First Snow!

First snow of the season. Already the trains are beginning to get delayed...

Behind you!

http://www.oldvictheatre.com/whatson.php?id=26

You might be mistaken in thinking that you are looking at a very ugly woman, when in fact it is Gandalf - in drag!

Yes that's right - in the great tradition of English pantomime, Sir Ian McKellen is playing a female lead in the Old Vic's Christmas panto of Aladdin.

Thankfully, given the seriousness and quality of the Vic's usual productions, they didn't spray water and throw out sweets - being in the front row we might have found ourselves swamped. We did however get a nice view up Sir Ian's dress a time or two!

This being our first ever Christmas panto, we went for the posh version to begin with. Honestly how can anyone pass up the chance to see Gandalf/Magneto prancing (literally) around stage in a hideously garish house coat.

As with all pantos, children were present and the jokes and gags suited to both them and to the adults in the audience. There were the famous moments of (very loud) audience participation like 'Behind you!' and 'Oh no it isn't', along with enthusiastic booing and hissing for the ubiquitous villain. There were scenes and Acts that had no place in the original tale of Aladdin - but we are told that that is what panto is all about.

So next year we think we'll go and see a local panto and see what it is really all about, preferably not in the front row, given what we've heard about the water!

p.s. Emily - the mold is truly broken now - our second production without any cast from The Bill in it! I can only hope, that the Old Vic, not being a West End theatre, doesn't count.

Steve gets a job.

Two days of unemployment and I started with Symbian, another mobile phone company. Though they sell software for mobile phones rather than the mobiles themselves.

You may have heard of them (us!) if you have an expensive phone. They sell the operating system that runs the fancy graphics and programs. Mostly on top end phones, though - apparently we cost a lot.

Symbian is based in the Waterloo area, so that means I can meet Bridie for lunch, drinks after work or even see a show. Like 'A Christmas Carol' mentioned in the previous post. It also means I could skate home, maybe...

www.symbian.com

Marley was dead to begin with

http://www.christmascaroluk.com/

Imagine yourself in a small intimate theatre, there is only one man on stage and a few scant props - you are enthralled for two and half hours by the most singular, impressive theatrical performance you have ever seen.

That was us last night watching Patrick Stewart perform 'A Christmas Carol' in a one-man show in London. He played all forty characters in the book and it was amazing how you recognised and empathised with each and every one.

It is truely amazing to believe that one man can take you through nearly the whole range of human emotions, joy, sadness, horror and so on; but Patrick did and did it so well that he was met with a standing ovation, the likes of which we have never seen in our three years of theatre going in London. Just about every person in the theatre leapt to their feet for the first curtain call and stayed that way for four more.

And it didn't stop there..... on our way to catch the tube home, we noticed a small crowd standing outstide the Stage Door and we thought, "what the heck". So we decided to huddle with the others in the hope of glimpsing the great man in person. We waited around fifteen minutes, in which we were treated with seeing Ken Stott (Mr Dursely from the Harry Potter movies and a great English character actor) and Zoe Wanamaker (a grand dame of English theatre and Professor Hooch in Harry Potter) leaving to make way for the one we were all waiting for.

...and out he came, not as tall as I expected, a baseball cap on his head and a marker pen at the ready. He graciously signed autographs for his excited fans. I whipped out my programme and managed to get his autograph and speak with him briefly - oooooooooh - who's in heaven!


Note for Emily - it was our first London theatre production where nobody in the cast had previously appeared in The Bill! For everyone else - Emily had a theory that you couldn't stage a theatrical production in London without at least one actor having appeared in The Bill. Admittedly, up to this point she's been right - but now the magic has been broken.

Last day at Samsung

The end of an era. Yesterday was my last day at Samsung. About 60 of us were being made redundant.

A melancholy day, worthy of ye olde Shakespeare. Friends I won't be seeing as often, establish routines that need to change, and the never ending procession of emails that have halted abruptly. I shall also miss the excellent Korean food in the canteen.

It's true there was some drinking afterwards. Though to be fair it was a Christmas party too. But most people were taking the news well. Quite a few have jobs to go to (a disturbing number will be paid a fortune to live in the south of France, bastards), and the rest are quietly optimistic.

Now I am unemployed. At least until Monday, where hopefully the phoenix will be reborn.

Sharp enough to cut through time

We bought knives on the weekend.

And no, not just any old knife. We bought knives that work like light sabres - they just seem to glide through flesh. Without all that annoying 'The Force' stuff.

Now I don't want to go out and praise the knife. It's just a tool. But there is definitely good and evil lurking within.

There is a sharp and pointy side, and a warm, contoured and round side. The blade says "wash me at your own peril, for I will slice your hands in the sink." While the handle side retorts "all is well my lord, stay with me and we shall be safe."

Okay, maybe the knife is talking to me. But I know which side I'd rather be on...

I cooked dinner last night. And we ended up with too many potatos in the dish because I was enjoying cutting them. Like cutting through butter. Ironically, cutting through butter is no easier.

Now I know how the Samurai felt. Hacking, slashing and swishing, all on the whim of their Shogun.

Any, this is a bit of rant. But isn't that what blogs are for; ranting, not contributing?