Play: aggy

Tonight, second play in a row, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for aggy, at the Park Theatre. As one of the characters presents a fake persona to secure work, questions are raised about attitudes and prejudices. According to the blurb.

Long way up there - had to be Tube: and I had fun figuring out the route. I might have got a bus to the station - but the next one was 7 minutes away, so I decided to walk.. and sure enough, no bus had passed me by the time I got there. I was a little late for the Thameslink, which would have been faster. So, Jubilee or Northern Line.. Northern Line seemed to have fewer stops, to go more in the direction I wanted; either way, I'd be changing to the Piccadilly or Victoria Line.. again, Victoria had fewer stops. Anyway, I alighted at Finsbury Park, and it was a short walk - to Nando's.

The theatre is always advertising pizza - but not only does it hardly ever have it, I'm intolerant to tomato anyway - so I wouldn't eat there. And I know there's a decent restaurant next door to the theatre - but I fancied Nando's. Where I was seated quickly, ordered quickly, was fed quickly, and had time for the choc-a-lot cake. Hardly ever have time for it, but it's awesome. And so I toddled off back to the theatre, got another glass of wine (and some ill-advised crisps, I'd really had enough to eat), and took a seat in a practically deserted theatre lobby. Was joined in due course by the organiser - and eventually by the other attendee, who had unfortunately paid attention to the instructions and sat upstairs - oops! Never mind, we found each other eventually, and went in when it was time.

Seating was unassigned, so we sat in the front (and kudos, as usual, to the theatre for texting us a link to our tickets today, which could then be stashed safely in our online wallets).

The play takes place in the living room (as I remarked, more spacious than what I have in London) of one of the characters, whose partner has just moved in with him. He's an artist, looking for that big break - his partner has some kind of remote-working job. However, as the struggling artist finds a new and lucrative angle, and his partner becomes more uncomfortable, the relationship is tested..

It's just over an hour long - and honestly, felt rushed to me. It troubled me that two such disparate characters had agreed to move in together in the first place - but of course, the artist isn't always like that, he changes. It's just that the compression of time meant he does it in about five minutes, which is a bit dizzying. Not only that, but in terms of the change in him, we are bombarded with video clips, very little discussion or analysis. A circular discussion about gender and race is inconclusive - ach, perhaps I'm being hard on it, I'm just so antagonistic to that kind of culture. Anyway, it is good - probably just not my kind of thing. Runs to the 28th.

Tomorrow, more storytelling - seems to be the popular day of the week for it at the moment! This is The Goddess of Spreadsheets, by Tim Ralphs, at Torriano Avenue.

On Thursday, heading to a film - Wasteman is a prison drama, closest showing to me in the Everyman Broadgate. The trailer looks really powerful, as an inmate close to parole, and looking forward to seeing his son, gets a violent new cellmate and finds himself in danger of losing his "good behaviour" status. Because most of the seats in that screen are sofas, tickets for which have to be booked in pairs, I thought I'd better book an armchair while they were going. Eating in the Red Lion Moorgate beforehand - a Greene King pub. Now, I'll be in the office again that day, and it closes at 7 - I wanted a booking around 7.45, but I have to go a little later, at 8pm; they're booked up till then.

On Friday - way-hay! I've become a big fan of the Irish comedy trio Foil, Arms & Hog, from their online videos. I've never seen them live - and was very keen to see them when I heard they were performing their latest show, Skittish, at the Palladium! For some reason, however, I could never get the booking link to work - and just as well, because tickets then came up on CT and I snapped one up. Eating in Shakespeare's Head Soho beforehand - second night in a row in a Greene King pub.. well, they're central, and the food is good..

On Saturday, absolutely delighted to be seeing the medieval music group Rune again. They're now artists in residence at the medieval church of St. Bartholomew the Great, and I'm on their mailing list - they've announced a programme of four concerts there for the year, but only the first two are so far available to book. This one is Soave Dolce Melodia: Music of the Trecento (14th Century Italian). I emailed the Old Red Cow for a dinner booking beforehand - and they confirmed the same night! Maybe they're speeding up.

Sunday is when they're celebrating St. Patrick's Day in London - I think I'll take myself along to the festival. A Meetup group called Explorers is going, but I don't know anyone in it well, so I think I'll do my own thing - besides, 210 people have signed up! It'd be like a small army..

On Monday, UITCS is off to another spooky thing - It Walks Around the House at Night has an actor playing the ghost that inhabits a remote manor house, scaring visitors.. only to discover that he's not the only one there! Mwah-hah-haa.. Showing at Southwark Playhouse.

Then, two days of films, catching a couple I've had my eye on for a while.. Next Tuesday, Paddy's Day itself, my thought was to go to a film with an Irish connection.. not a great choice of them amongst the highly rated though! I finally plumped for seeing Hamnet at last, my justification being that it has two Irish stars - Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal. They play Shakespeare and his wife, respectively - although her name seems to have changed from Anne to Agnes! Mind you, it is based on a novel. Deals with the death of their son, Hamnet, and how that provided the inspiration for the play Hamlet. Closest showing to me is in Rich Mix - which I've booked, because I also booked to eat in The Blues Kitchen beforehand, and figured I'd better book the one, since I'd booked the other.

And on the 18th, finally heading to see No Other Choice, a dark comedy about a middle-aged Korean man who, finding himself unexpectedly unemployed and with a family to support, and faced with competing with younger, brighter applicants in the jobs market, decides that the only reasonable course of action is to eliminate them.. Handiest close showing to me is in the Curzon Bloomsbury - I've booked it with the last of my year's free tickets. Always good to use a free ticket for something that's not a documentary, and so is priced higher..

And then three days of Meetup. On the 19th, back with UITCS for the opening night of Body and Soul at Sadler's Wells, eating at The Wilmington beforehand as usual.

On the 20th, back with The Hideout at last, to see Dead Lover - the trailer is so ridiculously OTT, I can only hope the film is worth it! About a gravedigger, finally finds the man of her dreams, and he goes and dies! Naturally, what can she do but resurrect him..? Showing in the Prince Charles, and we're meeting in Victory House beforehand. Now, I'd normally book at my favourite restaurant for this - but would you believe, by the time I decided what I was doing, they were fully booked for early evening! Eating at the Bear and Staff instead, I know they're good.

And on the 21st, finally back with LoMAZ for their bi-monthly birthday bash - meeting at Benugo in Waterloo, then having a self-guided history tour (ahem) within the station, and repairing to the Union Jack..