Theatre visit, coffee cake and ........

Coffee time!  The bathrooms done, the kitchens nearly done and I have washing in the machine!  I now have half an hour’s blogging time!

Well Saturday was a lovely day.  We set off about 11am and it was lovely and sunny.  We caught the train into London and I even braved the underground!  It was only 2 stops, but I hate the tube.  It just feels really claustrophobic to me.  I like to always know my way out and you just don’t on the tube.  Plus, people are always in your “space”.  I hate that, can’t bare having my space invaded!

Simon had got us tickets to see the stage version of Hairspray at the Shaftesbury theatre.  For those that don’t know the story, Hairspray, follows Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart as she sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular dance show. Can this ordinary girl realise her extraordinary dreams, inspire her mum and still have time to win the boy she loves?  Oh yes!  Singing and dancing all the way.  It’s very colourful, all most pantomimish in places.

We had very good seats and thoroughly enjoyed the whole show.  It was exactly one year since they opened so there were a few announcements at the end.  The show stars Michael Ball, one of Britain’s leading musical stars, he plays Tracy’s larger than life mother Edna. Comedian and actor Mel Smith, widely known for his comedy sketch series Smith and Jones, is brilliant in the role of Tracy’s father Wilbur. Leanne Jones is an unknown making her stage debut in the role of Tracy.  She was very, very good. The role of heart throb Link Larkin is played by Ben James-Ellis, who first shot to fame on the reality TV show Any Dream Will Do.

Michael Ball and Mel Smith are brilliant together and in the second half they do a really funny song and dance duet.  It’s hilarious. At one point even they were laughing so much they couldn’t carry on!  It was a really good show that I would recommend.  I was so pleased that we went as we love the theatre and it is years since we went to see a London show.

Here are some images from the show.

 

Shaftesbury Theatre

 

Michael Ball, Mel Smith and Leanne Jones

The finale.

In my first blog today I mentioned that this was a memorable visit to London .... and it was!  The show was memorable but we will remember this visit for another reason which was just as hilarious! Before the show we wanted to have a small bite to eat, not a meal just a coffee and maybe some cake.  We walked up the road searching for somewhere nice.  We found a nice pavement cafe and sat down to enjoy the sun.  While we were waiting to be served we realised that everyone around us had full meals and we thought they probably didn’t do just coffee.  A lot of places in London expect you to order meals at lunch time and don’t serve drinks only.

Simon noticed that just 2 doors along there was a place that said coffee and cake and it looked more or less empty so we thought we would go there instead.  As we entered the place which at that point was totally empty, the waitress/ proprietor greeted us immediately.  We didn’t look around as she was talking.  I asked “do you just serve coffee?  She gave me an odd kind of look and said “yes, coffee, cake and well, just as it says on the menu....”

She said come and look at the cakes and choose they are all home made.  We followed her to the counter still without looking around.  I was vaguely aware that there were book shelves al around but hadn’t actually taken a look.  We ordered a pot of coffee and both chose cakes.   She said “You haven’t been here before have you?”  I thought she meant to London!  I said “We are from Peterborough” and got another odd look!

It was at that point that we turned to find ourselves a table and noticed exactly what was on those book shelves and in the display cases!  Have you ever had cake and coffee in a “Sex” shop?  Well we have!  The show cases were full of, let’s say “marital aids” the book cases full of “Art” books!  It turned out the place is called Coffee Cake and Kink!   You peruse the books and do some reading whilst you drink your coffee! At least that’s what we think you do after she invited us to help ourselves to the kink!!!

It was too late to walk out after having placed an order so we braved it out!  I have to say the coffee was delicious some of the best I have had in a cafe in a long time and the home made cakes were also wonderful.  You just need to keep your eyes on your table!  We did notice that they had a gallery cafe downstairs and we saw people exiting from there but we didn’t venture down to see what happens there! 

So that is my tale!  When people say where did your husband take you for your birthday? I can say for coffee and cake in a sex shop!!!!  He’ll never be able to live it down!   Talk about hicks from the sticks up in the big smoke!  I bet she was laughing at us too!