We were both working yesterday so Lou came up today. Just before she arrived I had a great big quote I sent in accepted about two weeks after I would have preferred to have had the news. Now I’m frantically playing catch-up as I’ve got a whole load of vehicles to book at short notice. Lou and I met up and I was worrying about forklifts.
Birthday Lou day plans went ahead though with lunch at Kutir and then a surprise trip to the theatre. Kutir is an extraordinary lunch – we are both obsessed with the jaggery sea bass. There are other things on the menu but there needn’t be.
A moment to pop into the V&A and look at Marie Antoinette things. A sad strange story, hers. Antonia Fraser’s wildly popular book made her alive to me, and seeing her clothes was a strange sad thing. The Austrian. The ostrichbitch. Propaganda is a terrible thing, as we are remembering worldwide. They even had the guillotine blade that dropped into that narrow long and delicate neck. Good God they corseted people until they were impractical back then. Some of her dresses look like torture devices for the average human.
Lou is about to go on tour for months with Wicked. I told her I’d never seen it. I’ve always been curious, it has felt like something of a cultural touchpoint having been to drama school on the millennium. Every time I’ve looked for tickets the numbers have put me off. So this evening that was my surprise present.
It’s such a lavish show. I loved every second of it. Her eye was on the quick changes and which costumes would likely need lots of maintenance, what they are wearing for the curtain call so what can start to be turned around etc. My eye was on the “Wow!” of it. A really strong piece of musical theatre, and such a great production, no wonder they can still pack it out on a random Thursday evening, and no wonder it is so hard to find tickets for actorprices. I don’t hang out with enough twirlies, I guess.
Walking home I felt thoroughly entertained. I haven’t seen the wizards of oz since I was a child so my child mind connected to the connections they drew. What a delight. For a few hours I stopped worrying about forklifts. I really need that IPAF licence and I need it yesterday.
AlBarclay 