Goodbye, Picadilly; Farewell, Leicester Square

So I'm leaving the good city of London for a whole month. This will be my third Edinburgh Festival running. One might question why I spend so much time on the Fringe, in answer to which I would say this: Stuff on the Fringe is generally more interesting in terms of ambition; after this year's fest, hopefully I'll start getting some paid work; the festival is an experience like no other. By the end of last year we were all exhausted, but, upon arrival back in the Big Smoke, we all, without exception, wanted to go back.

Anyway, thanks to all those who've wished me well for the month ahead, and if any of you (who I haven't already bugged you about) happen to be in the area during August, my shows run as follows:

The Seagull by Chekhov: 11.00, C Main, Chambers Street
Crime & Punishment by Dostoyevsky: 23.15, C Central, North Bridge.

As you may observe from those times, these will be long days. I shall have to limit my drinking to a meagre three hours a night. Also, I won't have regular internet access, so I won't be able to blog very much while up there, but I'll do my best to check in.

Cheers!
Corin
-Work is the curse of the drinking classes.

A note of controversy

I've been reading in several papers lately (especially in 'Letters to the Editor') about different views of muslim women wearing the burqa. A few worries about how ubiquitous is the sight here in London.

Not having much better to do on the bus I've been thinking about this, and here are my thoughts:

I have no problem at all with people wearing any kind of clothing in public, although I'd usually frown upon something displaying expletives in large letters (not because I'm at all offended by swearing, but I'm aware that other people are).

However, the covering of the face disturbs me somewhat. It would seem to me that there are three reasons for hiding one's face, and all of them are based upon fear. In no particular order these reasons are:

a) You are up to no good, and are afraid of getting caught. It is for this reason that you aren't allowed to wear crash-helmets in banks.

b) Your family/friends/immediate society demands it and you are afraid of their reaction. This is the reason that has prompted most of the pieces I've seen in the press, though most muslim women I know would say that such familial or societal insistence is pretty rare.

c) You are afraid that revealing your face will invite violence, almost certainly sexual violence. To me this indicates i) you have a stunningly high opinion of your own appearance, or ii) you have the view that men in general cannot control themselves when in the company of an attractive woman. As a man, I find the latter point of view to be extremely offensive.

d) You wear this outfit because you are afraid to displease God. This final point seems to me to be completely understandable. I wouldn't want to displease any god sadistic enough to wish his people to wear head-to-toe black in 35 degree temperatures.

So those are my thoughts. If I'm correct in the above assertions it would seem to me that the full burqa is unnecesary and inappropriate (barring the final one, but as an atheist I can't really relate). To be clear, I maintain that anyone can wear whatever they choose, but, as with the expletives, the rest of us don't have to approve of that choice.

Am I looking at this wrong? Comments appreciated.

I've decided on my mutant power

Just saw X-men 3. Overall I enjoyed it: although it lacked the lightness of touch of the Singer movies it still packed quite a punch, and I did enjoy a few of Wolverine's scenes in particular. (For those who've seen it, I very much liked the fight with the guy who could re-grow his arms...) Surprising body count as well.

However, the film was marred for me slightly by the absolute fuck-wits in the cinema with me. What sort of pond-scum, what being whose IQ actually heads bravely into negative numbers, what waste of human potential thinks it a good idea to make a couple of phone calls while watching a movie? Why did the parent of the small child not prevent it sending those text messages? Why bring your girlfriend to the movie if you're going to have to spend the whole time explaining it to her, and not even think to whisper while you're about it?

Working front of house in a theatre as I do, I can say that it is the job of any usher in the West End to tell people to turn off their phone or keep quiet, and if a person consistently refuses to do so they'll be removed. Can someone explain to me why this doesn't happen in cinemas?

If I was a mutant my ability would be to transport any such people to a small island, but not a nice one like Lost. Maybe somewhere in the Outer Hebrides, or a large iceberg off the coast of Greenland.


-You're going to that special hell reserved for child molesters and people who talk in the theatre.