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Scenes from a marriage: Jab @parktheatre

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Jab takes us back to five years ago when no theatres were open. Instead, it was staying at home watching endless television, clapping for the NHS, mask-wearing and hand washing. Against this backdrop, isolation from a married couple of 29 years slowly drives them apart and to the brink. But while it captures the period well, you want to know more about this couple on the edge. It's currently playing at Park Theatre after its premiere run at the Finborough Theatre last year.  James McDermott's play is loosely based on his parent's lives during the pandemic. It opens with Ann (Kacey Ainsworth) and Don (Liam Tobin) watching the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson inform the nation they need to stay at home. She is an NHS worker, and he runs a vintage shop. As she is an essential worker, she has work to do, but he is forced to stay at home while his shop is closed. There's also another source of tension in that Anne brings in all the income in the household. And so we watch ...
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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