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Still here: While They Were Waiting - Upstairs At The Gatehouse

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As the song goes, time heals everything. Or as another song says, it's time after time. Yet waiting—for a moment, a minute, or even a while—can feel like a chore. In Gary Wilmot’s slightly absurd and silly While They Were Waiting, the focus is on waiting and wordplay. No opportunity is missed to find more than one meaning in what is said. A debate arises about the difference between a smidge and a whisker. There's a playful riff on how you can be here and over there at the same time, depending on your standpoint. If this piece has a point at all, it depends on what you find funny. The concept of waiting-related language is, in itself, amusing, and there is plenty to laugh about in this show. It’s currently playing at Upstairs at the Gatehouse . The premise is simple: Mulbery (Steve Furst) arrives for an appointment and is kept waiting. What the appointment is for, we are not clear about but he is waiting for a yellow door to open. Nobody answers when he rings. He’s joined by th...
News: Cold malaise

The temperature drops and everyone here seems to get the flu or some exotic stomach bug that makes you throw up and feel miserable. Have managed to avoid all that this week (touch wood). I still keep getting asked by people why am I here and I tell them it is the weather.

Today a combination of weather and essential works caused Icy Chaos For Commuters, but you have to put it into perspective.

Just the other day a woman from Sydney was in the office talking about how dreadful the transport can be here, and I was thinking well compared to Sydney, getting around in London is a dream... Of course, my 20 minute commute into work now is a bit of a luxury that most people don't have, and it was only lengthened by a few minutes this morning with the delays (and sidestepping around the black ice)...

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