Vive la musique et les oeufs
Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, unless it’s of the Trojan type, I was invited by a well known individual, who wishes to remain anonymous, to be their guest at a live West End show. Yes live and direct from the heart of our deserted capital – it’s a queer feeling being in town at the moment. The venue was The Sondheim Theatre and the event a staged concert of Les Miserables. Nothing like a group of sad singing French folk to cheer British hearts just as the Brexit trade talks reached an impasse (as we went to press both sides were talking of “sticking points” better described as halia mavra). Though not there in my usual capacity as a reviewer I could not resist the opportunity to revel in the moment and jot down a few notes.
Capturing the spirit of our times producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh, who of course first brought this smash hit show to London thirty five years ago, gave a rousing pre-concert introduction. “We have missed you,” he exclaimed, and a lady close by echoed back “we have missed you too.” Thus the tone was set for an emotion packed evening. Regular readers will know that I am not a huge fan of the show but I too got caught up in the passion of the occasion. The palpable feeling of relief at being able to sit in the theatre, with masks of all colours and designs including French flags (Boris would not be pleased), enjoying something that felt so special gave the whole audience a badly needed fillip.
These small morsels of big time entertainment are a rare treat and with a company of fifty actors and musicians, it is quite a feat to make it happen. Imagine all the swabbing that is going on to ensure they are all Covid free. Incredible to think that in the twentieth year of the twenty first century the whole of mankind is involved in an ongoing tussle with a simple virus. I doubt the ebullient audience had that in mind as they responded enthusiastically to some excellent singing. Carrie Hope Fletcher (Fantine) gave a rendition of I Dreamed a Dream that would warm Susan Boyle’s cockles and Alfie Boe (John Valjean) was terrific throughout. The cheap shots at lockdowns and tiers were inevitable and when it’s Matt Lucas doing the sniping all is forgiven as we recall his hilarious mickey-take video of a bumbling and indecisive prime minister during the early days of this wretched pandemic. A night to remember in the midst of global pain and heartache.
Meanwhile with advent in full swing, many of you will have been preparing all sorts of goodies for the Christmas binge. Variety is the spice of life so I would like to offer a recipe of my own as I believe it is both delicious and beneficial for your physical and mental health. The ingredients are simple enough. Work out quantities as you go along, it sometimes works. My mum did when making flaounez and so does Matt Hancock every day. You will require some skinned pork sausages, shredded cooked ham, sage, apple and onion stuffing mix, dried breadcrumbs, a mixture of pepper, chopped sage, thyme and parsley, a little plain flour, sunflower oil for frying and piccalilli to serve. Last but not least free range eggs. Caged hens are an ethical abomination and will destroy the final pièce de résistance. For method and how those ingredients are made into a “substantial meal” please see Michael Gove’s Facebook page where he has simplified the technique and made a wonderful dogs dinner of it all. Yes Music was my first love, And it will be my last, Music of the future, And music of the past. But for now Scotch eggs are my present and near future especially if I fancy a pint or a wee dram. If cooking is not your thing, those delicious oeufs are widely available in all major supermarkets and non-vegan food stores. Covid will yet make gourmands of us all and then we can tap up the Oxbridge alumni in government for nutritional tips and get them to understand why remaining as a United Kingdom is so important in dealing with the existential threat to les oeufs écossais.
Stop press: EU and UK in last desperate attempt to finalise trade deal…where the hell is Yanis Varoufakis when you need him.
