Comedy: Live (Next to) the Apollo

Tonight, second night in a row with CT, I was at a comedy show - Live Next to the Apollo, at Riverside Studios. Completely slipped my mind that my erstwhile travel companion had said she was coming too! Anyway, she didn't anticipate being there early - and as it happened, neither was I, being distracted by other things and leaving late.. Mind you, I was glad that the lunchtime snow had melted, not to return..

That far out, it had to be Tube - and my, were they crowded. My tardiness was partly down to the fact that we couldn't set off because of a faulty train ahead of us.. and then the doors kept opening, and they had to send someone down to see what the problem was.. By the time I got a seat, my shoulder ached from having to hang onto rails. I made straight for Riverside, where I finally met my companion.. we had a drink before we went in. Apparently, it was a sellout, and they asked us not to leave gaps - we ended up reasonably central, in the third row - pretty safe.

The MC was - as, apparently, ever - Jonathan Stadlen. His daughter and her boyfriend obligingly sat in the front row, allowing him to derive great fun from them. As he did from sundry people around the audience. Honestly, I didn't find him that funny - but comedy is subjective, and he was accomplished at talking to an audience.

First up of the actual comedians was Samira Banks, who informed us that her parents were Iranian refugees, and used that intro as a launchpad for a whole heap of jokes about refugees, and about cultural misunderstandings. Looking her up, I'm honestly surprised to find she has such a high profile - I found her delivery quite shy, and thought she gave the appearance of a beginner. However, her demeanour was rather sweet, and I wish her well.

She was followed by the much more confident-looking Ibs Sesay, who, as the MC later remarked, had a "sunshine smile". The audience liked him, and I thought he did well. Mind you now, the last comedian before the break, Dru Cripps, took the dangerous position of criticising the audience for being "weird", as I recall - problem was, he was trying to "work" the audience, and unfortunately lighted on someone he couldn't do anything with. His schtick is to work the audience's stories into sounds he can work into a kind of portable synthesiser he wears around his waist. Took him a while to get going tonight..

After the 10-minute break, we had Carwyn Blaney, who'd apparently had to drive from Wales, and only just made it. And top of the bill was Nathan Caton, whom I'm sure I've seen before.. anyway, both excellent! So, a good night, all round - not sure I'll be back here for this though, it's such a distance. We stayed for another drink, then headed - and yes, the Tube was quieter on the way back.

Tomorrow - my first Meetup of the year - I'm back with the Horror Book Club - and yay, I got the book finished yesterday! It's The House on the Borderland, which is absolutely weird, and an early example of cosmic horror - had something of a profound influence on Lovecraft.. and Terry Pratchett, it seems! Well, it'll be interesting to hear what people have to say about that - they're meeting in the Prince of Wales, as usual.

The next two days, I was to be with CT at the Backyard Comedy Club.. again, it's been a while! However, then Over 40 Living the Life advertised a trip to the immersive Macchu Picchu exhibition, which sounded much more interesting, for Friday. 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!

So, that's the first of five days in a row of Meetups, incorporating six altogether! On Saturday, 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..

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 next 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 the 14th - 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 the 15th, 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..

On the 16th, 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..