What do you do when London is ablaze with riots? You go to Burnt Oak. Well you do if you are me. Not the place, the West End show at the Leicester Square Theatre. The play is written by Laurence Lynch, ex resident of Burnt Oak and plumber to the stars. I've already chronicled how I know Laurence. Tonight I went to see his masterpiece. I didn't quite know what to expect, but from the first moments of it's opening, to the sounds of Wire's "I am the fly", I knew I would connect with the play.
The (anti) hero of the play, Nobby, reminds me of me in some ways as a youth. The play is sort of loosely set when I was a teenager in Burnt Oak. Like Nobby, at the time I was a trainee painter and decorator. Many aspects of the play spookily mirrored some of my own experiences, from the monster of a girlfriends father (I'm not refering to my father in law here, a long ago ex), to the references to drunken exploits in the Beehive. Whilst it had a special resonance for me, for those who weren't raised in the locality would still "get it".
I won't spoil the plot, other than to say the audience was engrossed for the full two hours. I went with Mrs T (Wife, not blogger) and two friends. They didn't have the same misspent youth as me, but were equally taken. The cast were all excellent, but special note must be made of Jason Wing as George. He is truly scary and really deserves a wider audience for his talents. I think Burnt Oak - Life and Death in London Town would translate to both the small and large screen.
I also managed to have a chat with the author, who was in attendance. I'm chuffed for him. It is a very powerful play, with lots of dark humour and the odd slapstick moment. He deserves to do well.
I must say that Soho was quiet and the journey home was peaceful and subdued. Life goes on.
The (anti) hero of the play, Nobby, reminds me of me in some ways as a youth. The play is sort of loosely set when I was a teenager in Burnt Oak. Like Nobby, at the time I was a trainee painter and decorator. Many aspects of the play spookily mirrored some of my own experiences, from the monster of a girlfriends father (I'm not refering to my father in law here, a long ago ex), to the references to drunken exploits in the Beehive. Whilst it had a special resonance for me, for those who weren't raised in the locality would still "get it".
I won't spoil the plot, other than to say the audience was engrossed for the full two hours. I went with Mrs T (Wife, not blogger) and two friends. They didn't have the same misspent youth as me, but were equally taken. The cast were all excellent, but special note must be made of Jason Wing as George. He is truly scary and really deserves a wider audience for his talents. I think Burnt Oak - Life and Death in London Town would translate to both the small and large screen.
I also managed to have a chat with the author, who was in attendance. I'm chuffed for him. It is a very powerful play, with lots of dark humour and the odd slapstick moment. He deserves to do well.
I must say that Soho was quiet and the journey home was peaceful and subdued. Life goes on.
Hi
ReplyDeleteHow can u contact the writer,have a few questions.
regards Nobbys best friend