Backyard Comedy Club

Hallelujah, the bus to the office (and nearby attractions) is going all the way again! Ah, so handy.. Anyway, these two days, I was to be with CT at the Backyard Comedy Club.. again, it's been a while! And that's where I was last night.

Rain had been forecast for the evening - rain we got. I was so lucky I was wearing one of my most waterproof coats - it was an absolute deluge. Cannot remember the last time I saw rain like it. Anyway, my bus came in due course - and I was so lucky I got on early in the route, and got a nice cosy seat; the bus was absolutely crammed, further on. And it was a nice, long bus journey, so I could relax - before I had to get off, and had a five-minute walk to the club. By the time I got there, I felt like some ancient sea god, I was so wet.. well, the coat was dripping, the shoes looked as though they'd been in a washing machine, and the bit of my trousers that the coat didn't cover was pretty wet too. To be fair, I could have fastened the coat all the way down, but I hardly ever bother - as I say, when do we get rain like that?! I, mind you, was toasty dry - the coat is waterproof and the trousers are insulated - nothing got through to me.

The place was pretty empty - in fact, I didn't recognise him at first, but the only other bar customer when I arrived was David Whitney, who often MCs these shows. Anyway, I didn't see menus, so asked at the bar whether they were doing food - they were, they just didn't put them out until more people arrived. I had my usual onion rings and wedges - they do pizza, but I'm not a huge pizza fan. And when it was ready, one of the staff helped me carry it down. David was eating with a friend - to his credit, he recognised me and popped over to my table with a wristband, asking me to confirm my name, so I didn't have to go to the box office.

I didn't finish the wedges - I really only get them to add some bulk to the meal, and they were a bit burnt. So I was well finished eating by the time the house opened - got another drink and managed a table, decently removed from the stage. And I have to say, David Whitney makes such a better MC than Jonathan Stadlen, in Live (Next to) the Apollo.. The front row was populated by a group of college friends, some wearing rugby shirts and little ties - of course he was going to ask, and was told they were on a stag. He soon called them on it though, when the "groom" couldn't remember his fiancée's name.. Oh, and as he was asking for careers - and a couple of them had said they were in finance, one of those careers that's not easy to explain - the one and only female in the front row announced that she was an opera singer! No, really. So he asked her favourite aria, which was something from Le Nozze di Figaro - I was surprised he didn't ask her to sing a snippet..

The first actual comedian of the night was Norwegian - I think! His name was, as he told us, Thor Odin Stenhaug, and he was certainly blonde.. he described himself as being from the district of Sweden called Norway. I don't think that joke went down as well here as it would have there. And as he said, how ambitious were his parents for him, to name him Thor Odin.. He was followed by the deadpan Valeria Vulpe, from Moldova - nicely played, to stick so perfectly to that. I think we had Michael Schirtzer later - and that the lineup was misspelt - but if he is that controversial comedian, wow, we didn't get much from him.. With a long lineup, there were a lot of comedians, and two intervals.. But my goodness, what a surprise for the headline act, which was actually a magician! M. Trixy was a finalist on Britain's Got Talent, and gave a good show.

And as promised, the rain had stopped when I was leaving.. I was too tired to blog last night, just crashed.

Now, I was supposed to head there again tonight - but then, while I was on holiday, Over 40 Living the Life advertised a trip to the immersive Macchu Picchu exhibition, which sounded much more interesting, for tonight. However again, the Meetup page didn't work from Norway, would you believe. Which turned out just as well, because in the meantime, Movie Roadhouse London (MRL) advertised a trip to Marty Supreme. Based on a table tennis champ, played by Timothée Chalamet, who also co-produced, also stars Gwyneth Paltrow. They're seeing it in Cineworld Leicester Square, meeting in Victory House beforehand. And of course, I'm back in Bella Italia before that! Have to leave work a bit early.. ah well.

So, that's the first of five days in a row of Meetups, incorporating six altogether! Tomorrow, a walk titled Southwark: Seedy and Sublime with none other than Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpies, yay! Haven't seen him since September, would you believe.. 

That evening, I was supposed to be back with The Hideout (TH) for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, but the release has been postponed. Heard about that during my trip, but I was so busy I completely forgot about it! So now, instead, their sister group, MRL, has advertised The Housemaid for that evening - looks a bit like a comedy horror, with Amanda Seyfried advertising for a housemaid, but apparently turning out utterly psychotic. Sydney Sweeney is the unfortunate job applicant. And gee, as per the trailer, they seem to have equally really long hair.. They're seeing it in Picturehouse Central, drinks beforehand. I hear rumours there's a waitlist for it, which would be unprecedented for this group..

On Sunday, back with London Museums A-Z for T is for Thirst: In Search of Freshwater, an exhibition at The Wellcome Collection. Advertised, would you believe, while I was looking at my phone but not especially busy, in The Rockingham Arms - and this being the next unscheduled date in my diary, I was one of the five to snap up a place in the first minute! Social afterwards at the Marquis Cornwallis.

On Monday, with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) again, for Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo - a dark comedy set in Iraq - at the Young Vic. Booked for Bar + Block Southwark beforehand. Ooh, another place I haven't been in an age..

And on Tuesday, I'm back with London Classical Music and Theatre Group for The Makropulos Affair, by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, at the Barbican - one of the group with a wildcard ticket couldn't go and kindly offered it for free, so I snapped it up. Eating at Cote Barbican beforehand - it'll be fun trying to get the discount on my app. And gee, you guessed it.. Haven't been there since September, but was with the group slightly more recently, in October..

I was having terrible trouble finding anything for Wednesday - and then Nell Phoenix came to my rescue, with another storytelling evening at Torriano Avenue! (I see she's still advertising it as £7, but it's actually £10.) Anyway, that evening, it's Yamamba, with Laura Sampson!

Then a few more days of Meetup. On Thursday, back with UITCS for Safe Haven, at the Arcola - the true story of Operation Safe Haven (1991), which protected, and provided humanitarian aid to, Kurdish refugees in Northern Iraq after Saddam Hussein defeated the Kurdish rebellion. Jeez, hard to imagine it happening these days..

Next Friday, back with La Isla Flamenca Club, olé! This show is called Light & Shadow, and is happening in The Gold Bar in the COLAB Tower (walkable, lovely.. as long as the weather warms up a bit) - tickets from We Got Tickets. I managed to get an Early Bird ticket, but they're now sold out - regular and student tickets available.

And on the 17th, that postponed trip with TH to see 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple..