piccadilly Line.. appropriately, as that's the line that runs to Cockfosters! My seat was right at the end of the second row - very handy for access, but rather hard to see against the black background..
Songs to do with the Underground are playing as the show starts, and the man trying to make announcements is interrupted by a Tube worker with a megaphone. Well, as advertised, this is sure going to resonate with anyone who's ever taken the Tube. Two young Londoners are each returning from holiday, and find themselves sitting together on the Tube from Heathrow. Turns out they're both going to Cockfosters - and wow, along the way, they experience everything you might associate with the Tube! and some things you mightn't, like the reappearance of sundry historical figures associated with it, courtesy of the fact that her grandad was involved in its construction.
I loved it! The leads (the two coming from Heathrow) have perfect comic timing, and the various things that happen are so recognisable - the hen party, the tourists who are completely lost and completely baffled by the weird stop names, the guy begging, who seems a bit posh.. we also get a nice debate about Northside vs Southside. It's a bit hectic, but fits nicely into the 1 hour 10 min running time. And the (predictable) growth of a relationship between our two protagonists lends it a nice personal touch. The only thing I might take issue with was their disparaging attitude towards buses.. hell, I complain about them enough, but when they do actually work, they're miles better! Recommended.. runs to the 3rd.
Afterwards for a drink in the bar, which made a nice change - although I must have been invisible, the servers at the bar ignored me for so long.. and we had a lovely chat till we broke up to go home. Interestingly, today I got a survey from the theatre about my experience, which, when I clicked on it, thanked me for my contribution without me having the chance to make one! Ah well..
Ah.. I finally have time to write the preview of coming attractions.. so long that I had no time for it last night.. read on..
Tonight, heading to Rich Mix to see It Was Just an Accident, which Movie Roadhouse London did see a while ago, but I was otherwise engaged. It's the story of an ex-detainee in an Iranian prison, who comes across someone he thinks was his sadistic prison guard - he rounds up fellow ex-prisoners to confirm his identity. Just finished eating in The Blues Kitchen beforehand - hallelujah, I could taste my meal! Still not sure my taste for wine had returned.. although I'm sure it will.
On Thursday, something I waited a long time to hear about.. some time ago, I was at an amazing mediaeval music concert by Rune at the church of St. Bartholomew the Great - at which they advertised a carol concert in the same venue. Well, it's finally on the church diary, and happening on Thursday - twice in fact, at 6pm and 9pm, free, no tickets required. The church opens an hour beforehand - and they recommend getting there early. I'm thinking of heading to the later one, and eating in The Old Red Cow beforehand - have emailed for a booking.
Friday is the Crick Crack Club's Christmas Carols show, at Hoxton Hall, starring Ben Haggarty, Tim Ralphs, and Steph Brittain, with Sheema Mukherjee on music. Booked the nearby Breeze Bistro for beforehand, and have been waiting ages for confirmation..
Saturday sees my last Meetup of the year, with LoMAZ doing their 2025 Xmas Pub Crawl! Not listed as an official Meetup event, it was advertised on their WhatsApp chat for people who have already attended a LoMAZ event - so restricted to people who've both attended an event and signed up for the WhatsApp group, and people they choose to invite. Now, Helen is also coming to town that day.. and when they amended their plans to include a pre-crawl lunch, she said she'd join us! So, we start at Nando's London Bridge, then it's off to Hays on the River - you never know, she might stay with us for that, it's near London Bridge - then the Globe Tavern, The Old Thameside Inn (one of my favourites), The George (another of my favourites), The Bunch of Grapes (a short walk away), and the Bermondsey Bierkeller (which also does wine, I checked). And all walking distance from my home, lovely! What's also nice is that we've planned 90 minutes in each, so it's not too rushed.. there's forward planning! (and they've been reworking the lyrics to the 12 Days of Christmas ..)
..and I'd better have packed before I head on all that.. because I'm catching a flight from Gatwick at 9.15 the following morning.. to Bergen! where I'm catching the Hurtigrute.. doing the classic voyage, to Kirkenes and back - AKA BKB. 12 days, 11 nights, returning on New Year's Day. You see, with my mother having died this year, that's my last close relative gone, and I was damned if I was spending this Christmas, whatever about future ones, alone, here or in Ireland. It was actually Mark who set me to thinking about it, bless him - and it didn't take me long to come up with this, which so many have recommended to me as one of the world's most beautiful voyages. It's real bucket-list stuff, so I spared no expense - happily, they have no single supplement, and equally happily, they include the flights (Norwegian Air). I booked an outside cabin (with full window), a wine package (a bottle a day), and seven excursions..
Now, I ordered a whole lot of warm clothes for this trip (as you can imagine) - had them delivered to a pickup point, and he's bloody lost some of them! including the thermal underwear I ordered. That could be a problem.. I need to get back there and see whether they showed up.. I tell you something, I'm never having anything delivered there again..!
On Monday, I'm off to see Alnes Lighthouse. William the Conqueror's great-great-great-grandfather apparently hailed from here. Or maybe not.
Next Tuesday, I'll be on a guided city walk in Trondheim.
On Christmas Eve, I kid you not, I'll be on a Sámi adventure - including feeding the reindeer! It took someone else to point out to me that I'd be setting them up for their big journey..
On St. Stephen's Day (AKA Boxing Day), I'll be at the North Cape (Nordkapp) - weather permitting. Seas are rough up there.
I arrive in Kirkenes, on the Russian border, on the 27th - apparently we can take photos, but can't cross! ;-)
We're in Hammerfest on the 28th.
And I'm at a midnight concert at Tromso Cathedral on the 29th.
So, Christmas and New Year's on the boat! Just what I wanted.. and a guarantee of seeing the Northern Lights, to the extent that if I don't, I get a free cruise. Ooh, and I mustn't forget, I promised postcards to someone..
So, back on New Year's Day - not as early - and taking the next day off, because it's a Friday - and back home to Ireland for the weekend, because it's been too long. The next two days are with CT - on the 5th, I'm back at the Hen & Chickens for Shake It Up: The Improvised Shakespeare Show.
And on the 6th, I'm at a comedy show - Live Next to the Apollo, at Riverside Studios.
On the 7th - my first Meetup of the year - I'm back with the Horror Book Club - assuming I get the book read in time! It's The House on the Borderland - and they're meeting in the Prince of Wales, as usual. Now, considering the lack of progress I've been making with Hogfather for my work book club.. we'll have to see.. it's over a year since I was last with them for a book review!
The next two days, I'm with CT at the Backyard Comedy Club.. again, it's been a while!
And on the 10th, two Meetups.. firstly, a walk titled Souhwark: Seedy and Sublime with none other than Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpies, yay!
And that evening, back with The Hideout for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Venue and timings TBC, but it'll be somewhere around Leicester Square .
Comments
Post a Comment