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I've mostly been working over the last week or so, which is not terribly interesting for blogging purposes.


However, there have been some entertaining bits and pieces I haven't had time to write about.

I went over to Wells to the cinema to see the live broadcast of the Monty Python show, from the O2 Arena, which was lots of fun - predictable, of course, as any 'greatest hits' show was bound to be, but generally most entertaining. (I did get rather a lot of amusement from watching the family sitting in front of me - I don't think the parents were expecting the Penis Song or the giant candy-striped penis shaped confetti cannons!) And I loved the appearances of Professors Brian Cox and Stephen Hawking, and the sight of the Pythons, now all old, rich men themselves, performing the 'Four Yorkshiremen' sketch.

Then last week, Sandi Toksvig was in Bath promoting her recent book, 'Peas and Queues', and was speaking at an event organised by Topping & Co. - the evening was a lovely mix of personal anecdotes, and comments about manners, and finished up with a short Q and A session. As it was  a very warm night, and I was tired, and there were a lot of people, I didn't stay to get a book signed (or just to say hello - I loved that she specifically said that people were welcome to come just to say hi, and that no one had to buy the book, as it is available in libraries too!)


Then on Friday I headed back into Bath to go to the Theatre Royal's Ustinov Studio to see Joshua Harmon's 'Bad Jews'. I booked it as I noticed that one of the actors involved was Ilan Goodman, who played 'Mr Marks', the shy Jewish haberdasher in the production of 'Intimate Apparel' I saw in June.


This play is very different - a darkly comic tale about who should have a family heirloom, and why.. Special mention goes to Joe Coen, as Jonah, who has I think, the fewest lines, and whose character is b far the least dramatic, but whose anxious (and vain) attempts to avoid conflict are essential to the play.


It's playing until 30th August, and is well worth seeing if you are, or can be, in Bath.

marjorie73: (Default)

After our  lovely relaxed evening we had a slow start to the day, with coffee, and  fresh croissants and pain au chocolat for breakfast, and a morning spent reading the weekend paper.

we then headed for Bath, via Bradford on Avon and the world's best tea shop, where we had lunch.

 
Bath was absolutely packed, and after a little window shopping we headed to the Victoria Art Gallery where it turned out there was an exhibition of Don McCullin's photography.

The exhibition was extraordinary. There were pictures from throughout McCullin's career, from his youth, photographing gang members in finsbury Park, in London, through the Vietnam War, Biafra, Bangladesh, The 6-day War and Northern Ireland. Amazing, moving and disturbing images. Finally there were some of his recent works, landscapes and still lifes, many of them of the Somerset Lvels around Glastonbury, which were beautiful.

 
We had to leave when the gallery closed at 5, by which time it was already dark. we walked past the Abbey, outside which the Remembrance Day cross of poppies is still present, under the newly erected Christmas tree.

 
We didn't, however, go in, chosing instead to find a wine-bar for a cheering glass or two, before heading to a fantastic Nepalese restaurant (Yak Yeti Yak) for a pre-theatre meal.

After a delicious (vegetarian) meal we walked up to the Theatre Royal, for Spamalot!

The show is, as it's own publicity states, "Lovingly ripped off from Monthy Python &  the Holy Grail" so virtually al of the dialogue and characters are very familiar, none of which in any way detracts from the sheer enjoyment of the show.

It is absolutely hilarious, just plain good fun from start to finish. Marcus Brigstocke played King Arthur - I'm mostly familiar with him from his appearances on Radio 4, on things such as the News Quiz, and it was good to see him singing and dancing as well!


all in all, we had a great time, and it was marred only by the fact that, when we got to the station to get our train home, we found that it was delayed by 45 minutes, which woud hve ment we had to wait for almost an hour, so we eneded up getting a taxi at vast expense instead. *sigh*

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