I find the faded splendours of Wilton's irresistible; and the blurb in the Metro promised that 'Wink the Other Eye' would recreate a night at the Victorian Music Hall: what a combination! I was hooked.
Wilton's is just off Cable Street, so it's not hard to get to. Except when you try to get the TfL Planner to help. I really only wanted it to tell me how long the journey was going to take. I just cut-and-paste the postcode from the theatre's website into the planner and see what it offers. Well! No matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't let me go to Tower Gateway on the DLR. Now I happened to know that's the nearest station to Wilton's, 'cos I've been there before. Even when I explicitly asked to go from Lewisham to Tower Gateway, it produced the most grotesque recommendations. "Is there something wrong with Tower Gateway?" I eventually asked myself. Well, actually I asked Google, and it found someone to tell me: TfL, would you believe? "It's closed for improvements" TfL told me. It could, maybe have got its journey planner to say, don't you think? So I asked to go to Shadwell (just about as close) and suddenly all was sweetness and light. Actually, if you go to Shadwell, you get signposts to Wilton's all the way, so it might be slightly closer.
I don't think the TfL Journey Planner likes me. I certainly don't like it.
The DLR does now seem to be in some disarray. I'm glad I don't rely on it to get to work. I think they're extending all the platforms, so I guess they're planning longer trains. And there is a rather poor shuttle service from Lewisham to Island Gardens where you have to change.
This play really is a hugely enjoyable Music-Hall-fest. The seven-man cast play the staff, the audience, and all the stars, from Champagne Charlie to Nellie Wallace; singing all those songs where everybody knows the words (although they did provide a rather redundant song sheet). The Chairman gave a bravura performance, dragging us willy-nilly from scene to scene. And I had a whale of a time.
I particularly enjoyed a splendid rendition of 'Father, Dear Father" a Victorian Temperance song I discovered many years ago. I long ago intended to get my daughter to come down the pub and sing it to me when it was time to leave. But I never had the nerve to actually ask her. It really is a terrific song.
There are two or three OK pubs in Lehman Street, but it was one of my off-nights, so I wended my way back to Shadwell with only all those wonderful old songs for company.
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