Play: My Name is Rachel Corrie

Tonight, I was at My Name is Rachel Corrie, at Greenwich Theatre - based on the true story of an American activist who was killed when she stepped in front of an Israeli bulldozer that was going to demolish a Palestinian home. I was going with London Fun (LF) (which I joined by invitation from the organiser, a London Museums A-Z (LoMAZ) member..) - eating at the Greenwich Tavern beforehand.

Well, I was a bit late leaving (what with the previous post) - combine that with God-awful traffic, and not only did I not make my dinner booking, I didn't have time to eat at all! I will never take the bus here again - I shouldn't have been in time for the booking, even if I'd been in time leaving! Went straight to the theatre, ensconced myself by the bar, where my companion joined me in due course. We took seats at the front:

Most of the notes hanging from the ceiling contribute to some of the later story, as do the bare walls - to devastating effect. The red to the right of the photo is her comforter.. at the start, this represents her bed, where she sits as the audience enters - rather, as I noted, like Tracey Emin's unmade bed, except with her sitting on it. Which is why I felt it necessary to snap a shot to the side.

The play centres on the subject's diaries - in which she's revealed to be a vibrant, enthusiastic, idealistic youngster. During its 90 minutes duration, we see her gradually move to working in Gaza, specifically Rafah.. as her idealistic passion finds focus, she becomes more and more upset, and uses her grimy hands to leave marks on her face.

As she continued to bemoan the atrocious conditions of the Palestinians, I became more upset - I was just constantly reminded of the tragic film, The Voice of Hind Rajab, the true story of how a little girl was sadistically killed by the IDF. So, honestly, I was in floods of tears throughout..

Towards the start, she scribbles a slogan on a wall - something she was taught in school when she was five: "Everybody should feel safe." By the end, that happy slogan is completely covered by others:

I found this a really moving piece, and was happy to join in the standing ovation at the end. Very powerful, passionately delivered - highly recommended. Runs to the 17th.

Didn't find anywhere locally to eat, so was well fed, and caught up on the news, at The Sun Wharf. 

Tomorrow night, I'm hosting more storytelling with LoMAZ! courtesy of the Crick Crack Club (CCC). I only just remembered to set up the WhatsApp group that we do for each event. This one is Dauntless, the true story of Granuaile (aka Grace O' Malley), female Irish pirate, who won an audience with Elizabeth I. Indeed, it's only from English records that we know about her at all! Happening at Hoxton Hall. I'm eating in Schnitzel Heaven beforehand. Optional drinks afterwards at the Howl at the Moon pub (an Irish bar with the best pub name I think I've ever heard!).

On Thursday, I'm with CT at Inala, a new South African musical at the House of Sisters Grimm.

On Friday, back with The Hideout for Other Mommy, in which the mother of the family gets impersonated by something altogether more sinister! Jessica Chastain plays both the mommy, and her substitute.. Details TBC.

On Saturday, I'm with TAC for The Dirty Thirty - Best of 2026! in which they contract 30 plays into one hour. Showing at the Rosemary Branch Theatre. I've seen this show before, it was good.

Then it's three Meetup days in a row. On Sunday, back with LoMAZ for an event (kind of) related to our Dracula activities, this being as they say, the closest castle in a wood that they can get to London! We're meeting in Oxleas Wood Cafe (if you go down to the woods today..) and visiting Severndroog Castle. Which has an 86-step spiral staircase (heh) up to the furnished rooms and viewing platform. Yes, well. I'll take a look at the staircase and decide. And thence to t' pub, TBC. And I just found out last night that that's LoMAZ's birthday! Aw shucks..

On Monday, back with UITCS for Bull, a play about power plays at work. Showing at Park Theatre.

And next Tuesday, I had booked with TAC for What are We Going to Do when this is all Over?, a play about a couple, one of whom is developing dementia. Showing in the Hen & Chickens. But just today, The Hideout/Movie Roadhouse London advertised Tenzing, a new film about the first ascent of Everest, showing in Picturehouse Central! Stars Willem Dafoe and Caitríona Balfe, with Tom Hiddleston as Edmund Hillary. I do love my mountains.. and this sounds more interesting than the play, TBH. Eating in Bella Italia Shaftesbury Avenue beforehand - and Bella Italia have a 30% offer off food, running to the 18th, every day except Saturday!

On the 14th, the first of four days of horror, with a talk about Vampires, Desire & the Queer Imagination. It's happening in the Blues Kitchen Brixton - tickets from Eventbrite. And I'm eating there beforehand. Livestream tickets also available, in which case you also get a recording.

Then three more days of Meetup. On the 15th, back with Museum, Art & Culture Socials (MACS), for a Phantom Femmes ghost tour with Herstorical Tours! We're meeting at Costa in Farringdon, and finishing in a pub. Which, according to their website, is the Viaduct, but we shall see.

Then two days of LoMAZ. On the 16th, another LoMAZ Dracula event - we're off to see the uncut version of Dracula (AKA Horror of Dracula) (1958) with Christopher Lee - the cut footage was apparently originally considered too scary for the general public - showing that night only in the Vue Leicester Square. Eating beforehand in the Marketplace Food Hall, and heading to the pub (TBC) afterwards.

And on the 17th, I'm hosting more storytelling, courtesy of the CCC - this time it's Daniel Morden, who's telling The Luck Child & Other Strange Tales in Jacksons Lane.

That being in the afternoon, I've now booked something for the evening - The Hideout is off to Hallowe'en at Kew, so I've signed up! We're meeting in The Tap on the Line beforehand, and I'm coming early to grab a bite to eat.

Then it's three days of music with CT, the first two of which are classical music. On the 18th, I'm in Conway Hall for their Sunday concerts - on this occasion, it's a choral concert entitled In Sweet Music is Such Art. 

And on the 19th, I'm going to The Liberal Club, of all places, to the David Lloyd George room, where they hold all their public events, for a piano concert called Norwegian Seasons. Fun thing is, CT made sure to warn me that it was formal dress.. but I checked online, and both the club website, and AI, seem to agree that it's smart casual! Well, that means I shouldn't have to go and buy an evening dress.. if they throw me out, I guess they throw me out!

And on the 20th, I'm at the Albert Hall for The Moonwalkers, with a score performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and two specially created films about space exploration, the titular film narrated and co-written by Tom Hanks. 

On the 21st, I'm back with LF at Leicester Square Theatre, for Rosie Holt: The Illegal Aliens Have Landed! Eating beforehand, of course, at Bella Italia Cranbourn Street.

And then I'm on holiday for the rest of the month! And thus begins 13 days of Meetup, and 11 straight days of horror.. On the 22nd.. I fly to Dublin for the Bram Stoker Festival (starts the next day)! Again, part of the LoMAZ Dracula shenanigans. Flying to/from Gatwick - out with Ryanair, back with Easyjet. I'm flying a day early and returning a day late, to make sure I don't miss anything - and am hosting a group there. I'm meeting up with an old, Dublin-based friend and her fiancé that evening. We decided to have dinner in the Good World Chinese restaurant, which was always a favourite of ours. Now, when I was booking this, it had to be by phone or internet form - it was noisy where I was, so I filled out the form. Never did get a response, so I finally rang them - no record of the booking, of course, but we're now booked. Anyway, I'm staying in Staycity aparthotel in the Liberties.

The festival kicks off on the 23rd - but do you know, as we were browsing the schedule, events were selling out in front of us! So the only thing I managed to get booked that day is a live horror podcast called Petrified, showing in the Project Arts Centre. Eating at Smokin' Bones afterwards - and with people in the group arriving at different times, I only have one companion for that, at time of writing. How bad! I started out with bar seating, but when I amended the booking to two people, I got standard seating.. much better..

On the morning of the 24th, again as part of the festival, there's a treasure hunt in the National Library. Tickets are free, and available from midday on the 14th.

That evening, a couple of us are going to a play that's running throughout the festival - Stitch is billed as an homage to Frankenstein, and claims to explore our capacity to be both monster and maker. Playing at Smock Alley Theatre - some of us are eating at Lundy Foot's afterwards, which is right beside it, and wouldn't give us a booking after 8pm! which is when the play finishes. So we're rushing right there.

On the 25th, we were talking about starting with brunch/lunch in Doyle's - another internet form, another non-reply. But behold and lo, I hadn't noticed that they don't open that early there on Sundays! Shelley, who's also coming, found us an alternative, and we're now brunching/lunching in Cafe 1920 at the Fleet Hotel. Anyway, it's convenient to Trinity College, where we're headed to a couple of talks that afternoon, in the Graduate Memorial Building - to which, I must say, they provided excellent directions! First up is Dacre Stoker, a relative of Bram, with a talk called Stoker on Stoker.

Later, there's a talk on Stoker on the Runway: The Gothic in Contemporary Fashion.

And that evening, again at Shelley's suggestion, a few of us are dining at Fallon & Byrne. All these eateries are new to me, BTW!

For those of us left, there's a Macnas parade ("Fiáin", which means "wild") on the 26th. We might head out of the city a bit on one of these days, for some sightseeing..

I fly back on the 27th, and am rushing off, with The Hideout, to the Prince Charles Hallowe'en Quiz that night. Victory House bar beforehand, as usual.

On the 28th, well, someone in LoMAZ flagged a different storytelling group to me - so I'm hosting a trip to see the Bloomsbury Folklore Club talk about vampires and the undead, downstairs at Waterstone's Bloomsbury. Tickets from Eventbrite. And there's a bar down there too!

On the 29th, the Prince Charles (PCC) is doing a vampire day! So I said I'd take the day off for that.. and with the first two days of the week off as well, why, I said I might as well take the whole week off! so I am. This vampire day has a variety of vampire films.. I'm starting with From Dusk till Dawn, because I've never seen it - stars Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Juliette Lewis, Tarantino (would you believe), who also co-wrote it, and Salma Hayek.. it's about a couple of criminals who hole up in a truck stop that turns out to be populated by vampires! With Salma Hayek's character name of Santanico Pandemonium, I have to wonder whether she isn't one of them.. 

Then I'm seeing Sinners, because I just love it. Afterwards, I should just have time to eat in Bella Italia..

Before I join The Hideout for The Lost Boys, which I've also never seen! All about a town full of vampires. Kiefer Sutherland is one of them. Back to Victory House again beforehand, of course.

On the 30th, back with The Hideout for Crawlers.. the latest spider horror! Details TBC.

And on Hallowe'en itself.. I have two Meetups! First up is Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpies, with a walk around Sensational Soho!

And that evening - I couldn't resist Hallowe'en at the Museum! Happening at the Natural History Museum, with a vampire theme - they have a vampire wedding, a vampire council, vampire bands.. and I am so dressing up for it. I'm hosting with The Hideout (making it my third Hideout day in a row of four - and the first time I'll have hosted for them), and nominally with LoMAZ - except that nobody has signed up on the LoMAZ side yet. Except one, who's also attending with The Hideout. Well, tickets are £65..

On the 1st, back with MACS for the Korean exhibition at the British Museum. Pub social afterwards, location TBD.

I can't stay long though - back that evening with The Hideout for the director's cut of Ken Russell's The Devils, at the PCC! Couldn't resist, I love this debauched vision (even censored) of the possessions at Loudun, where a hysterical group of young nuns gave testimony that the magician responsible was one Fr. Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed) - the fact that he'd gone up against the powerful Cardinal Richelieu probably didn't help. Also stars Vanessa Redgrave. Meeting in Victory House beforehand, as usual.

And finally, two days of UITCS - on the 2nd, at Dogstar, at Hampstead Theatre.

And on the 3rd, Five Days in the Sun at Sadler's Wells. Eating at The Wilmington beforehand.