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The agony and the misogyny: Banging Denmark @finborough

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Banging Denmark, the comic play by Van Badham, answers the question, what lengths does a misogynistic pickup artist go to date with a frosty Danish librarian? It may be an uneasy farce given the subject matter, but it is made more palatable by the cast assembled to convince you of it. It's currently having its European premiere at the Finborough Theatre .  It opens with Guy DeWitt (Tom Kay) at one end of the stage. His real name is Jake, and he's a part-time podcaster whose expertise is misogyny and playing the role of the pickup artist. That is, someone who attempts to coax women into having sex with a mix of flattery or manipulation. His podcast attracts a variety of involuntarily celibate men (or incels), so call in asking for advice. And while he gives the impression of living the high life, he is in a grimy flat strewn with empty pizza boxes.  At the other end of the stage is feminist academic Ishtar (Rebecca Blackstone). She lives out of the photocopy room, losing all her
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Scenes from West Hampstead 5.21pm: Late afternoon lunch 
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Moving from NW6 to WC1 Today I finalised getting a new place in Bloomsbury. Hello Central London. Farewell West Hampstead. Its a downsize but a sensible location. Rather than pack of course spent way too much time wandering around West Hampstead, which seemed a little daft given the light sleet/snow that was falling from time to time. Theatre: Talk to the hand/ass/stigmata Jerry Springer outing last night wasn't bad, although some of the principals were not performing and it showed a little (lacking a bit of style alas). I sat next to a man from New York (who was in London for a week and had seen at least a show a night - although he was a theatre teacher/director) who enjoyed it a lot and couldn't believe what he was hearing (or seeing)... Unlike a Jerry Springer show, the characters in the Opera are quite likeable which gives the show its charm amongst all the profanities. The morality of it all is still a bit ambiguous. Is it a critique of modern TV - the celebrity culture w
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News: No tube for smarties Mass consumer hysteria has broken out over the news that Smarties are set to lose their tube packaging and plastic lid and will be sold in a box. Consumers have hit the BBC website demanding a boycott. Smarties have been sold in a tube in Britain since 1937, so people are finding the thought of life with a tube-less Smarties a bit hard to take...
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News: Light up London Landmarks are to be lit up tonight for Olympic bid . They should commence in a few minutes and are expected to woo the 2012 Olympic Bidders, who yesterday traveled two stops on the Jubilee Line to see how well that would work should London get the games... London Weather It hovered somewhere in between 1deg and 8 deg today, but there is a chance of snow over the next few days... Whatever happens, it will be a bit of a brisk weekend to start moving things... But it looks like that will be the case.. Another Jerry Springer Moment Going to see Jerry Springer: The Opera tonight. It closes tomorrow night before going on a national tour... It will be a chance to again savour opera with such lyrics as: I don't give a f*ck no more If people think I am a whore...
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The move? I may have found a new place to live. Will have to sort out the details tomorrow but it is a small flatshare in central London. I discussed this option with my colleague at work and she pointed out: * I go home late * I like old buildings * I got on well with the potential flatmate So it all seems like the logical thing to do... But that means that this weekend will mean I have to start moving... Moving Which books are yours? Which tapes and dreams belong to you and which are mine? - From "Where Do You Start" Johnny Mandel and Marilyn & Alan Bergman In reality however: * All the computer magazines and tech books are not mine * All the books about literature and art (and the Tube) are mine * Most of the CDs and DVDs (of Elaine Stritch and Betty Buckley) are mine. Simple. Cleaning There is a product that has been around for a few months called Cillit Bang which has caused a bit of minor storm amongst the domesticated since it is one of the few cleaners on the mar
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Scenes from Westminster Tube 9:15pm 
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Living: The hunt continues Went to Ravenscourt Park (near Hammersmith) to see another place. Definitely would take it if offered. Don't know if I passed the "beauty contest"... Since I was late coming from work (again). It was the first place where the person offering it described a 10 minute walk as 10 Minutes. This was unusual given the London exaggerations such as: * A five minute walk really takes ten to fifteen minutes * Close to shops and transport links means forget about getting to them without a car * Modern furnishings = Ikea * 8" = 6" Its all part of the games people play in London. Sometimes you just have to go what-evaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Actually I say that at work a bit and for a skinny white guy saying that, it gets lots of cheap laughs. News: Ken not sorry London Mayor - that's the Mayor of the Congestion Charge and general publicity - Ken Livingstone is in hot water for likening a reporter to a concentration camp guard. While most reporters
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