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No country for old women: Old Ladies - at Finborough Theatre

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The day after seeing The Old Ladies at the Finborough Theatre , I was describing the play to someone in great detail: about three old ladies who lived in a rickety house in southern England in 1935. Based on Hugh Walpole’s novel and adapted by Rodney Ackland, it is the sort of story with enough believability, humour and mild thriller to stick in your mind. Perhaps it is the lure of this dark, forboding tale of a life without money, to be alone and to be old, that makes you feel attracted to this poverty porn. But then again, given the state of the world, the cost of living, an ageing population, or just the fact that it’s a dog-eat-dog world, it might as well be an every little old lady-for-herself, too. It’s a well-acted and staged piece that moves at a brisk pace, so there isn’t much time to think about it too much. And in the intimate (or should that be claustrophobic?) space of the Finborough, there’s nowhere to avert your eyes. Even if you wanted to.  The scene is a grim Cathe...

Scenes from Hammersmith and City Line Monday 21:41 - Listening to iPOD between Farringdon and Kings Cross St Pancras. Have just downloaded Ute Lemper's latest album Blood and Feathers. Its recorded live and is what some people I know would describe as her "head up her arse album" given the self-indulgent asides into screeching and germanic-jazz-scat that sounds like scheisse. Ute is a bit like that though. I'll keep buying her albums anyway as listening to Ute is always an experience... Posted by Picasa

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