Dance: 1776

Today, London Museums A-Z (LoMAZ) was supposed to be doing a tour of Brompton Cemetery - possibly including the crypt - as part of the series of Dracula events we're doing for the year. Mind you, it was never finalised. If we had gone, that'd have been every weekend this month with them.. but it never came to pass. Instead, a friend of mine who has a habit of booking things in London and then being abroad and not able to go offered me a ticket to a show by ZooNation Youth Company at the Royal Opera House. Part of the Opera House's Next Generation season, showing in the Linbury Theatre - where I'd never been - her tickets were front row centre, and not expensive. So I said I'd take one - she sent it on when it came through.

I was in no danger of being late - the bus driver drove like a man possessed! Had to go straight there - and I was rather disturbed by the description of the show as lasting from 12 to 5.30! Anyway, in I went:

The young dancers obviously had plenty of support from the audience - no shortage of whooping and cheering. They performed two shows - 1776 and Offline. 1776 was the opener - with people in dress vaguely of the time, the story took its inspiration from the US Declaration of Independence, which was obviously published in that year. The premise was that its principles had been perverted, lipservice being paid to them while actually the opposite was happening (very topical, then). In this dystopian society, free movement was banned, while dissenters who managed to escape formed an underground alliance..

Full of energy, this was a powerful performance - the hip-hop dance beautifully expressing the emotions of the different dancers. Terrific choreography - and down to their facial expressions, they personified the story for us. After taking their bows, they formed a circle and each came out and did an individual freestyle turn - it was lovely to see the littlest one, whose family was beside me and cheering ecstatically!

Well, that lasted less than an hour, and someone said the next performance wasn't on till 4. So I took myself to Cote, which wasn't busy, and where I easily got a table. I had my usual - and had the usual problem of the waiter thinking, when I said 500ml of wine, I meant 250ml. I could tell.. as soon as I saw a large glass of wine poured.. when he eventually brought it to me, I sent it right back, and it was replaced with a carafe.

Now, I had fries.. and I had noticed that it says on the menu that fries are replaced for free. I'd never had it done for me though - so, imagine my surprise when a second portion of fries arrived without my asking. Well, I ate most of them - they're good - I do have to wonder whether they were worried about me drinking too much for what I was eating. Well, I had more fun with them.. I had a dessert (I had tons of time) and asked for the half-bottle of dessert wine too! The poor waiter asked whether I wouldn't like another portion of fries with it.. I assured him I'd had quite enough food, thank you. Imagine his surprise when he came along after a bit and asked whether my bottle of wine, in the cooler, was cold enough, only to discover I'd finished it.. ;-) 

I did not crash into anything on the way out, but headed back for the second performance - it'd been advertised as a double-bill. I was let in - but sadly, my seat was now occupied by someone else; tickets for this one had to be booked separately. Oh, they were very conscientious about wanting to help me buy another ticket - but I wasn't pushed, just made my way home. Happily, it's much cooler today.

Looking like film for the next two days. Tomorrow, it was looking like Nino, about a young Parisian man diagnosed with cancer. Again, in the Garden Cinema. But since I didn't see Effi o Blaenau yesterday, as planned, I'm seeing it tomorrow - in the evening, it's in the Curzon Bloomsbury. Booked, because it was filling up - used the last of my free tickets. It's a Welsh-language film set in rural Wales, and based on the most excellent Iphigenia in Splott, a play that I saw years ago. Working-class girl, bored of life, gets an exciting glimpse into another world when she starts dating a wounded soldier - falls pregnant, and discovers the future she'd dreamed of with him isn't happening.. if the film is half as good as the play, it'll be worth it - and this is getting good reviews.

And on Tuesday, it was looking like Toy Story 5! Aw, I do enjoy them.. and this one has the traditional toys competing with AI. V topical. Nearest showing to me is in Everyman Borough Yards. But since I'm not now seeing Nino tomorrow, I'll probably see it on Tuesday - again, in the Curzon Bloomsbury for an evening show.

On Wednesday, back with CT for Our Public House, a play about politics at a local level (in the pub), playing in Marylebone Theatre. Tickets with CT are actually the same price as the cheapest with the theatre, but with CT there's a chance of a better seat.. Eating in Mumtaz, across the road, beforehand - earliest booking I could get was for 6pm!

On Thursday.. well, appropriately for LoMAZ's Dracula activities, the 1979 Nosferatu, with Klaus Kinski as Dracula (he's certainly scary enough), Isabelle Adjani as Lucy (sic.) Harker, and Bruno Ganz as Jonathan Harker, written and directed by Werner Herzog, is showing in Cine Lumiere..! And I've never seen it, would you believe. Part of a season of her films. Watch this space.. I flagged it to the Dracula group, and there's been some interest! (As one person said, if it's cooler..)

On Friday, back at Backyard Comedy Club with CT - double the price of other nights, for whatever reason, but still cheap.

And on Saturday, back with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpies for a walk around Breathtaking Bloomsbury.