F***ing it up

In charge of Sunday's entertainment, I decided upon the Comedy Store. Controversial, I know, but if you've never seen the Comedy Store Players (including Josie Lawrence and Paul Merton) then you really ought to go. My friend had never seen the Comedy Store Players. I decided we really ought to go.

Only thing is, if you do decide to see the Comedy Store Players, it's probably better to book tickets in advance. Yes, unless you physically go to the box office, you do end up paying a stupid booking fee, but, as we discovered, this is marginally better than queueing outside for forty-five minutes, and still not getting in.

Still, I made amends this evening and we went to see Whipping it Up at the theatre. (OK, this may have happened as a cock-up as I thought I'd booked the tickets for the Sunday evening. Shut up.) I wanted to see the play for many reasons, all of them cast-related. Richard Wilson is always worth his salt, Robert Bathurst I may have had a small crush on from his Joking Apart days, Lee Ross was in the sublime Press Gang, Kellie Bright (who appears to have lost half her body weight) I remember from The Upper Hand, but most excitingly (for me) was Helen Schlesinger. Not many other people will know who she is. I expect her own family might forget from time to time.

But for me, in the summer of 1998, Helen Schlesinger was the most perfect Viola in the most perfect production of Twelfth Night (what an awful lot of italics) that I've ever seen. I remember waiting for her at the stage door to get her autograph, and being flattered when she discussed with me the changes in the production from when I'd first seen it earlier in the year, through to its closing night that day. I might have been slightly more geeky than the average 18 year-old. This isn't the place to discuss that.

I've been lucky enough to catch Helen Schlesinger in a couple of things in London over the last few years, and she's always excellent. Whipping it Up is worth seeing if you like political satire, Press Gang or are a fan of archived RSC productions.

Hope that helps.