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Christmas Mysteries: A Sherlock Carol @MaryleboneTHLDN

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A mash-up of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol and Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes would seem an unlikely pairing. Yet it provides a surprisingly fun Christmas-themed adventure. These two Victorian tales (albeit separated by about 40 years) provide the basis for an inspired adventure at Christmastime that just also happens to turn out to be a murder mystery as well. With lavish costumes, a few spooky set pieces and some good old-fashioned stage trickery with lights and a lot of smoke machines, it is hard to resist. It returns to the Marylebone Theatre for Christmas after a run there last year.  The premise is that after Holmes sees off the criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty, he is left adrift in London. People thought he was dead, and he might as well be. Disinterested in the misdeeds of other Londoners, Holmes has even given up on his friend Dr Watson. It's almost as if he has become a Scrooge. Or half a Scrooge, moping about shouting, "bah" in respon
A place to live... the search goes on

Today I decided to look at a place in SE8... Canada Water on the Jubilee line is nearby, or rather 20 minutes walk away, and it was near the river but not quite on the river. The guy offering the room owned the place and was nice and friendly and we got on well, although he mentioned he was going out to XXL tonight and I wasn't sure what to make of that information...

The room overlooked a common garden which looked charming in that English people who potter about on their garden plot on the weekends kind of thing, but what loomed large over the garden plot was a hideously enormous and monolithic Council Estate. I imagined waking up first thing in the morning and seeing this out the window and screaming. Even if I was here for just a few months I think it would be tough going.

The Thames was a short five minute walk away and I was informed that there were plenty of restaurants and bars along the riverfront. Curious, I decided to walk along the entire stretch back to Rotherhithe tube station. It took about an hour and I found two or three places. But mostly I found regenerated docklands dwellings circa late 1980s. I don't think it would be me, but it was fascinating to walk along the old docklands area and take in the views from the Thames.

I still have a few more places to sus out this week.

Life lessons: Theatre or not

Tonight I was de-invited (or should that be disinvited?) from a show that was playing at The National. Have made mental note not to let friends of partners to ever buy tickets for something I really want to see again as they can do the de-invite when it all goes pear shaped.

Actually on Friday night a colleague at work decided to do a bit of psycho-analysis of my situation (its okay he is in training), and he was curious about my response to the mutual friends. I am happy to let them all go... Afterall, there are only so many dinner parties / gatherings where people talk about their careers, intellectual abstractions or what fabulous things they are doing with MDF in their latest renovation you can do in your life...

So tonight instead I went into Soho and had dinner alone, in a very cruisy restaurant. Nothing more to report though... Was too tired after my long walk this afternoon...

Theatre: Holly Hunter's Nipples

Forgot to mention that in the second act of Holly Hunter's Irish Medea show, she appears in a dress that shows off her muscles... Yes she was a bit Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2-ish and had very defined arm muscles... The dress also showed off her nipples as well. And she was high-beaming. For those of you that like Holly Hunters er work, I would have to say she looked darn good for a woman in her late forties...

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Play ball: Damn Yankees @LandorTheatre

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