Sunday 29 May 2022

Saturday 28th May 2022

Woke around 0500...took a while to nod back off again. Got up around 1000. Porridge for breakfast. Aki made some pea and ham soup, as I planned to take a portion in with me to have between shows. Had an early light lunch, then drove to Stoke Newington for the final two shows. About 50 turned up for the matinee, and seemed to enjoy themselves...bit quiet in places, but were very enthusiastic at the curtain call. Pete had come over from Farnham (he played Sebastian to my Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Malta 40 years ago), and Jane Ely came with her partner, Ian. Jane had done SM work at the Tower when I was there some 40 years ago, so it was great to get her and Pete together after all this time. Me old flatmate Chris came too....it was his first Shakespeare experience! He appeared to have just about survived it. I couldn't hang around long to chat, as I needed to go back to the dressing room to steam my vocal cords prior to the final show. Our biggest audience yet...about 70 in tonight...including, unbeknownst to me, Kath and Jim, who had travelled done secretly on the train from Newcastle. I came out into the bar after the show to find them sitting in the bar! Lovely surprise. We had a quick drink in the bar, but I had to get back upstairs to muck in with the get out, so Aki drove them back to ours and sorted their bedding arrangements out, before driving back to the theatre to pick me up, by which time we had finished clearing the set away, and were tucking into the homemade sushi she'd brought earlier. Had to stay in the bar for a little while for some presentations and thank you's to various members of the creative team who had helped put the show together, so didn't get home until 0200. Could hear Jim snoring from the spare bedroom...

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