Open-air magic

What a great evening! A picnic in Regent's Park followed by my first visit to the Open Air Theatre there. It's a fantastic setting in the midst of green trees and fairy lights. As the seats were filled, I spotted my neighbour walking up the steps towards me. I waved, but he didn't see me. I then thought that perhaps he was in character and I really shouldn't distract him (I discovered later that it would have been fine to chat to him then). The stage was clear, with just a tree in the middle of it. As the play began, supposed members of the audience, including my neighbour, stood up one by one to set the scene as narrators. Then they made their way down to the stage and began drawing out houses on the stage with chalk. Soon a street was mapped and players found their places within individual houses. It's visually very effective, but also so interesting to watch the interaction between the actors as they threw chalk from one to another and helped each other into various costumes - all part of the play.

The performance was fabulous. It's on until 15 June and if you're in London and can get a ticket, do go and see it. You may even hear owls hooting and elephants trumpeting (I thought I was mistakenly hearing things, but then I remembered that the zoo is nearby).

To Kill A Mockingbird