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The brown word: Death on the Throne @gatehouselondon

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We’re warned at the start of the show with an upbeat number that this is not the usual sort of musical. And it turns out to be just that. But with boundless enthusiasm and energy from its two leads, who deploy a range of voices and breathtaking energy to create a series of voices for puppet characters, a bedtime story becomes a silly oddball tale about four souls stuck in purgatory. With puppets. And various toilet humour references. It’s currently playing at Upstairs At The Gatehouse . The piece starts as a bedtime story. Daddy (Mark Underwood) is about to read a bedtime story for Louise (Sarah Louise Hughes). But her stomach felt funny, and soon, she went to the bathroom. Then, for reasons that seem to only make sense in the confines of the show, they start telling the story of four people who died in unfortunate circumstances in the bathroom. Depicted as puppets, they’re stuck in purgatory as St Peter doesn’t have enough space for each of them in the afterlife. And so begins a puppe...
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 market to clean off London calcium, dirt and grime from kitchens and bathrooms...

The product appealed to me because I initially mis-read the name of the product and just had to buy it with its purple bottle and pink spray head. The fact that it works and has a minor following doesn't make the initial motivation to purchase seem so silly...

Well anyway, it will come in handy over the weekend...

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Opera and full frontal nudity: Rigoletto

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Play ball: Damn Yankees @LandorTheatre

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Damn Yankees at the Landor Theatre is one hell of a fun, sexy show. A great cast of dancers and singers give this show about a man who sells his soul to get on his beloved baseball team (and give them a chance of winning) new legs and balls. It also helps to up the ante with the sexiness with some healthy doses of cleavage and legs (and that's just the men). The musical is a retelling of the Faust story set in the 1950s when the New York Yankees dominated the game.
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