Getaway

It might still be mild temperatures in London today, but the wind and rain are typically autumnal - and needless to say the spaces in the garden I cleared yesterday are once again covered in leaf slime...

Sigh.

Hey ho - Our Sal, Hils, History Boy, Madam Arcati and I are off to Ally Pally for Sondheim on Sondheim later, and, it being an early evening show we're gathering in the local Wood Green Wetherspoons for lunch. We make our own "silk purses out of sow's ears", as the saying goes!

Whenever the weather turns, our thoughts turn to jetting away from it all. And yes, we have booked our next jaunt to Spain - although we do have to wait until February for that. And we'll be flying EasyJet, not Quantas in the early 1970s, unfortunately:

Soft Tempo Lounge - Flight '70

It's been a while since we've wallowed in the cavorting of glamorous people in exotic locations, courtesy of the faboo Soft Tempo Lounge, has it not, dear reader? Note to self: must. do. this. more. often.

[Music: Peter Moore Orchestra - Sunday's Child]

Come Fly With Me

[click to embiggen]

It's warm and muggy in London and, despite the threat of disruption at the airports, many people are looking forward to getting away from it all...

...via "Soft Tempo Lounge Airways", perhaps?

Soft Tempo Lounge - On Board Service

The only way to fly.

[Music: The Flying Dutchmen (Pete Moore) - Sunday's Child]

I'm about to lose control and I think I like it

This "new improved [sic] Blogger interface" is pissing me off - another old blog post (this time from Saturday) has moved itself for some incomprehensible reason to the top of the Reading List! I have reported this (twice) to the gnomes at Google, but I very much doubt there'll be a swift response...

Sigh.

Never mind, even if it is likely to be a wet and mizzly one, there is another weekend looming, today is pay day, and I am off to the first (socially distanced) Polari since February (this time at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern as the Southbank Centre remains closed) tonight!

Time to get the party started, methinks. We may not be able to go there at the moment, given the circumstances, but what better way to open the celebrations that with the campest flight to Spain ever - and ¡Gracias Disco, es viernes!

Almodóvar - I'm So Excited

Have a great weekend, dear reader!

[Feliz cumpleaños, Señor Almodóvar!]

Feckity Feckity Feckity Feckity Feckity Feckity Feckity Feck

A Ryanair passenger has confirmed he would not mind being forcibly dragged off.

Wedged in a stained middle seat the size of a pizza box, Tom Booker has been idly fantasising about being forcibly removed from the plane and saved from a two-hour sweaty ordeal.

Booker said: “It’s only a boring work trip, and a couple of minutes of pain and humiliation are definitely better than being treated like a battery-farmed hen and trying to ignore my neighbour’s body odor while cabin crew try and make you buy a £30 cheese roll.

“At this stage I’d happily accept being dragged by my neck down the aisle rather than have to take this flight.

“I’d try and open the emergency exit and slide to freedom, but the cruel irony is I’m far too boxed in to get anywhere near it.”

Crew member Emma Bradford said: “Mr Booker tried to cause a disturbance by letting out a blood-curdling yell and banging his head repeatedly against the seat in front.

“I don’t think he realises that we’re Ryanair, that’s just normal behaviour for us. When he manages to get out on the wing with a bottle of Smirnoff, then we’ll talk.”

The Daily Mash

Of course.

[And in case you do decide to brave the in-flight food - here's a salutary warning.]

I think there is no excuse but to re-visit an old favourite - by Fascinating Aida (who else?):

Fascinating Aida - Cheap Flights

Begorrah.

Blow, don't suck

What a joyful surprise the brand new show Mile High turned out to be last night!

Madam Arcati, Russ, Joe, Paul and I crossed town to the unusual and bijou LOST Theatre near Vauxhall - our first time at this off-off-off-West End venue - tempted by the prospect of a comic musical about trolly-dollies (especially as Joe is one), and an evening of campness. We weren't disappointed.

The blurb alone is enticing:

"...come on an emotional journey with Chief Flight Attendant ‘Richi’ Richenda as she attempts to 'supersede the limitations that stereotyping has put on the roles of women in the aviation industry' while fighting off all the men in her life!

Will she succeed in her desire to become a pilot, or will she be distracted by the charms of the suave Captain Fantastico? And will her slightly-buff colleague Taylor succeed in his bet to make Icarus Royal Airlines [unfortunate in its acronym "IRA"] Small Mediterranean Airline of the Year, whilst getting off with Super-Trolly-Dolly Clinton from Fantasy Airways into the bargain?"

It was even funnier than that description - the intertwining (and intentionally ludicrous) sub-plots involving Richi's unfortunate attempt at being a pilot (shades of Airport), the bitchy rivalry between trolly-dolly teams, the mystery of the identity of Richi's father (deliberate nod to Mamma Mia there, methinks), the dangers of having a Greek mother-in-law, and even Kylie's gold shorts(!) all coming together in a traditional happy denouement (panto-style).

And that is the secret, I think, of why it worked so well - Mile High is, to all intents and purposes, a traditional pantomime, albeit with a modern twist. It has its moments of villainy (boo!), pathos (aww!) and romance (ooo!). It has mistaken identities, unbelievable coincidences, in-jokes, audience interaction (the flight safety demonstration next to our seats) and innuendo - and even a (albeit in this cast, female) dame!

The cast was marvellous - the two leads Ritchi (Jessica Sherman) and Taylor (Ralph Bogard) have excellent voices; the vampish plastic surgery-addicted Maroulla (Cristina Dohmen) was superb; the ultra-cute boys, Clinton (Alex Beaumont) and Zee (Tom Norman) in particular, made our eyes pop out on stalks; and Anne Smith as the Greek Mama was a true diva. The songs were great. The entire ensemble sang, danced and camped it up perfectly.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, despite the abysmal sound quality in this lecture-room-style auditorium - and I think, with a little fine-tuning, it could go places.

Mile High is on at the LOST Theatre until 24th March 2013 - catch it if you can!

Here are early try-out versions of two songs from the show...

Mile High ("BA Bride") musical

Mile High ("BA Bride") - Greek Mamma Mia

Mile High Musical website

And I just cant hide it

Having finally been restored - after almost 48 hours - to the wonders of the interwebs this afternoon, courtesy of a nice young gentleman from Virgin Media with nimble fingers, I note that no-one missed me.

Hey ho.



On checking things that may have passed me by while away, I stumbled across this fab - if brief - trailer for the new movie by that camp Spanish genius Pedro Almodóvar.

It's called I'm So Excited. It's a musical. It is set in the midst of a mid-air disaster. It's lead characters are trolley-dollies. Antonio Banderas is in it. It just has to be good!

Almodovar - I'm So Excited

I'm So Excited on IMDB.