Atlético de Madrid 1 - 1 Arsenal…

Another fab away trip with the @gaygooners

And who doesn’t like an exciting semi in Spain? 

On the pitch, the team did hard bits properly, but forgot to win. Viktor Gyokeres looked part menace, part folding chair, but buried his penalty like a man who had already decided on the ending.

David Raya kept things respectable with saves that suggested he quite enjoys being busy, while Ben White was penalised for grave crime of having arms.

Eberechi Eze nearly delivered late drama but found no sympathy from the referee, who remained unmoved by clear contact. 

Mikel Arteta will note this as a job half done. Level score, home leg to come. 

Onwards & upwards, my friends. 

@Arsenal ⚽️ @Regenersaurus 🦖 @gaygooners 🌈 #COYG 🔴⚪️ #ATMARS 🥅 #AtleticoMadrid #Gyokeres #Eze #Raya #Arteta

Atlético de Madrid, we’re coming for you!..

@Arsenal ⚽️

@Regenersaurus 🦖

#COYG 🔴⚪️

#ATMARS 🥅

@gaygooners 🌈

Man City 115 - 0 Premier League…

16 months on from the closing arguments in the Premier League’s 115 charges case against Manchester City, a judgment is still awaited. City continues to deny wrongdoing.

What’s the hold up?

https://www.thelawyer.com/where-is-the-manchester-city-judgment-eight-possible-scenarios/

Lads Who Lunch…

Good to be out with the boys (Andy, Tim, and Andrew) again on Friday. Lunchtime sunshine canal walk to The (reconstituted) Constitution followed by The (recapitalised) Black Cap. Drinks, food, and more drinks. We laughed. A lot. 

Arsenal 1 - 0 Newcastle…

Great to be back at footie with Paul. 

Top spot reclaimed with minimal fuss as Arsenal did just enough & not a jot more. Eberechi Eze curled in beauty early doors after neat corner routine.

Kai Havertz played accomplice, Newcastle played catch up. Chances came & went for visitors who now collect defeats like souvenirs. 

A late miss summed it up. 

Job done, nerves mostly intact, physio slightly busier than ideal. 

Onwards & upwards, my friends. 

@Arsenal ⚽️ #COYG 🔴⚪️ #ARSNEW 🥅 #AFC 

Mass @ Donmar Theatre…

Last night went to see Mass at Donmar Theatre in London’s glitzy West End with Stuart. 

A single room setting turns Fran Kranz’s script into a pressure cooker as Adeel Akhtar, Monica Dolan, Paul Hilton and Lyndsey Marshal circle grief, blame and uneasy redemption after a school mass murder reckoning, steered by Carrie Cracknell. 

We loved it. Brought me to tears. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

@donmarwarehouse @adeelakhtar @paulhilton1970 @instafrankranz #Mass #TheatreReview

Harry Potter & the Cursed Child - Part One & Part Two...

Yesterday Darce & I went to see Harry Potter & the Cursed Child Part One & Part Two @ the Palace Theatre in London's glitzy West End.

Four visits in and I still love it. Two parts, many feelings, alarming amount of wizard parenting angst. Stagecraft so slick it should come with a warning. Cast deliver magic without breaking a sweat. Still gasp worthy, still packed full of Easter Eggs, still great

Part One (in the afternoon)…

I'll not give the plot away (#keepthesecrets & all that) other than to say that action takes place some 19 years after the final book ends picking up on Kings Cross train platform as an adult & married a Harry Potter & Ginny are waving goodbye to two of their children - Lily still has year to go but James & Albus are off to Hogwarts. Only Albus isn't happy bunny. He has his father's reputation to live up to...

There then follows 2 hours & 50 minutes of pure magic. The set, action, special effects, theatrics, wit, flair are all there in spades.

It is story of fatherhood, family, fear, redemption & broomsticks. It is compelling & gripping revisiting for many of characters made famous by Harry Potter books & films.

I laughed (a lot), I cried (a bit), I was left open-mouthed (often) & @ one point I shrieked (the shocks come thick & fast & many from left-field).

Pure theatrical stage magic. Oh, and Part One ends with a genuinely scary cliff-hanger.

Part Two (in the evening)...

Picking up where Part One left off we were transported back & forth through the Harry Potter canon; revisting some of the funniest times & most traumatic moments (yes, there were more tears).

One of the central themes in both parts of the play, if not the (hor)crux, is a father's relationship with their child. To this end the plot kicked up a notch in Part Two as conflict between Harry & Albus became even more acute & so drama heightened.

There was big twist (which I didn't see coming) & couple of flourishes which made this second play as unforgettable as first.

Great acting, great story & a brilliant top-notch production.

A must for any Harry Potter fan.

(Thank you Darce for the cast photo) 

Into the Woods @ Bridge Theatre…

Last Saturday night Jane, Sara, Stuart and I went to see Into the Woods at Bridge Theatre in London’s glitzy Tower Bridge.

Never a fan before now but this Olivier Award winning revival of Stephen Sondheim’s wickedly funny take on fairy tales proves me wrong. It was magic! Even that iffy second act didn’t drag too much. 

Smart witty dark magic.

Lucky to see final night for original cast too!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

@katyfleets @DickLeFenwick @katiebrayben @graciemcgonigal @jofosterr @oliversavile @chumisa.dmay @_bridgetheatre #IntoTheWoods #Theatre

The Authenticator @ Dorfman Theatre…

Last Friday night with Stuart went to see The Authenticator @ Dorfman Theatre in London’s glitzy South Bank. With on-stage seats!

The play is about two Black academics who are given the job of authenticating the diaries of an enslaver. Not a subject to be taken lightly perhaps, but author Winsome Pinnock serves up enslavement legacies with wit sharp enough to draw blood. 

Rakie Ayola, Cherrelle Skeete & Sylvestra Le Touzel spar brilliantly in a modern setting that turns history into a very entertaining reckoning. 

Glitzy ghosts, awkward truths, & laughs you feel slightly guilty about. We loved it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

@rakieayola @cherrelleskeete @sylvestraletouzel @nationaltheatre

#TheAuthenticator #Theatre #London