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One hundred people’s ninth favourite thing: [title of show] @swkplay

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[title of show] takes you back to a time before the fast paced social media where word of mouth for a positive show came from chat boards, video diaries or (god forbid) blogs. A simple staging makes it an ideal (and economical piece to stage), but it’s sweet and earnest take on just putting on a show, and putting it out there and taking a chance gives this show its heart. With a strong and energetic cast and endless musical theatre references, it’s hard to resist and it’s currently playing at the Southwark Playhouse .  It opens with Hunter (Jacob Fowler) and Jeff (Thomas Oxley) as struggling young writers in New York City. An upcoming New York Musical Theatre festival, inspires them to write an original musical within three weeks to make the deadline. As they discuss ideas, writers block, distractions and endless other good and bad musicals, an idea for a show emerges. Which is about writing a show for a musical theatre festival.  Their friends Heidi (Abbie Budden) and Susan (Mary Moor
Professional Conversation overheard in the office at lunchtime

F: I have been trying to contact Robert for the past hour and his mobile is engaged...
Officer (just walking in to the office): I have just spoken to him...
F: Ah how can you do that?
Officer: I have an emergency override phone...
F: Oooooh!

At several key points during the day the mobile phone network disappeared. As part of the plans for dealing with civil emergencies emergency and government services get priority on the mobile phone network to ensure that their calls get through. It also meant that at 7pm tonight I got a whole stream of texts that had been sent during the course of the day...

Aftermath.

This afternoon I had (in no particular order) a chocolate éclair, a packet of pretzels, two bananas, a thai chicken curry, half a tin of liquorice allsorts, a herbal tea, a coffee and a berocca. My colleague F had the same plus a trifle. Another colleague commented at one stage during the afternoon that at times of crisis her comfort food is pizza. For me, I take allsorts...

As the day has come to a close, it has been a tragedy but it also has been a day marked by quiet resolve. Emergency Plans swung into action, emergency services were on the scene of the major incidents within minutes and there was a determination to get on with it. My flatmate was at Liverpool St and helped take people to hospital. Construction workers near where I live offered to give blood at UCL Hospital.While there were no tube trains tonight, people left work throughout the afternoon in an orderly manner, and busses were back up by 4pm.

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