I went to see
pool (no water) at
the Lyric Hammersmith tonight. It more than made up for the recent
Metamorphosis disappointment. Not only a great idea for a play - about how time and success changes friendship and the disappointments and temptations of mediocre and hypocritical artists - but brilliantly staged (the set serves as a swimming pool and a hospital room -amongst other things- and your mind accepts the changes without question, even though the space is exactly the same. On top of this it has great performances and the physical theatre and movement elements blend in in an unobtrusive and entertaining way. It's a big recommend. Intelligent and thought provoking, plus you get to see some ladies's muffs in it. I wish Michael Billington would review things like this! I know he thinks it.
There were a couple of parties of teenage school children in who came close to spoiling things by laughing too much at the rude language and at the semi-nudity. I was pretending to be grown up and so didn't laugh when the actors took their trousers off, but it was slightly annoying when a buzz of chatter and giggling punctured the reality of the piece. But my annoyance was only temporary, as I realised that when I had been a school kid going to the theatre me and my friends had similarly spoilt many serious theatre goers nights with our stupid jokes, laughter and flatulence. It would be hypocritical to complain now I was the serious theatre goer and not the school child. It's a kind of pay back and I look forward to the day when I am an old man and those kids are grown up and trying to watch a show and it is slightly spoilt by some kids. I won't say anything. I will just sit at the back of the theatre, nodding sagely. For this to work I will, of course have to find out what schools were in the theatre tonight and then hire private detectives to follow all the children who attended around and then ring me up when they are older and are at the theatre and also organise another school of children to be in the same theatre and then buy myself a ticket. It will be quite a complicated endeavour and you might think pointless as it's unlikely the grown up kids will even see me at the back of the theatre, and if they do they won't understand why I am nodding or even know what I have done to teach them a useless lesson about life. But it's the principle of the thing really.
Then I would have to arrange the same system for the new generation of schoolkids who had ruined this performance and so it would go on. At some point I would die and so have to pass on my mantle to one of the people in the next generation. And so on.
I think it would be worth doing all this, even though the adult versions of the kids from tonight would already understand that what they had done was childish and embarrassing and not need to learn any kind of lesson.
That's the kind of person I am.
I will apologise to all the people though who were in the audience of that play me and my friends went to see which had Sarah Jane from off of Doctor Who in it (some years after she'd been on the TV) and we kept giggling and pointing and making Dr Who based comments. We probably spoiled whatever play it was. But then think about it? You probably ruined some play for some adult back in the 1950s or something didn't you?
Yes you did.
Do you not see?
WIN A PSP
November quiz - Question 15
OK a lot of you are perplexed by question 1 with good reason. I knew my friend Tony was wrong, but I didn't appreciate quite how wrong, so you've got to work out what you think he thought he was talking about. That's all I am going to say. But I will give a point if you come up with a good answer that is wrong. And I will give extra points if you come up with an answer that is different to what Tony said, but that is correct! My decision is final.
Here's today's question. This is a question that we posed on Fist of Fun, which no-one ever got right. It's very unlikely that anyone will get it, so don't worry if you don't. But I think it's about time to give the answer. And with the internet you might be able to make the connection. I don't know
What connects the TV series Fist of Fun, the film, "The Railway Children" and one of the videos that was put out in the 1990s capitalising on the success of Mr Blobby?
This question is almost impossible I am sure, so if you can get it you have probably won, but if you can't you are probably still in. An additional clue then, You could add the recent sit-com "Not Going Out" to the list. You might get the answer now, but I want the connection and also what the part of that person or thing is in each project for full marks
It's impossible again now.
Please wait until the end of the month before sending all 30 answers in together. Anyone sending answers individually will immediately invalidate their entry to the competition. Remember the prize will go to whoever has the most answers right. It is still worth entering even if you can't answer all the questions. There will be no additional clues.
