Made the mistake of using the tricky touch screen machine just inside the door of Epsom Station and in the course of declining a slightly used Travelcard, managed to forget to ask for a senior discount. So not only had I not travelled free, I had paid £3 more than strictly necessary. But all in a good cause I suppose; it all helps keeps the prices down.
RFH trying to be cool & hip with poetry projected onto their south wall. But we did find some seats inside at which to take our picnic. Regular people on the right hand, affordables in from the rain & cold on the left.
Into the theatre, to find the set - a set portraying loft life in New York City - climbing out from under the proscenium arch. Quite a good set really. And while we were waiting we had a large version of the Titian above. A picture which interested us because the lady seemed much older in the mirror on the right than on the left - but which I now know is more interesting because the angles are all wrong.
The play was a two hander, with Dormer doing a good job, with quite a few really good lines, pulling some good stunts, on not terribly good material. An involved story about a male play writer interviewing a wannabee luvvie for the lady lead in a play he had just adapted from a Sacher-Masoch story. We wondered what percentage of all the plays in the world include a play within the play, with the Bard knocking out quite a few for a start.
Interesting programme, although I thought that they overdid the S&M stuff a bit. OK so the play was a bit about that, but it was more about other stuff. On the other hand, pleased to see that the Haymarket appears to be an independent, has not been swallowed up by one of the big theatre chains like the Ambassador Theatre Group. OK, so there is a lot going for chains, lots of economies of scale, but independents are more cuddly.
Interesting play, although I thought that at 90 minutes without an interval, the play was a little long. Notwithstanding, the audience was very enthusiastic at the end. Perhaps they were big fans of aforementioned costume dramas.
Afterwards, we took the 88 bus to Vauxhall, just missing the 2128 to Epsom. On the other hand we got a very good haul at the platform library at Raynes Park, to which I shall return in due course.
Home again, irritated to find George Clooney in the free Standard, yet again. Point 1, does he not realise that, appearing in the newspapers what seems like every other day, people are going to get a bit tired of him, even people who started off liking him? Point 2, what is he doing there? Does he have a really good agent or are newspapers really that keen on free copy? Point 3, does he go into cardiac arrest if he can't find himself in at least one of the world's newspapers over his breakfast at Claridges? For the money you pay there, couldn't someone spoof something up for him and give the rest of us a break?
PS: I have it on the authority of both an actor and a salesman, that being able to pull stunts is important in both trades. Invaluable aid to getting started on the right footing.
Reference 1: https://www.facebook.com/theatremonnot/?rf=216265091771495.
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