Thankfully I’m not going anywhere extravagant this weekend, so I can take it easy and actually relax (in between rocking out at the O2 Arena on Saturday night . . . just sayin’). We’re going into Cambridge tomorrow for the day, and if I can get over that hurdle, it’s smooth sailing from there on. Fingers crossed.
Yesterday was another London day, a definite good London day. We started out in Shepherd’s Bush Market, in West London. The Bush Theatre has been around since 1972, although it recently underwent a location change – and when I say recently, I mean that we were something like the second audience to see a show in their new home, just down from the tube station and the outdoor market. The theatre itself was a small room of benches set up around a low-lying stage; not a bad seat in the house, and we ended up just off the left-hand side.
The show we were checking out was 66 Books, a very cool theatrical concept. From Genesis to Revelation, there are 66 books of the Bible; in honour of the 400th anniversary of the New King James Bible, playwrights poets, songwriters, and novelists from across the world and faith spectrum produced short works as a reaction to a specific book of the Bible. We saw seven performances, representing the books of Esther through to Isaiah – from a rock band to an inspired monologue, there was nothing preachy about the show, and in fact it showcased a lot of cool artistry.
A couple of other noteworthy points: the full 66 performances are taking place over the course of the next few weeks, and there are also a few 24-hour showcases of the complete show. Juliet Stevenson was also one of the performers – don’t get alarmed with my name-dropping, I don’t actually know who that is. Apparently though, seeing her on a stage a few feet away is a bit of a big deal.
Or course I recognize her . . . from yesterday
After that show, we made our way to Leicester Square. Sean McCann – again, not the Great Big Sea guy, but the comic who’s been helping out our satire class – is part of an improv musical, Showstopper, and we had tickets to check it out in the evening. Wandered for a bit before that; I got a taste of home at Subway before strolling through Chinatown – there was a full moon, and we passed nearby Lee Ho Fook (“Werewolves of London,” anyone?).
Eventually, myself and Morgan ended up at M&M World. M&M World is exactly what you might think: four floors of souvenir crap, basically any object that you can put an M&M logo on. Lots of flashing lights, bright colours, and wall-to-wall candy, as well as a lifesized M&M crowd doing the signature Beatles walk across Abbey Road.
Showstopper was fantastic, one of the most thoroughly entertaining pieces we’ve seen in London. The whole thing is improvised by a troupe of half a dozen performers, plus a band and a host. It opens with the host getting a phone call from his producer, saying he needs a new musical. Of course he’s got one, he says; all he needs is about an hour to finalize it.
That’s where the audience came in. He needed suggestions of places, musical styles, and a title, and then had a vote by applause to see what the improvisational cast had to work with. Last night’s show was set in the 1920s London Sewers, in an ABBA/Mary Poppins/Boomtown Rats (“I Don’t Like Mondays,” obviously) musical, aptly-titled Sewercide.
I don’t get how, on a show like Whose Line is it Anyway?, the actors can create these great little scenes off the top of their head; how the Showstoppers crowd came up with a complete story that actually made some degree of sense, was funny, and incorporated songs (with group choruses) is beyond me. Absolutely fantastic though; I’d go see the final version of Sewercide when it debuts on Broadway next year. Absolutely.
After the show we met up with Sean for a pint down the road with the rest of the cast, as well as (coincidently; we weren’t overly close to Shepherd’s Bush) one of the guys from 66 Books.
Before bed, there was just enough time to remember that my gag reflex won’t let me swallow pills, so I had to practically OD on oranges and tea. I’m doing everything that I can to stay awesome instead of getting sick, and it’s working so far. We’re leaving for London soon, heading to Southwark Playhouse to see Bound, a show about some Devon herring fishermen that’s been getting some solid reviews. Should be fun.
Keep calm and carry on – that’s all there is to it.
Cheers,
rb
No comments:
Post a Comment