Macbeth one

As a result of watching the Blessed/Lear DVD noticed at reference 1, we got onto the people at Guildford of reference 2, to whose production of Macbeth, in the Holy Trinity church at the top of Guildford's High Street, we went about ten days ago. A play which I last saw at the Young Vic about four years ago, not very kindly noticed at reference 3. Some of the snaps below from Matt Pereira of reference 4.

Blessed as Lear at Guildford?

Holy Trinity stage being used for a wedding

A cold and wet day, a bit late off, because while I had thought to put on my bright red snow jacket from Animal no less (of reference 5), bought for not-skiing in Savoy, I had forgotten my scarf. This meant we arrived a touch late at the station but still managed to jump onto a train leaving at the right time from what might have been the right platform - but which turned out to be going the wrong way. A quick bit of virtual white-boarding and we elected to get off at Ewell East, rather than proceeding to Cheam.

Ewell East

The result of which was that we were able to watch a train coming through which did not stop at Ewell East but which had stopped at Cheam. Not that this made any difference to the eventual arrival time at Guildford. But it did mean we spotted the handsome pair of chimneys, another feature of coal life at British Rail last noticed only a few days ago.

We noticed that Surrey County Council were helping with the maintenance of this marginal station, properly the business of Southern Railways. Presumably deemed to be in Surrey's interest so to do, to keep the place open, with stopping trains.

We wondered about the derelict station in Epsom's Upper High Street, visible from the train. Why had someone not repurposed it? Perhaps for a coven of train-spotters? Perhaps as a train-spotters' heritage centre?

Lots of primroses and some small daffodils at Effingham Junction, a place where I once got near stranded, late at night, as a result of falling asleep on my train. Not a good place to be actually stranded at.

Arrive at a rather wet and windy Guildford to, for once in a while, take something sold from a shed on the platform as a Cornish pasty, in the shelter of a suitable wall. But it was hot, nourishing and reasonably priced. BH was also able to take a paper cup of something sold as tea.

Leaving the station, we scored the fake noticed at reference 6, before proceeding to High Street. Which we ascended, with our eye out for somewhere to eat after the show. Access gushingly denied at Positano, but, quite by chance we landed on the very satisfactory Shardana of reference 7 instead, another Italian establishment, of which more later.

Arrived at the church, where we got through the quaintly amateur ticketing process. Church pretty full, with a lot of children, presumably 'doing Macbeth'. I chickened out of getting the cover far enough off the grand piano at the side to score it. Probably be OK if the church was not in use. But I did notice that the chandeliers had been properly hung: regular readers will recall that the improper hanging of the replica of the Barbarossaleuchter at Buckfast Abbey has been a source of some irritation.

The play was put on by a cast of eight tier two professionals on the area in front of the screen in front of the chancel apse, with a selection of junk, large and small, used to build the set. All of which made the notice asking us not to put drinks on the font to the side of the church look a bit silly. Quite a lot of stuff to move before the service the following morning.

There was a certain amount of cross dressing, some of which also looked a bit silly. Fresh faced girl of twenty playing the hardened warrior by putting on a black beret and waving an assault rifle? But, to be fair to them, the Globe nearly always failed pretty miserably at getting thirty-something, sofa types to pull it off as serious people - at least in the ten years or so that we patronised the place.

Three witches

View of setting

I am sorry to say that the play did not altogether come off for me, with there being a certain amount of nodding in the first half. Which meant that quite a lot of important scenes had either been cut by them or by me. Got on rather better in the second half - but they failed to deliver much of the menace. They also failed to take advantage of the luvvies' smoking dispensation. Perhaps they were too young to have ever smoked enough to care.

Perhaps it is something about the place. Some years ago we were at the same church for a talk, from a world expert, about the work which led to the authorised version of the Bible or the book of Common Prayer, I forget which - either way a topic which is interesting enough. But I still missed a good part of it through nodding.

A Weston by marriage

On the way out we came across this memorial to a Weston by marriage. That is to say a pseudo-Weston of Sutton Place: according to Wikipedia he was really a Webbe who happened to inherit the place and take the name. After the first world war, it fell into the hands of a succession of rich foreigners, with the present incumbent being an Uzbek oligarch, one Alisher Usmanov. One of the few stately homes within range which has not been taken over by the National Trust and public access to this important bit of national heritage is more or less zero.

The wine

And so to Shardana, which appeared to be run by a family from Sardinia. And despite outward appearances, a smart, comfortable space inside, pleasantly busy by the time we left. Bread good. Lasagne good, if a little saucy. Tiramisu not so good. Wine good. Discussion with the waitress about white and yellow grappa. I asked for yellow, she smiled nicely and brought white. Which was fine. All in all, a good meal and we shall be back if occasion arises.

Out to just make the 1858 which suited nicely.

PS 1: we wondered about the connection between Shardana and Sardinia, similar looking words, and Wikipedia confirms that there is indeed a link at reference 8. Albeit a bit tenuous.

A famous breed of fire engine, somewhere in Foreign

PS 2: somewhere along the way we were reminded of the once famous firm of Dennis of Guildford, inter alia, once responsible for many of the world's fire engines. Also quite a lot of buses.

PS 3: presumably on the strength of the Animal brand being mentioned above, Google has got around this morning (Thursday) to including an advertisement from Animal at the top of my 'promotions' tab in my email box. Dream on!

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/12/blessed-lear.html.

Reference 2: https://www.guildford-shakespeare-company.co.uk/.

Reference 3: https://psmv2.blogspot.com/2016/01/mcpanto.html.

Reference 4: http://commercial.mattpereira.co.uk/.

Reference 5: https://www.animal.co.uk/. Not clear about the reported connection with H. Young (Operations) Ltd [GB].

Reference 6: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/02/fake-101.html.

Reference 7: https://www.shardanarestaurant.com/.

Reference 8: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherden.