Jeremy Corbyn...

"Blair to warn that a fully weaponized Jeremy Corbyn could be elected within 45 minutes and so we must invade Islington."

Jeremy Corbyn is our local MP. Tony Blair is not a fan.

Oresteia...

Last night Stuart and I went to see Oresteia at the Almeida Theatre in London's glitzy Islington.

Starring the wonderful Lia Williams as Klytemnestra this is Aeschylus' final and greatest play. And boy it's an epic - three plays back to back - 3 hours and 40 minutes long. But worth every thrilling, chilling, terrifying, bloody moment.

The story is one of a family who are cursed. The parents are at war - in all senses - and only the sacrifice of one of their children can end it. But rather than being the end this is just the beginning of a Greek tragedy that asks whether justice can ever be done.

It is powerful stuff and Robert Icke's production is wonderfully realised and expertly performed. On more than than one occasion it bought a tear to the eye.

Oh and there are tits and willies in it too. What's not to like?

Angel, Islington...

Angel, Islington, Lyons Cafe and Restaurant 1936. The creators of Monopoly shopped for tea there which is why Angel Islington is on the UK version of the board.

Shock Treatment...

Last night Stuart and I went to see new musical Shock Treatment at the Kings Head Theatre in London's glitzy Islington.

Written by the same team (and as a sequel) to The Rocky Horror Show the action takes place in Denton, USA - a small American town where the local television station is putting on increasingly bizarre shows. Rocky hero and heroine Brad and Janet are first exposed to husband and wife co-presenters Ralph and Betty Hapschatt as audience members on their game show Marriage Maze. Brad is soon dragged off by brother and sister doctors Cosmo and Nation McKinley and Janet is given a taste of show-biz as station owner Farley Flavors moulds her into a singing diva superstar.

Dances are danced, songs are sung, clothes are shed. All very Richard O'Brien.

The humour is dark and subversive. Four or five of the songs are good. The rest a bit meh. The whole show simply reeks of Rocky though. Which is a good thing!

Game...

Last night Stuart and I went to see Game at the Almeida Theatre in London's glitzy Islington.

Where to begin?

Think Big Brother (the TV show). Think new house. Think cameras everywhere. Think near-future. Think housing crisis. Think young couple. Think guinea pigs. Think sport. Think shooting people for sport. Think shooting young couple in house for sport. Think clever set. Think hidden audience. Think voyeurism. Think good acting. Think poor idea well executed. Think Charlie Brooker. Think Black Mirror. Think Chris Morris. Think Blue Jam. Think mercifully short.

Think bleak. Bleak house.

Get The Day Right!...

Opps. Someone at Transport for London, Islington Council or Arsenal FC can't get the day right. Arsenal FC vs Everton FC ‪#‎AFCvEFV‬ is on SUNDAY 1st March 2015 not 'SATURDAY' 1st March 2015 ‪#‎tfl‬ ‪#‎arsenal‬ ‪#‎islington‬

LeCoq...

"...at LeCoq – we have been told that we have “enhanced” the neighbourhood. That means everything to us."

Too right ladies - our favourite local restaurant in Islington.

Our Town...

Last night Stuart and I went to see Our Town performed at the Almeida Theatre in London's glitzy Islington.

In 1946, the Soviet Union prevented a production of Our Town in the Russian sector of occupied Berlin "on the grounds that the drama is too depressing and could inspire a German suicide wave."

Well, I guess people were easier to depress back then. **Spoiler alert** Not everyone makes to through Act III.

Thornton Wilder's play often gets described as "stark, pure and unforgettable theatre" what with it's post-modern fourth wall-breaking Stage Manager character addressing the audience directly and sign-posting the hum-drum plot with the subtly of a peacock on the pull.

We beg to differ.

For us the play certainly was "stark" - as per the stage directions there was little by way of props or scenery. As for "pure" - it was certainly purely an actor's play in as much as we could see why actors would like to be in it. They have to pretend to wash up, delivery milk, eat food, etc. A sort of miming workshop. Very drama school. But as for "unforgettable" we do have to disagree. The plainly told story of a small out of the way American town is utterly unremarkable. People go about their lives, go to school, people get married, bring up kids. We get it. And then when people die they didn't realise what they had until it was gone. We really do get it.

Now this Almeida production was good. But only "good". Any ensemble piece like Our Town requires top notch actors in every role and here one or two just weren't up to scratch.

Sad, really as maybe the short-comings of the play could have been made up by better acting by some of the cast.

Another rather disappointing piece from the Almeida . Luckily not as awful as Mr Burns though.

Matthew Bourne's The Lord Of The Flies...

Last Friday Stuart and I went to see Matthew Bourne's The Lord Of The Flies at The Sadler's Wells in London's glitzy Islington.

Using twenty-two locally auditioned young dancers, Matthew Bourne’s touring production vividly displays the children’s descent from innocence to their baser instincts.

William Golding’s novel has been tweaked a little so that the boys have become stranded not on an island but in an abandoned theatre - the clothes rails taking the role of the bushes and trees and a drum stick for the conch shell.

It was by turns exciting, entertaining and visceral as the regimented school boys gradually descend into savagery.

Maybe not up there with Bourne's great works but as an outreach project it's a triumph.

Highly recommended.

Birthday / The Cuban Brothers...

Last Friday it was my birthday and Simon treated Hayley, Jo, Charlotte, Stuart and I to a night out at The Old Queen's Head in glitzy Islington to see The Cuban Brothers.

We went out to Brown's first for a meal.

The Bros were great and we had a rare old time.

Mr Burns...

Last night Stuart and I went to see Mr Burns - a new post-electric play by Anne Washburn - at the Almeida Theatre in London's glitzy Islington.

We had high hopes having recently seen American Psycho, 1984 and Charles III there. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. What a load of crap.

The play was in three acts.
Act I - boring
Act II - underwritten
Act II - waste of talent

Act I
Set in a post-apocalyptic world a group of survivors sit around a camp fire trying to remember the details of The Simpsons episode Cape Feare. A rather good episode that we were personally very familiar with having recently watched it and being big Simpsons fans ourselves. Occasionally they are joined by another survivor who they welcome by reading aloud names of ten missing people who they are looking for. They then return to trying to remember The Simpsons episode. Forty minutes later they are still doing the same thing. And? We get it!

A few people left at the first interval shaking their heads.

Act II
Seven years later the same survivors are performing various Simpsons episodes for money as a travelling troup. They buy lines from episodes to use in their show. They also perform the adverts between the shows. Good idea. Woefully underwritten though. It should have been funny, clever and insightful. It was none of these. It was frustrating, over-long and repetitive. Audience members near us were sighing, tutting and yawning. Which is a mean trick if you can do all three at once.

Most people on our row left at the second interval. We were tempted.

Act III
Seventy-five years later The Simpsons has become a cult / an opera / a performance. It has taken over the lives of the performers. And it is crushingly embarrassing. The squandering of the obvious talents of the actors, technicians, wardrobe, make-up and other professional people involved at the theatre was shameful. I was embarrassed for everyone involved. How this show ever got made is astonishing. I have seen some awful productions on the stage - very few of which I've wanted to walk out of - but this was the worst. By far. We couldn't even bring ourselves to laugh at it - as many people around us were. We were just sad.

Putting on such awful rubbish hurts the Almeida Theatre brand (we'll think twice about booking there again), The Simpsons brand (how did they every agree to it?) and the night's out at the theatre in general. Stay in and watch TV folks - when it's good TV is better written and presents ideas in a more cohesive way than this tosh.

Avoid.

Olivier Dubois Company’s Tragédie...

Last Friday night Stuart, Darren and I went to see Olivier Dubois Company’s Tragédie at the Sadler’s Wells in London’s glitzy Islington.

Consisting of three parts; it was in turns repetitive, desensitising, hypnotic, visceral, a little bit rude. Nine men, nine women and not a stitch on.

Initially all the naked dancers did was walk from the back of the stage directly to the front of the stage and turned on the heels to repeat the process once again. This was performed to a dull thumping bass line. After half an hour we kind of got it. We were desensitising to the nudity.

As the piece progressed to the later stages however things got more interesting. The dancers started to twitch. And jump. And move in diagonals. The music got more chaotic and the movement reflected this. Soon the piece became more tribal with a wild pumping beat and the dancers started to synchronise their pulsating actions.

By the final section the dancers were performing to a thumping techno beat and hectic, vibrant dancing ended up as writhing around on stage in an ecstatic orgy of humping flesh.

We loved it.


Teaser Tragedie from Tommy Pascal on Vimeo.

(Possible) Arsenal Victory Parade – 18th May 2014...

Hey Norwich FC! Don't rain on our (possible) parade!

https://www.islington.gov.uk/islington/news-events/council-news/Pages/Arsenal-parade.aspx

Author: Communications
Arsenal FC will be playing in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday 17 May. If they win, a celebratory parade will take place in Islington the following day, Sunday 18 May 2014. 

This will be an exciting day for the borough and if the parade goes ahead we are expecting large crowds to want to celebrate with the team. The council will be working closely with Arsenal FC and police to ensure that if the parade goes ahead it is a safe and enjoyable event.

To help us to coordinate this there will be a number of road closures, parking restrictions and changes to public transport, in and around the parade route. Whether you are hoping to come to watch the parade or whether you live, or run a business locally, read on for more information to help you plan for the day.

You may also want to check Arsenal FC's website, www.arsenal.com for updates too.

Timetable and route

The players will travel from the Emirates Stadium to Islington Town Hall, Upper Street and back in two open top buses. The approximate timings are listed below:

11am: the parade starts next to the stadium at Drayton Park, by Martineau Road. From here the players will travel in open top buses along Drayton Park, Aubert Park, Highbury Park, Highbury Grove, St Paul’s Road and into Upper Street.
12noon: the parade will arrive at the Town Hall, where there will be a short appearance by the players outside.  This will be followed by a closed reception in Islington Assembly Hall, before the parade returns back to the stadium.
2pm: there will be a team appearance on the Emirates Stadium podium.  Viewing will be from the area in front of the Armoury store and the adjacent street.
3pm: the celebration ends.
Road closures and parking

If the parade happens, there will be road closures and parking restrictions on the route of the parade from 9am. 

We expect all restrictions to be lifted by 3pm. This is apart from those in the area around the Emirates Stadium which should be lifted by 5pm. 

A map of the route and road closures will be available here shortly.

If the road you live or work on is closed, access will not be possible after 9am until the parade is over, so please make extra allowances for this. Residents parking restrictions will apply as normal.

Public transport

A large number of people will want to travel to the area, so it is likely that there will be delays and changes to public transport. 

Many buses will be diverted and London Underground will be making special arrangements to accommodate the crowds, but you should expect disruption to all forms of public transport for much of the day.

It is also expected that Holloway Road station will be closed for access from 2pm to 4pm. 

If you are planning to travel through the area we would advise that you leave extra time for your journey and avoid using transport around the main parade areas.

You can find up to date information about any changes to public transport on the day at www.tfl.gov.uk

Safety at the parade

If the parade takes place, the priority will be making sure residents, visitors and property are safe. Special arrangements have been made for the day and there will be stewards and police on hand to assist us in managing the event.

We will be putting up barriers and cordons to help manage crowds and protect property. Please be vigilant and consider your own safety and the safety of others around you:

Don’t bring any glass or alcohol with you. Islington is a Controlled Drinking Zone, meaning drinking on the street is not allowed and if the police or stewards see you you may be asked to pour it away.
Check the weather. If it is hot make sure you take precautions, wear sunscreen and bring water to keep well hydrated.
Don't climb on walls, fences and roofs to get it a better view. It is dangerous and you will be able to see the parade easily from the ground.
Avoid bringing very small children, or buggies and prams with you. It will be very crowded, difficult to manoeuvre and may be scary for young children. 
If you live along or near the route please take reasonable steps to protect your own property. If anyone tries to use your property to see the parade, or if you witness something you feel is dangerous notify the nearest police officer or stewards, or call us on 020 7527 2000.

Clean up 

We will have extra resources available to clean the streets of litter and debris and remove the barriers once the parade is over. Our aim is to get the streets clean and back to normal as quickly as possible after the event.

Contacts

This webpage will be kept up-to-date with useful information about the parade. You can also check our frequently asked questions if you can't find what you need here.

Alternatively, if you have a specific query about these arrangements, please call Contact Islington on 020 7527 2000 or email contact@islington.gov.uk.

Highbury East Ward...

So far today I've had knocks on the door from the Greens and the Torys canvassing for votes for the upcoming local elections for Highbury East Ward. Both with clipboards. Which I hate.

Greens: Cheap green pully, big green rosette, bad hair, glasses, massive grin and yellow teeth. She made me laugh though.
Torys: A blue suit, no tie, unpolished brown Brogues and two middle names. I wanted to punch him after 60 seconds. Kept talking about "Dave" and calling me "John" and saying what a disaster Labour had been for Islington residents. I shut the dooor in his face.
Labour: No sign of them yet - probably think they'll walk it. Champagne Socialists need a hug too, you know.
UKIP: No sign of them knocking either. I have a kettle of boiling water ready in case they do. (And no, not to make them tea!)

I'm old school Champagne Socialist, me. I remember when the LibDems seized power. Upper Street became a war zone. I was there manning the barricades during the Pimento Riots in the spring of '96. And later that summer little Islington urchins were seen scavenging the streets looking for sun-blushed tomatoes. Dark days indeed. Let's hope they never return. Vote early! Vote often! Vote Labour!

1984...

Last Thursday Stuart and I went to see 1984 at the Almeida Theatre in London's glitzy Islington. It was a slightly confusing production as it repeated traveled from a book reading club in 2050 back to the events of 1984 and back again without much indication of the time jump.

There was no interval so the production had a chance to ramp up the tension as Winston Smith gradually began to realise the doublethink/thoughtcrime/newspeak hell he was living in. The final half a hour got quite harrowing with the torture scene although we were assured no rats were harmed in the making of the show.

My review: Brave but rather confusing.

Sparks: The Revenge of Two Hands One Mouth...

The other week Simon and I went to see Sparks perform their show The Revenge Of Two Hands One Mouth at the Union Chapel in London's glitzy Islington. Similar to the show we saw the other year. This pew ain't big enough for the both of us!

It was Ok I guess. Sadly no Beat The Clock or Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth. The sound was pretty atrocious too. Sort it our Union Chapel!

West Side Story...

Last weekend Stu, Myrtle, Dad and I went to see the musical West Side Story performed at the Sadler's Wells Theatre in London's glitzy Islington.

The production didn't mess with it in any way - much to our relief - so we were treated to Jerome Robbins original stylish choreography, Leonard Bernstein's glorious (if a little over zealously played) music and Stephen Sondheim's spot on lyrics. We loved it.

My only quibble was perhaps that 56 years on from its Broadway premiere some of the language in West Side Story now seems very dated "man" "you dig" and the shock value of the action isn't there quite so much. Perhaps a production with a contemporary twist could be welcomed - it hasn't done source material Romeo and Juliette any harm.

The performances were all excellent though. The America cast that has been touring with this production can sing, act and boy can they dance. Stand out for me was Penelope Armstead-Williams as Anita - a role that we can all fall in love with. She is Puerto Rican, proud but in love with America.

If you get a chance - go see.

London Map 1843...

B.R. Davies made detailed maps of London from about 1840 to 1869, and this is one of his earliest. Buildings, parks, roads, bridges, and important sites are identified. The map was published separately and also appeared in a two volume atlas titled Map of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, 1844.

This is a zoom in on where I live in Islington.

http://rumsey.geogarage.com/maps/g0890184.html

Olympic Torch Relay...

At 8am this morning the Olympic Torch Relay rolled past Highbury Corner. We, along with the massed crowds of Islington, went mad for it. It was like a jamobree. Great fun.

Matthew Bourne: Play Without Words...

Last night Stu and I went to see Matthew Bourne's Play Without Words at the Sadler's Wells in London's glitzy Islington.

Inspired by Joseph Lesley's film The Servant Play Without Words is set in early 1960s London. Using the ingenious trick of having up to three identical looking people play each part at the same time we get treated to what is, what was and what might have been been all at the same time. It's a sort of bewitching multiverse with three parallel streams playing out together.

We have the master, his servant and his new lady all at each others trousers and throats in tripicate. A trio of thugs and brace of housemaids add to the wonderful commotion. A revolving set, night club, gay pub - the action dances upstairs and downstairs as the tables are turned and turned again.

We loved it. It is original, sexy, witty, vibrant and funny. If you get a chance to go, do!