It could have been a mistake to think that at my grand old age, after a week with small children including a very successful but exhausting Summer Concert I would be the life and soul of the party on a Friday night, when I normally fall asleep at 9 as soon as I sit down after Youth Orchestra. However, even with an early start due to noisy bird and early morning sunshine, I was very excited about a grown up evening out.
It was a beautiful evening, and we ate in a Brassiere in Covent Garden, which was looking particularly jubilant.
We always go for the the cheap seats in London Theatres. We would rather see more shows and our budget doesn't stretch to stalls.
The Fortune Theatre was built in 1924 and I can only assume that people were very much smaller then than they are now. It was also quite grubby and I heard several people speculate on when it might have last been cleaned. Our seats, in the Upper Circle were scarily steep but we were impressed with how close the stage appeared to be. .
Sitting in the seats was a real challenge for me. The top and bottom of my legs must be disproportional. I had a choice. I could perch on the edge of the seat with my feet flat on the floor or sit at the back of the seat with the seat tilted backwards and my feet stretched out on tiptoes. Also, when the show stared the people in the front row leaned forward and blocked our whole view of the stage. Luckily, they were happy to sit back when we explained the problem to them.
The acting in this play was the best I have seen in a long time. Orlando Wells and Michael Mears made me believe every single word and were funny too.
Everyone says this is the scariest play they have ever seen. I have read the book, so I knew where the jumpy bits were going to be. Despite the excellent acting the warm darkness sent by body into sleep mode. Luckily, the occasional scream stopped me missing all of it.
Possibly the most scary thing was the squeaking noises that came from my seat as I struggled to find a comfortable position.
It must be tough being an actor in the West End. The Fortune Theatre is opposite Theatre Royal, where Shrek is playing and people were waiting at the stage door. One very tired looking skinny man emerged from the door and the woman said, "Are you Shrek?" When he said that he was the Wolf, she disappointedly shut her program and said, "Oh, shame!"
| Actor who plays the wolf |
| Shrek |
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