Baby Doll Pajamas

Pajama Game Shaftesbury Theatre

You have to get over the spelling
It’s up there in big lights for the duration

The show is funny, energetic, colourful, clever.
West End musical just the way you want it.
Fine, talented performances all round.

Claire Machin, you are very funny

After show drinks. A Granny in the company relates story of weird doll her granddaughter (my grandniece) was sent. Scary, unblinking enormous eyes, a haystack of hair and cloven hoof hands. Child will only wave at it from a distance whilst emitting a strangulated ‘allo’ in vibrant cockney. She is in fight or flight mode.Sounds ghastly I say.

I must never buy another doll online / unseen again.

Pressure

Front row dress circle side seats in the Edinburgh Lyceum wobble

I’m not really complaining
Lovely box office chap readily swapped my upper circle ticket – can’t go there

A play about a weatherman and the D-Day landings. Mmmm.
Struggling with the enthusiasm required to leave cosy home

So glad I overcame the struggle
Fascinating, gripping, energetic story telling

When the storm erupts, you are holding on to your seat

Well those in my row had to

Relatively Close

Went to see Relative Values at the National
First mistake
It’s on at the Harold Pinter Theatre

Heroic taxi driver navigated the bridge and the Strand, depositing us with six minutes to spare
London cabbies are the best

Sweet theatre

I would like to be Patricia Hodge
So elegant, effortless, classy and seemingly not acting
Wonderful

Caroline Quentin has a wonderful face
Tells the whole story in a look or a raised eyebrow
Rory? Well my jury’s out on that one.
He put his all into it but I didn’t feel at ease and that’s a good indication that it doesn’t quite fit

Neither did I feel at ease when gorgeous young American chap appeared on stage
That was a different unease

Set is worthy of mention
Light and airy
Wonderful to be transported back to a different era
Walked back to the correct hotel

Wolf Hall at the Aldwych

Is fabulous
Delivered as only the RSC can deliver
Thomas Cromwell is mesmerising . Anne Boleyn ,forceful, Henry loving and ruthless . And the serene stillness of Jane Seymour promises much for Bring Up The Bodies

Thought we had made a mistake, though
Demographic of audience was terribly posh,chatty, well bred and educated mainly at Oxford or Cambridge a number of years ago.
Finding one’s seat however was tricky for a fair few.

But they looked as if they had read the book
Not us
It’s a big book.
This might be too challenging for us
No, it was witty and energetic and wonderfully portrayed

What was challenging, for my neighbour, was turning off her phone.
20 minutes in someone phoned her.
It took her quite some time to find it amongst her day’s shopping.
Then it lit up the whole row. Then she had to locate the off button.
Then she had to apologise to us all.

She qualified as one of the bodies to be brought up

Becarefulnow

Be careful now

is a gentle caution

be careful now when you…

Are affixing a screen protector to your mobile,

Carrying a vase

Stepping over the cat.

it’s not the first thing that comes to mind when you see someone, plugged into music, texting their friend and about to step out in front of a 55 tonne silent killing machine. An Edinburgh tram.

But that’s the hashtag…

#TRAM!TRAM!GETBAAAAAAAACK

#HEYYOUFORTHELOVEOFGOODNESSGETBACKONTHEPAVEMENT

#AREYOUTRYINGTOKILLYOURSELFMATETHERESATRAMCOMING

#becarefulnow

Mousetrap from a height

Well that was testing.
As chance would have it, I had been to the optometrist in the morning and
was delighted to be informed that my long distance vision is really top notch
Little did I realise that this was truly an EXCELLENT thing and would be essential  for my imminent trip to the theatre.

We were put to the test
Big , big , test.UPPER circle?
Way,way up there. Many,many steps. Do not look down.
Eyes on the horizon ladies

Far far away in the land of theatre, there was a stage with teensy weensy
people stotting about doing their thing.
For those not equipped with super long distance eyesight (I’m alright, Jack) or with a telescope (personne), this was challenging
Some pre theatre strength and conditioning, aerobic training , and securing the services of a Sherpa might have been appropriate preparation for me accessing my seat.
And breathing
The lack of oxygen sent two of our intrepid mountaineers to sleep
Did get a very good look at the ceiling refurbishment.
Excellent job, boys.

Great credit to the actors, we heard every word
Didn’t really see their faces so didn’t spot the Downton actor until the
curtain call.
Of course , some of the party claimed to have known it was him (William) but that was only after Kath, the youngster in our midst, told them. Hats off to her because she was fighting her own war with vertigo.
Sincere congratulations to those that climbed their personal Everest this
evening.
And many thanks as always to Mrs Caldwell for booking the aerial view tickets and then flying off to the sun when she was probably the only one who could have hopped skipped and jumped her way to the UPPER circle.

Can’t say a word about the play cos it’s a secret.

The rigours of opera

“An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down. It starts in my imagination, it becomes my life, and it stays part of my life long after I’ve left the opera house.”
Maria Callas

Just in case you wondered how the Opera went….

Full house, great buzz and excitement.

We are front row of the stalls. That is the VERY front.
Practically next door to the double basses.
Earnest looking fellows but quite pleasing on the eye.

Mary (virgin opera go-er ) spots the TV monitors.Very excited to learn what they are for.

Rhona makes heroic last gasp effort to get to the theatre on time. Wee detour via the Lyceum Theatre.
She sits down as…

the Conductor arrives through the orchestra pit and up to his podium.
Round of applause. Lights dim.

Overture starts. Serious music.

Front curtain (tabs to those in the know) goes up and behind is black curtain with door chalked on. Man appears,
looks around furtively and then moves off stage left.

Quick whispers re who that man was. I think he was Rigoletto, Janet not so sure and Mary thinks it is the Assassin (She has read the programme notes)
All I am saying is that this man had a hump and Rigoletto is a hunchback.

Brighter music. Black curtain rises and behind is a row of crimson red doors. Very jolly.
Stage right, Rigoletto runs on pulling up his trousers. Bare bum within minutes of the show starting.

Bare crinkly bum.

He then looks around (strangely akin to first man who appeared) and then runs off stage left.

The Duke and friend appear through the red doors.

Now this is more like it.

Youthful Federer look-alike (Mary suggesting Roger is moonlighting as an opera singer, playing the Duke. ) Opera, Mary. This is serious stuff.
Roger does some earnest jolly singing which gets steadily more earnest. Wee furrowed brow. His friend sings too but looks worried.

They look directly at the conductor and leave the stage through one of the red doors.
Music grinds to a halt.

Not going to plan, boys?

Conductor shouts for ‘Light please’ .

Pit is in pitch darkness. Musicians bereft of light.
Wee backstage man appears to alert us to the fact that there is no light for the musicians and could we be patient and they would fix it.

No problem. Don’t need to be anywhere.

We have birds eye view of electricians with torches, gadgets and impressive headsets groping around amongst a myriad of instruments and cables trying desperately to get the show on the road whilst displaying a calm demeanour. Verging on a couldn’t care less look.

A few minutes pass and these miracle workers with highly impressive electrical qualifications and top of the range gadgets spot the problem and light is restored.

They put the plug back in the socket.

Hands up who dislodged it on their way to their seat.

No-one?

2nd moment of fame for backstage man.
Eloquently yet earnestly proclaims that light has been restored and the show WILL go on.

Applause and cheering and a general feeling of ‘we are in this together’ and wait ’till we tell the folks back home.

We don’t start RIGHT at the beginning but we do get to see the wrinkly bum again.

“Parsifal – the kind of opera that starts at six o’clock and after it has been going three hours, you look at your watch and it says 6:20”

“Opera is where a guy gets stabbed in the back, and instead of dying, he sings.”

Bolstering

So at a time like this, I needed bolstering so I bought a brand new red shiny car.
Old car was just that.
My mechanical skills always have been and will continue to be zero.
A new car has a guarantee and is maintained by nice car savvy people for a few years and then you can trade it in for a new one and on and on until they take your licence away.

And I could get a RED car.
This will do nicely.
So there it sits gleaming in the driveway
Very nice, lovely, kind-hearted neighbour inquires if I have a new car.
Yes I have. Suits you. She says.
That’s nice I think.Quite sporty, easy on the eye, compact, bright.
Yes, she says,
It’s sturdy.
I look a tad less than thrilled.
So she starts on a digging out process.
She was thinking of a breed of pony found on the Isle of Man.
Yup
Slight of build but capable of carrying a heavy burden.
They are reputedly described as sturdy.

Still not smiling.

The Great Guessby

Well that’ll learn me. Be prepared /Buy a programme/Read the book/watch the DVD/chat to Liza first to get the low down. Do something.

Wonderful first half. All very beautiful.
Light as air dancing. Pretty pretty music. Fabulous lighting.
Some very strong poses struck. Very very sexy and sensual with overtones of menace. Costumes a knock out.

Story?
Not a scooby

Well there were the Men in Black who were pretty good at their Harry Worth window/mirroring impression and they were sort of after little bo peep who was having some sort of chasing relationship with a young lad from oh what a lovely war.
Then there was a very striking chap who could pass for a sophisticated brother of Huan Sheet. He excelled at long lingering looks and big posey strides.And the wonderful dancer in the cream petally dress.
She was certainly very important and danced with a lot of different men.
And she had a wee girl who was in the cutest dress and got to stay up to the very end. She had a big argy bargy with the salesman looking chap.
Probably because he was her husband and she seemed pretty keen on the other chap.
Anyway Mary was bowled over by the petally dress and wondered if she (Mary) could get away with it for a wedding she is going to.
Really, no.

There was a garage person too. He must have been a bit annoyed because his costume was WELL below par.
Ill fitting dungarees and a t shirt. And his very sexy wife was clearly having it away with someone else. So not the best of times for him.
And then half time/ interval/ time to see who knows what’s going on.

Liza explained that the soldiers and bo peep were the younger selves of petally dress and the guy with the lingering looks aforementioned.
Now, who was EVER going to get that? The wee soldier didn’t have one gene in common with his so called grown up self and the petally dress person would NEVER have worn that other outfit with the boat shaped hat.

And she had been dancing with her COUSIN. How could we guess that someone was a COUSIN?
Anyway turns out that despite her beautiful dancing and lovely dress, she was a nasty character.Very nasty.
I’ll have to read the book

But those charleston dresses….ooh in brown and glitter and russet . Gorgeous just gorgeous.
So ..my fault for not getting the story but it didn’t really matter because it was just beautiful
Everything
Dancing, costumes,lighting,acting.
Top rate
But no, Mary,classic dress at our age.

Anne Bow Lin

Well verily was not that a jolly jape and a most wondrous evening of entertainment?
A multitude of thanks to mistresses Scott and Caldwell for procuring such placements as would befit a King
Front row,dress circle

And the minstrels in fancy garb a -strumming of their instruments and a -dinging of the bells did play pleasantly enough but verily did not make as sound an impression as the
Athletic
Camp
Groin scratching
Prancing
King James 1/6- who methinks had wended his stuttering way to Edinburgh via Glasgow, Thurso and Newcastle.
Such variety there was in his tongue.

Fair,yet highly unfortunate Lady Anne, headed(!) the cast.
Splendid splendid. However by my troth there was some truth in the utterance fromst our very own court spy, Mistress Castle that her tresses should not have been hinging down but taken from her face and put in a bun. Legal folk verily are sticklers for detail.

Cromwell. Slimy political trickster. Tis surely a mere magical coincidence that he was of similar build and temperament to wee Eck ?

Are we in fact, dear friends ,experiencing our own Dissolution, the Dissolution of the Busses in favour of the trams?
Dis-solution seems entirely apt but ,hey nonny no, if I utterest more negativities re Edwins Burgh transport ,sweet mistress Caldwell will have a fit of the vapours.

Cannot keep this up any longer! Not a problem Henry had ! It would seem.