Being on ESA doesn't exactly lend itself to going to the theatre

Kate Grace

Being on ESA doesn’t exactly lend itself to going to the theatre. So, it came as a welcome surprise to be invited to go to see a play at the King’s Head Theatre in Islington with other SHPers.

When we arrived at this north London fringe venue the friendly bar staff even offered us a complimentary lime and soda which certainly helped with feeling less awkward amongst the fee-paying, hard-drinking hipsters who’d come to see David K. O’Hara’s new play The Upstairs Room.

The set lent itself perfectly to what was billed as An Apocalyptic Love Story. With a couple of old sofas and  just a curtain to protect one’s privacy in the toilet department, we were effectively locked in a bleak attic with an end-of- the-world soundtrack adding to the ambiguity of what was happening outside this godforsaken garret that time forgot.

The plot, such as it was, involved Gordon, an American writer, paying good money to be protected from “them” before he could be smuggled out of London to the safety of the US.

 

With forged papers, meagre rations, a sneering hotel manager, a volatile daughter and a mystery blonde for love interest, The Upstairs Room was like an evening of Kafka meets Anne Frank.  An atmospheric, intelligently written play that compelled its audience to imagine how past and present relationships can so easily can get mixed up.

Thought-provoking? Certainly. A Hollywood ending with songs from the shows? What do you think?

 

The real beauty though was how good it felt to get out of the usual Friday night routine to go to live theatre. So thanks SHP for the invite.