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Bear with me: Sun Bear @ParkTheatre

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If The Light House is an uplifting tale of survival, Sarah Richardson’s Sun Bear gives a contrasting take on this. Sarah plays Katy. We’re introduced to Katy as she runs through a list of pet office peeves with her endlessly perky coworkers, particularly about coworkers stealing her pens. It’s a hilarious opening monologue that would have you wishing you had her as a coworker to help relieve you from the boredom of petty office politics.  But something is not quite right in the perfect petty office, where people work together well. And that is her. And despite her protesting that she is fine, the pet peeves and the outbursts are becoming more frequent. As the piece progresses, maybe the problem lies in a past relationship, where Katy had to be home by a particular hour, not stay out late with office colleagues and not be drunk enough not to answer his calls. Perhaps the perky office colleagues are trying to help, and perhaps Katy is trying to reach out for help. It has simple staging

Overheard in line at the National Theatre Cloakroom

Lady #1 : Oh I'm still a bit jet lagged... Lady #2 : Jet lagged? Lady #1 : Yeah I was in Miami for two days for work and just got back this morning... Lady #2 : Oh... Lady #1 : You know how it is... You're expected to be the party girl out until 1am; then you have to show up the next day at a meeting and say something intelligent...

The week that was...

Looking back over the week it was striking the number of single people who in the cold, opted for sleeping with their cats. Maybe I just know a lot of cat people, but what is wrong with sleeping with a hot water bottle with a faux fur cover ? It was the week for the cat people I guess as one by one they all proudly announced how their cat kept them warm to anyone who wanted (or didn't want) to hear.

Overheard at Saturday Brunch in Clapham

Abbeville Man ( to woman) : ...And worse than that, she is a complete lesbian. And I had to baby sit her boyfriend the other night...

Culture Shock

The phrase "run dead" is not commonly used here. As in, he was ambivalent about the ethical treatment of animals so he decided to run dead on the issue in the campaign. Add that to the list of other words including Scuttlebutt and Cassandra ...

Scenes from SW4 Thursday 08:38

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DSC04419 , originally uploaded by Pauly_ . The neighbours got into the seasonal spirit as more than 5cm of snow fell overnight... Snow continued to fall throughout the morning. This evening while snow still remained on cars and a heavy frost was moving in, the snowman had moved out... A bit of carrot and a few twigs were lying on the ground nearby...

Theatre: Rock and Roll

Finally caught Tom Stoppard's play Rock 'N' Roll before it closes at the end of this month. It has been playing since last summer and has caught the imagination of the critics and the punters. The background of the story is the velvet revolution in Czechoslovakia, and the links a family in Cambridge have to the country. The central message is that there is no freedom without creative freedom and that's something that I could agree with. There is a wonderful scene where an old British communist after the collapse of the old regimes in 1990 smashes a plate. Was it all just a waste of time? Or do the new democracies appreciate what they have more than those in the west? Who can say but plenty of food for thought... The original cast have moved on but even with the second cast headed by Dominic West (who is terrific) kept the pace going, even when it was a bit on the long side. I get the impression that even though the play finishes its run in February, it's going to

Overheard at the Palladium...

Lady #1: So it is... Good times, and bum times, I've seen it all... Lady #2: ...And my dear... I'm still here. Lady #1: Plush velvet sometimes... Sometimes just... Just wha? Lady #2: ...Pretzels and beer. But I'm here...

Concert: Follies

Sunday evening I caught the Starlight Foundation's Charity Concert of Follies . Some jaded theatregoers had warned me over the weekend it would be a bit dire with its stunning array of B-list stars front lining it, but actually it was quite entertaining. There was something perversely amusing watching the punters in the packed-out Palladium go ape over a series of world famous (well, world famous in Britain) ladies in the 55 plus age bracket. Most I didn't recognise. The show lends itself well to a concert version, as (much as I expected) while the music is great, the story is dire. Two hours of two couples - middle-class, middle-aged has-beens - bickering does not make a night of entertainment, even if that is the point. As a concert version it feels easier to ignore the story. But fortunately the piece has , and with the full orchestra on stage and even the odd cameo by ITV newsreader Sir Trevor McDonald... Even sitting in the cheap seats it was a lot of fun, although I didn&

Overheard underground Wednesday evening...

Bland man : Why am I meeting all these people who look great... But have nothing to say? Bored woman : I dunno...

Scenes from Kennington Monday 22:59

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Scenes from Kennington Monday 22:59 , originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Waiting for the southbound 155... It never came...

Film: Dreamgirls

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DREAMGIRLS , originally uploaded by 浮躁 . Finally caught a preview of Dreamgirls on Sunday (which opens in the UK this Friday officially). I managed to drag Ad, F and S to see it with me based on what was probably about six months of hype that I had been drip feeding (including various podcasts, news updates and songs). Seeing it was closure more than anything else for all of us I am sure. I thought it was two hours and ten minutes of great entertainment. Ad, F and S were not so keen on musicals it turns out. At one point they were exasperating at yet another song. While I wasn't surprised with their objections, these guys really should have their pink cards revoked. Dreamgirls the show has been a cult, a hit and lost musical in the 25 years since it first premiered. The songs from it and the original Broadway soundtrack have been a staple in drag performances, dance clubs, and it even garnered mentions in episodes of Will and Grace. It's a story about black women made by g

Scenes from the Bakerloo line Saturday 23:24

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Scenes from the Bakerloo line Saturday 23:24 , originally uploaded by Pauly_ . A gay reader with a very big book... Must be one of those sci-fi novels...

Overheard in a Clapham Cafe Saturday...

Lady 1 : Oh I went to the dentist this week... Lady 2 : Is that the gay one Lady 1 : Oh yes, but he has lovely eyes, and nice hair... Lady 2 : I went to him once... Thought he was a bit stiff... Lady 1 : Oh but I could stare into his eyes all day...

Film: Babel

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Babel , originally uploaded by stef_install . Thursday evening I caught Babel . All three hours of it. Sitting there for that long you run through various thoughts such as, "can this drag on for any longer?" or "why is nobody wearing makeup?" "how much blood can Cate loose?". It aims to be a sprawling global story connecting everyone through a single moment but it really boils down to depressing and pretentious story. I can see why Americans may take to it as it is full of angst about Americas place in the world, but it is seriously undermined by really poor characterisations and a never ending stream of unbelievable events. Not all the actors have much to do in this flick either. Before Cate gets shot she just looks sullen and Brad Pitt looks very old and dusty throughout most of the film. If there was a makeup artist present, you wouldn't know it. It all seemed a bit depressing, but I left the movie feeling that the central message of the film wa

Scenes from Clapham Wednesday 8:59

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DSC04374 , originally uploaded by Pauly_ . A light cover of snow. It was the first significant snowfalls since 2003. By 9am it had started to melt and by the lunchtime it was gone... Pity... SW4 had never looked so pure...