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The Green, Green Grass of Home: Mr Jones An Aberfan Story - Finborough Theatre

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A life of hope and promise, interrupted, lies at the heart of Mr Jones: an Aberfan Story. The play follows two young people in Aberfan before and after the disaster that killed 144 people, including 116 children. It’s an emotional coming-of-age tale of intersecting lives, family, love, and the shock of tragedy. With two vivid performances and strong characterisations, you feel immersed in 1960s Welsh small-town life. It’s now running at the Finborough Theatre , after performances at the Edinburgh Festival and across Wales.  The Aberfan disaster is well known in the UK but perhaps less so elsewhere. The facts of the tragedy are confined to the programme notes rather than in the piece. On 21 October 1966, the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip on a mountain above Aberfan engulfed a local school, killing many. The play avoids the causes and negligence, instead focusing on those working and building lives in the town.  Writer-performer Liam Holmes plays Stephen Jones, a...
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A room with a view 22.26: BT tower surrounded by mist...  
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Scenes from Tottenham Court Road 22.19: Light from below...  
News: Tubes, dinners and film Hundreds stranded in Tube tunnel this evening... On the Jubilee line near Swiss Cottage... Well I don't live in NW3 anymore... Jamie Oliver manages to change government policy and get a huge government commitment to improve school dinners and tackle child obesity. It shows that in the run-up to the election (and after a very successful doco on C4) miracles can happen. Actually have managed to avoid covering politics for a while, but some smashing political stuff is covered at the Recess Monkey blog... And the 19th London Lesbian and Gay Film Fest opened this evening and dammit I haven't booked anything yet!
Weather Changes Continue Still foggy and misty. However just after 8am I got a text from the former flatmate saying he was glad that we caught up and guy-who-took-room-after-me was after my number and would I mind sharing it. At this point I realised it was the standard two days before somebody makes enquiries about getting numbers. Earlier than two days is not the done thing (you don't want to look desperate), but I was surprised getting it so early while I was in an 8am meeting... When I finally got out of the meeting I spent about half an hour crafting a response, as I figured this was a message that was going to be read fairly widely. My former flatmates are such awful gossips. Bless their hearts. Overheard in gym tonight Muscle Mary #1: Now that he's gone I don't want to have anything to do with him anymore. Muscle Mary #2: Yeah the break-up can be tough... Muscle Mary #1: Of course, if he pays to fly me to New York, I'll be there! After 9pm at the gym, everyone...
Weather changes Weather today was misty, wet and cold. What happened to Spring? Given the lousy weather I decided to skip gym and come home early. It was not related to: Catching up with old flatmates from Haringey and having three or four (or possibly five) Becks over the course of the afternoon Flatmates wanted all the gory details of the breakup but I just said there weren't any. "When somebody just can't stand the sight of you anymore you know it isn't all about you... So just move on" I told them. Have made mental note to include that line in any future book on postmodern advice that I may write... Staying out extra longer with the guy who took the room after me. Wasn't quick enough to make silly jokes about "sharing the same bed"... This was probably not a bad thing Heading out again around 11pm to catch up with a nice Jewish boy from California in Central London. This time it was vodka. It was all very responsible (and quite enjoyable at the t...
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Scenes from Tottenham Court Road: Old bomb shelter in background... Old VW golf in front... 
Movie: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Finally caught The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou tonight. Its a great film but it is nearing its main run in London cinemas so I saw it in the bowels of a cinema on Leicester Square. This was rather unfortunate as given its depth underground, the red lights that were throughout the cinema and the smell of bleach that permeated the air, you could have been forgiven for thinking that it was an "adult" cinema... But this was Leicester Square not Piccadilly Circus circa 1970 so it was very legitimate commercial fare, although the film itself was a relief to be a little different from your standard issue three-act movie comedy/drama...
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Scenes from Embankment Tube 22.58. A quiet night underground...