Off to a bad start with Cortana not working on the train, despite asking me for several restarts. I made up to some extent by scoring a one-sided two at Clapham Junction, followed by a one at Vauxhall. Sight lines not as good as they had been at Clapham. Made down to some extent by a number of wobbling paving stones on the not very old, downstream walkway hung off Hungerford Bridge; wobbling paving stones which could have one over if one caught an edge rather than a wobble. What will all the foreigners think of our building standards?
Into good seats in a very nearly full theatre. A handsome place, albeit with the boxes full of lights and what seemed like a very high proscenium arch. Handsome and clever set. But then it started to go downhill, being set in vaguely Mussolini Italy with quite a lot of unpleasant music (none of the period stuff that the Globe do a lot of) and swords only brought out for the key fights. They had not conflated major roles as they had at reference 1, but quite a few of the family retainers were young women and Mercutio was an elderly (77 year old) gay - who actually fought his last bout with a sword stick rather than a rapier - which I would have thought a dead loss, with the sword stick not being in the same league as a real sword. That said, the elderly gay in question was far and away the best actor on the stage - and very sprightly for his years.
Pleased to find that the line noticed at reference 3 was not cut, although delivery was not up to much. Furthermore, in the round, I did not much care for Romeo at all. Far too much of the young tough about him for my taste. And neither he nor most of the rest of the cast were much good at delivering the lines, a lot of which I failed to catch despite our good seats. Nurse (Meera Syal) a bit too coarse. To my mind the text is quite coarse enough without camping it up. On the other hand, I liked Tybalt (Ansu Kabia) and Lady Capulet (Marisa Berenson).
And despite there being plenty of music & movement, the family feast at the Capulets was a very poor affair compared with that which Zeffirelli managed back in 1968 and which we were able to watch the night before by way of revision, it having turned up in the Tadworth Children's Trust charity shop in Epsom High Street the day before. We were very taken with the feast as a whole and with the dancing in particular.
A young Friar Lawrence whom BH did like and I did not. Too much of the young school teacher about him for me.
Programme rather poor value at £5. Not very much tutorial material for our money. The Globe, in this respect at least, does rather better. The Globe is also less than half the price, albeit rather uncomfortable.
Overall, slick & smart, but disappointing. Should have checked the modern dress business before buying. But I should say that BH liked it much better than I did.
Out to dine early at 'Les Deux Salons' in William IV Street, where I am pleased to say that the brown wood interior décor has survived a new paint job on the outside and a new menu on the inside. The place still brings back fond memories of the Café de Commerce, 51 Rue du Commerce, 75015 Paris, France. See reference 4.
A new to me (but not to BH) pissaladière. Interesting, but a bit butter (or butter substitute) and anchovy full and I don't think I would take it again. Followed by an entire small chicken, very good with some real cabbage with it. Not cooked to a mush - the usual form in a restaurant in this country. BH very pleased with her moules frites. Wound up with a clafoutis. Rather dear and nothing like as good as we have at home, but, once again, good for a restaurant. Or at least had had at home, with the blog suggesting the last occasion was 2010. See reference 5. All washed down with a very pleasant Touraine white, plus a pudding wine called Loupiac, this last served by a cheerful young man from Hungary, who was polite enough to take an interest in our Hungarian uncle by marriage being bowed to, not to say kneeled to, by old retainers when he went back to his home town - or perhaps to what had been the family estate - in Hungary after the second war. He didn't think that sort of thing still happened.
Out onto a still busy Hungerford Bridge, with the bonus of public exercises - in the form of some kind of middle aged circle game - outside the Festival Hall.
Reference 1: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/romeo-alpha.html.
Reference 2: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/nanki-poo.html.
Reference 3: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/but-he-that-hath-steerage-of-my-course.html.
Reference 4: http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=Paris+15e+concluded.
Reference 5: http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=clafoutis.
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