I may have mentioned once or twice how much I love London, and part of that is the sheer variety of things to do when you’re in it. Recently, thanks to an excellent organisation called Tickets for Good (I work for a charity) and being part of various arts networks, I have been trying to do a few more of those things – Amanda and I went to see the excellent production of Othello just before Christmas, for example. There’s been two nights out this week!

Wednesday

The first evening out was also with Amanda, to a venue called Lafayette London near Kings Cross – a basement venue styled as a saloon with a lot of wood and extremely expensive drinks. The show was Sabrage, which is when you open a wine bottle with a sabre and this did indeed happen at the begining and end. Everything in between was…unexpected.

The venue was pretty full, and our wobbly table and bentwood chairs were surrounded by a whole variety of people – from a pair of elderly couples in front of us to two lone gentlemen behind us, one of whom left before the interval and the other of whom was having an absolute whale of a time and who recommended a similar event to us. Several people left before the interval, in fact – perhaps the unexpected was a little too unexpected. It’s for over-18s only for a reason.

The show is described as “a decadent world where high-octane spectacle and intoxicating allure meets titillating humour” which pretty much nails it. The comperes, who amp up the energy from the moment they take the stage with comedy and audience participation (which continues throughout) are highly entertaining and have their own spots in the show as well. I haven’t laughed so much in a while, which is much needed.

There are slinky singers in sequins, one of whom sat of the lap of the elderly gentleman in front while singing – prior to this he hadn’t looked as if he was enjoying himself, and his wife was highly amused. There’s cheeky burlesque, perfectly timed and occasionally outrageous physical comedy, amazing aerial work, rollerskates, bubbles, people flying around and climbing walls, and Amanda was still emptying gold foil out of her handbag the following day.

We had dinner at Caravan in Granary Square beforehand – sharing plates including pizza, smashed cucumber, kale and croquettes, and entertainment was provided initially by the adjacent table where an ex-couple were picking over the bones of their relationship. Well, he was – she couldn’t get a word in between him mansplaining her feelings to her. He was drinking heavily and she was trying not to, and after two hours of him we were somewhat concerned for her welfare as he was not taking hints. She had her coat on and was trying to gather her things – at which point her phone mysteriously disappeared and reappeared where he’d been sitting – and he was trying to convince her to go to the bar and keep drinking which she’d agreed to. As they got up we nabbed her and checked she was OK, and she was very much done but too nice to abandon him. We suggested she went to the ladies and snuck out by the back door, and before we left we asked the waitress who’d been covering our tables to keep an eye on her. We do hope she got home OK, and without him in tow. Trying to be active bystanders is a good thing, and both of us have benefited from these in our younger days. I hope if any of my Horde find themselves in similar situations someone would look out for their welfare too.

The evening was somewhat marred by the Central Line being suspended between Liverpool Street and Leytonstone, which meant I had to get a mainline train to Harlow and then a cab back to the village, but there we are. I thought I’d try Uber, as Thing 1 seems to use them a lot successfully, but thanks to the Central Line and their surge pricing policy they wanted £85 for a 7.5 mile journey. Luckily the local taxi firm were more reasonable!

Friday

Friday night’s outing was with Rhiannon and we went to see Gerry and Sewell at the Aldwych Theatre. Based on Jonathan Tulloch’s sadly out of print (and not available on Kindle) novel The Season Ticket, which was also made into the brilliant film Purely Belter, this was a free ticket offer from the Participatory Arts London network. A five o’clock performance is also a very civilised time for those of us who live outside the TfL network.

I loved the film, so was looking forward to the play, and we weren’t disappointed – funny, poignant and at times shocking, with Geordie actors in the main roles and a good supporting cast including some puppetry. AC/DC and a lot of Sam Fender feature in the soundtrack with some dance sequences including the explosive opening moment involving a lot of flags in the audience. The set was bleak, as was a lot of the action – the north east after the closure of the shipyards was not a happy place – but the overarching message of the story is hope which does come through. Highly recommended if the production tours. If not, go and find the film.

Things making me happy this week

• The social media algorithm showing me a lot of Pallas’s Cats
• Finishing the second Lego bouquet
• Meeting nearly 100 people wanting to work at our Centre at one of our information evenings
• interviewing several excellent candidates for our Community Gardener role
• Breakfast and a mooch round the charity shops with Miriam on Saturday morning
• A really interesting meeting in Kentish Town (though the mansplaining that followed my sharing of the picture below was tiresome)
• Haggis

And that’s it from me. I don’t know what this week has in store but am fairly confident it won’t involve flying men on rollerskates and audience participation….or if it does I’ll be very surprised!

Kirsty x

What I’ve been reading:

The Retired Assassin’s Guide to Orchid Hunting – Naomi Kuttner

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe/Life, The Universe and Everything/So Long and Thanks For All The Fish/Mostly Harmless – Douglas Adams (Audible)

The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love – India Holton

The Enchanted Greenhouse – Sarah Beth Durst

Direct Descendant – Tanya Huff

An Inheritance of Magic – Benedict Jacka