Nanki-Poo

On Saturday to the Coliseum for our first experience of a full-on Gilbert & Sullivan: 'The Mikado', having been attracted by an advertisment in some newspaper or other before Christmas. My own prior experience amounted to an amateur performance many years ago, while BH could boast rather more, including some touring shows with FIL. FIL was very into it, as were his brother and sister-in-law, both of whom were very into performing G&S and clones (the second being a way to avoid the performing rights charges on the first, charges which were significant for amateurs. And there were rain coated sleuths who checked that the clones were not too like the original).

So lots of preparation indicated, which in my case took the form of perusing various Wikipedia entries on the  subject and in BH's of taking a look at one of her (two) DVD's. I learn that 'The Mikado' was something of a smash hit in its day, with a record breaking run and with hundreds of companies, amateur and professional, putting in on in outposts of empire and around the world generally.

First impressions of the Coliseum good. Natty DIY arrangements for leaving ones' coats which, as it turned out, were not crowded on exit and yielded a profit of £1, a neighbour having omitted to recover his or her deposit from the arrangement. Auditorium looking much brighter and grander than I remember, although it has been quite soon time since we were last there and I think there has been a refurb. in the interval. Fairly full house, not dressy (so my new-to-me cardy was not out of place), mixed ages (so not all fellow pensioners turned out for the matinée) plus a noticeable number of young children, the opera presumably substituted for the Christmas pantomime. Again, as it turned out, I wondered whether they thought the substitution was a good wheeze. The opera did not, it seemed to me, have much to offer for children, beyond the excitement of a grand and crowded theatre.

I thought that the show itself was showing its age, and while it was slick, I thought it lacked the verve that the restoration company had brought to the DVD in the early 80's. It also lacked the silly costumes, being firmly set in the time of Poirot and involving a great deal of white paint. I liked the second half better than the first and, for me, the man of the match was the Mikado himself, who managed to bring the right touch of silliness to his performance.

The infantile names - one of which is the heading of this post - were perhaps appropriate given that they were conceived around the time that the pétomane was active, also a time when most people did not have internal sanitation. Broad jokes quite the thing. But perhaps we have now moved on.

The show was the most expensive we had ever been too. Good to have been, but not sure that I would go again. We shall see.

Back to Waterloo over the eastern walkway attached to Hungerford Bridge, with eastern London looking spiffing in the early evening light. Lots of illuminations. Shard looking good, National Theatre looking good. With a full moon over all, disappearing behind a cloud when we were half way across.

Couple of cakes to take home from the market behind the Festival Hall then on to the fine new mezzanine at Waterloo where we took refreshment at a café awash with fake. A serving counter with tiles and trestles. Homely wooden eating tables. Generally kitted up to look artisanale and apple pie, this despite it being brand new and being perched above the Waterloo concourse. But that said, we had a perfectly decent banana cup cake with a glass of perfectly decent house wine.