Friday 25 May 2012

The play's the thing ......

I was going to the theatre to see Mike Bartlett's, Love, Love, Love and I was very, very excited about it. I really, really wanted to see it. I went to work in the sunshine smiling. But I thought to myself, I do hope it's not cancelled because it's sold out, what would they do? I never think that when I go to the theatre. A few hours later I recieved an email saying that night's performance was cancelled, an actor could not go on for personal reasons. No understudies at the Royal Court so no show, run sold out, awfully sorry............ whatever happened to the show must go on? Surely rule number one in the acting book of rules, no? I was very upset. I was mortified. I am not good with dissappointment. I've never been good with disappointment. As a child when it rained on our picnic and we were told we could go to the cinema instead, I was the inconsolable child. Being good with dissappointment is a good skill to have as life is more often than not, disappointing. I do not have this skill. Everything was ruined. And thing was, my mate Matthew offered me a ticket the week before and I said no thanks, I'm going next week......


The friend I was going to the theatre with suggested we go see a screeing of Britain In A Day at the BFI as her husband worked on it. A series of clips filmed by all sorts of people in all sorts of places doing all sorts of thing over 24 hours. It will be on TV in June on BBC2. It was good, very moving. A bit bleak. I did cry. And laugh. But it wasn't Love, Love, Love.

I woke too early this morning then fell back to sleep. And slept too late. I dreamt of people in the wrong place and spaniel dogs and I was angry and I couldn't move and the sky was pale and bright and blue and I could see the ghost-white moon and then other planets, many planets in the pale blue sky, and I said to my son, I have never seen this before, and we looked up and then I woke up. I felt leaden, bed-crumpled and my head ached. 


But the sun was still shining and so I actually abandoned my socks for the first time this year and went to work. I bought wholemeal sour dough bread from Ottolenghi and avocados and baby gem lettuce and Emmental cheese and honey roast ham and tomatoes and made a sandwich and sat in the park at lunch time. With my toes in the sun. But it wasn't as good as Love, Love, Love......
Top tip: Go outside ....... who knows how long it will last.



22 comments:

  1. do enjoy this smashing weekend!



    Friendly Aloha from Waikiki
    Comfort Spiral
    =^.^= > < } } (°>

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  2. you take me back to my understudy days... I can't believe they cancelled. not in my day and the money ..what about the money? it'a all about the money after all isn't it? do they give it back? i don't know what to make of this...

    also love the bit about yer socks. i never where socks hardly now, even though I've just knitted me first pair! oh god my life in england I was rarely sock-less.. thinking of you in your sandals..

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  3. Hello:
    We really do feel for you in your disappointment. To have the whole show cancelled is fairly unacceptable, Royal Court or not. We have, in fact, never heard of this happening. On occasion, at both the theatre and at the opera, we have experienced a change of cast, mildly irritating, but nothing like this.

    A friend of ours went to a concert given by the Jerusalem Quartet very recently as part of the Brighton Festival which was completely ruined by protesters who had been 'placed' in the audience to cause maximum disruption.

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  4. It's only as bloody play for goodness sake.

    Your sandwich sounds better.

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  5. I feel your pain...... You look forward to something and then it is whipped away... Bottom lip tremblingly not fair!

    (PS: No, I don't live in Highgate, it was my son and girlfriend who live in London that visited the cemetry as part of his birthday! I am in South Gloucestershire).

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  6. What a terrible disappointment. It's astonishing that they'd rather refund all that ticket money instead of using an understudy.

    Speaking of plays and top tips, have you ever seen Slings and Arrows? It's a Canadian TV show that ran for 3 seasons, about a theater company in Ontario. Hilarious, especially season two.

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  7. What a shame, bloody lightweights!
    Loved that American film filmed by hundreds of people around the world, there were some heart-rending scenes in that.
    That sandwich looks wonderful (if you left out the ham), I can't think of a nicer afternoon than one spent in the sunshine with good food. x

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  8. Yes, hard when you are fixed on something to just let it go. I hope you get to see the play soon. I too am surprised they didn't have an understudy.

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  9. Oh no .... how disappointing. It's only happened to us once, a long time ago when our children were young. We booked tickets at Wembly Stadium to see Michael Jackson for our daughters birthday. There weren't any numbered tickets....you just went early and, as soon as they opened the gates, you just ran for a good seat. We had been there for a good few hours and the support act went on and then we waited, and waited only to be told that MJ wasn't well and would not be performing and that everyone must leave !! We were suprised that there wasn't a riot !!
    It's suprising what a good sandwich can do though !!
    Thanks so much for your lovely comment today.....just a bit of mummy bragging !! XXXX

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  10. That is so disappointing, why no understudy for heavens sake? A poor show (scuse the pun...) Jacqueline @ Home, my baby brother was at that non gig, he was so disappointed.
    If you need something inspirational I recommend a watch of the Vidal Sassoon program on iPlayer that was on BBC4 last night, what a legend.

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  11. I feel like there's something that you are not saying.
    xxxxx

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  12. I wrote one New Year's Eve that I had learned to live with the disappointments but cherish the suprises ( and I mean friends here - not family ) but hey, I'd still have been gutted !

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  13. Oh I do hope it lasts too.

    Nina xxx

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  14. I often find that the things I plan can be dissapointing (maybe my planning skills need an overhaul)and the unexpected is more staisfying. Sun in the park with a wonderful sanwich sounds bliss to me.

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  15. Hah! I too suffer from Petulant Disappointment Syndrome. It makes my eyes sting with unshed tears, and I'll temporarily hold the entire world responsible. It's best at these times to distract me with shiny objects.

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  16. Very odd to cancel something like that - never heard of it! That sambo looks great. I dream always of exams not properly prepared for (which basically sums up my whole university life) no sure why I'm still getting those dream...I left Uni 25 years ago.

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  17. Fie on them for canceling. But maybe the theater was riddled with termites and would have collapsed in on itself trapping everyone inside for hours without yummy sandwiches and a decent bathroom.

    So maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

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  18. That's so strange, I've never heard of that happening before. Fingers crossed for more sun, it's been a tad cool here all week.

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  20. I'm so sorry to hear this. this is also my first time to your blog. Take care of yourself.

    Lisa x

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  21. You had me at your title!
    Yippe, I'm number 180!
    Hugs and adventures!
    Reva

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