Just a quick word before we get on to the doings of the week about last week's entry. I showed it to Ross before it went live and he was quite happy with it. He could quite see that these are minor things when seen in the context of the relationship as a whole. Another comment that is perhaps worth mentioning is that he said he has just as many areas of frustration as I have and they come and go a fleetingly as mine do. So, as if I didn't know it already, I'm not perfect after all.
A flurry of phone calls set up a night out at one of the Ferkin
pubs with some of Ross's college chums - Hannah, Sarah et al.
Another phone call from James
led to him turning up with a friend (looks like he's making headway
in getting over his relationship with the other
James).
Pleasant time was had by all but I do feel my age when in the company
of these young women. Maybe I should invite
Robert) along sometime.
Thursday brought a trip to ENO to see Rossini's Italian Girl in Algiers with Della Jones as Isabella. It wasn't the greatest of shows but it was a more than pleasant evening in the theatre. Far more than the Covent Garden Palestrina of a few weeks back. However, it really was overly serious in Howard Davies's new production. I wonder if this is a relic of political correctness. Maybe we've lost the capability for honest fun with our analyses of the causes of laughter and our desire to cause no offense to anyone.
Friday night was 14 February and therefore
We went off to the Drill Hall to see Clyde Unity Theatre in an adaptation of Armistead Maupin's Babycakes. You'll remember that I'm a great Maupin fan and, after the disappointment of the TV series I was nervous about how the evening would go. I needn't have been so worried. It was a great night out.
Because TV is such a visual medium, much of the effort went into re-creating a period feel. They got most of that absolutely right. But they lost so much of the tones of voice that leap off the page in Maupin's writings. Here, they were absolutely right. No-one looked quite as I imagine but they all sounded absolutely right which counted for much. And witnessing the event with a sympathetic crowd (you could play spot the heterosexual with the audience) was a joy as well. Communal laughter is a real balm to the soul.
Special mention of Stephen Docherty's performance as Michael "Mouse" Tolliver and Jason Pitt as Simon - rightly a hunk and in tight shorts you could certainly guess at his religion.