Anarchy and Beauty

What a wonderful day it's been! Spokes has whisked me away to London for an early birthday present and my feet haven't touched the ground!

Actually, that's not quite true. My feet have done plenty of walking as we wandered along the South Bank for a couple of hours, taking in the sights, stopping off at The Globe theatre and Tate Modern and watching the skateboarders by the National Theatre before heading over Waterloo Bridge to the National Portrait Gallery to see two exhibitions. We both loved 'Anarchy and Beauty: William Morris and his legacy, 1860-1960' and the 2014 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize exhibition and had loads to discuss afterwards. But the highlight of the day was a surprise that Spokes sprang on me... Tickets to see 'The Scottsboro Boys' at The Garrick!

Spokes is well aware of my love for the musicals of Kander and Ebb - what's not to love about Cabaret and Chicago?! But I was completely blown away by this present. And the music and performance were simply breathtaking.

The true story of the Scottsboro Boys - although it happened in the 1930s - is still all too tragically relevant today when African American men are still massively over-represented in US prisons, still the victims of legal injustice and still dying at the hands of the police. Not only that but the musical touches on anti-Semitism and sexual politics. Again, still all too topical.

As with Cabaret, the songs and the way they're performed manage to pull off the tough trick of being joyous, moving and celebratory whilst also dealing with ugliness and the very worst aspects of human nature. It all also made me reflect on William Morris's belief in promoting beauty and the best of what humans are capable of.

The Scottsboro boys were not officially pardoned by the Governor of Alabama until 2013, 82 years after a massive miscarriage of justice. All 9 of them had their lives utterly ruined but the show ends with the moment Rosa Parks sparked a turning point in the Civil Rights movement and we left the theatre in tears but in hope.

Thank you, Spokes, for a very special day.