Old Friends

We left the house just after 6pm, making our way to The Criterion Theatre to see The Way Old Friends Do. Everything was going well until we’d crossed Trafalgar Square, coming from Northumberland Avenue and skirting the bottom of the square. As we approached the end of, what used to be called Lower Regent Street, the heavens opened and it was a torrential downpour. Neither of us had an umbrella so we took shelter in a doorway as the streets very quickly filled with water.  I initially, I made the mistake of standing on the pavement (and not on the step) and, when I looked down, the bottom of my trousers were getting soaked while my top half was reasonably dry.

The rain did ease, but did not stop, so we had to rush up Regent Street St James, as it’s now called, to Piccadilly. The queue to get inside was very short. I suspect everybody was in a hurry to get in and out of the rain.

I’d forgotten what a beautiful theatre it is. It’s owned by  The Criterion Theatre Trust, making it one of the few independent theatres in London’s West End. The Trust have spent a long time on conservation of this beautiful theatre. I can only recall having been here a few times, in April 2016 we saw The Comedy About A Bank Robbery and, I think back in 2008 we saw The 39 Steps. 

The synopsis for the current production is

In 1988, two school friends tentatively come out to one another: one as gay, the other - more shockingly - as an ABBA fan. Nearly thirty years later, a chance meeting sets them on a brand-new path and they decide to form the world's first ABBA tribute band - in drag! But can their friendship survive the tribulations of a life on the road which includes platform boots, fake beards and a distractingly attractive stranger? Simultaneously tender and laugh- out loud funny, this heartfelt story will appeal to anyone who understands how it feels to be a fan: of ABBA or of anyone.

It well done. I found the second half much darker and I, to some extent, felt like a different story but, overall, it was a lovely way to spend the evening. And they actually use some of ABBA’s music which is fantastic.

Afterwards, bumped into Phil & Wei right outside the theatre, confirmed plans for Sunday