Musical: Hot Mess

Yesterday, yes, back with CT for Hot Mess, a kind of cosmic musical at The Other Palace. Eating at the Bag o' Nails beforehand. 

The bus came in good time - and then wasn't going all the way! I decided to go as far as it was going, though - which turned out to be a good plan, because I had a better choice of buses there. Had to wait a few minutes, which meant I was slightly late at the pub.. went straight upstairs, as I should have the first time, only to discover the upstairs dining room was shut! so I struggled back down with my rucksack and asked at the bar. They'd reserved a seat for me in the corner. I was served quickly, and the chicken was lovely and tasty.. it was close enough to when I needed to collect my ticket that I skipped having another drink and went straight to the theatre when I'd finished eating.

Got a very reasonably priced drink there - the bar was really crowded, but I managed to get a seat on my own and finished the drink before I went in. My seat was quite near the front:

There were a couple of free seats outside me, so after a bit, I moved over to give the lady beside me a bit more room - for whatever reason, she and her partner left early, though.

Wow, this is terrific! It's hard to see in the photo, with the background lighting, but this is basically Earth's living room - and she's sassy, strutting about, talking about the creatures that inhabit her house. She's rather keen on the Tyrannosaurus Rex herself. But when Hugh-manity arrives, it's a game-changer - she's never met someone so curious! She gives more and more of her resources - but when it comes to it, will Hugh-manity give as much as he receives? How long before she cracks..?

The songs are so clever, the lyrics spot-on.. and in a nice touch, she often picks up a book to leaf through; I caught the titles of just a couple, "Fifty Shades of Clay" and "A Tale of CO2 Cities".. The singing is terrific, the score catchy, the whole thing perfectly staged. Unfortunately, there was some kind of problem under an hour in, and Hugh-manity ended up being replaced.. the understudy (I guess) played a blinder though, and she made sure he took his due credit at the end! A standing ovation was well-deserved. Runs to the 6th of September - very highly recommended. Runs without interval.

Afterwards, spent the longest time waiting for the #381.. I swear, it's so unreliable. Mentioned it to Jonny W, the guy who runs London Museums A-Z, as we were chatting, and as he replied, "You and buses.." ;-) Anyway, it ran too late to blog.

Tonight, for the first time in a couple of months, I'm heading back to Ireland for the weekend - to discuss selling the place. Was waiting to hear about my car before I booked - it's in for repairs - so I booked my flights rather late. Ryanair, for some reason, would take none of my cards.. I'm guessing it's a website issue. However, that turned out lucky, because when I checked, as long as I check in a bag (which is the default), Aer Lingus is cheaper! (Think I'll bring a bigger bag, as a result - there are a lot of clothes I want to bring back.) Don't fancy the dangerously overcrowded Elizabeth Line though.. I should have time to get the Tube. No word yet on whether the friend I have lunch with when I'm over will be around..

On Monday, I'm back with CT for I'm Not Myself Today - A Villainous Cabaret. Showing at the Bread & Roses, it sounds interesting, with a soundtrack composed entirely of songs about, or by, villains.

On Tuesday, headed to the Proms - specifically, Also Sprach Zarathustra - at the Royal Albert Hall, and my sometime companion is coming too - it was actually her suggestion. Well, that's assuming she's recovered from her recent accident. I'm eating at the Elgar Room beforehand - it's an early show, and an early dinner, so I'm taking a half-day from work - I certainly have them to spare. She doesn't fancy that - but I want more than they have in the cafe.

And the next two days seem likely to be films. On Wednesday, I'm delighted to be seeing Coup '53 finally - it's a documentary about the joint CIA/MI6 operation in 1953 to overthrow the Iranian Prime Minister, who had just nationalised the Iranian oil industry, which had previously operated under the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (now BP). The operation was Churchill's idea (always far too interested in meddling in other countries, that man). Showings are limited, so I missed it before.. it's now showing in the Arthouse Crouch End, and was mostly sold out when I looked, so I booked.

And on Thursday, I'm thinking of The Last Viking, which I'd intended to see on Sunday, but didn't - it's a crime comedy with Mads Mikkelson, who plays a man under the delusion that he's John Lennon. Evening showing is in the Ritzy.