Rooftop Olympics at Queen of Hoxton - The Drowned Man

Saturday 6th July - Another ridiculously late write up, this time for Rooftop Olympics at the Queen of Hoxton, organised by the Social Athletics Club.  I scrambled together a ragtag bunch of athletes (Will, Cath, Ali and Seb), and we rocked up to Shoreditch for 1pm, vaguely dressed in retro sports gear.  By that I mean Will had long socks on, Cath and I had ties around our heads, Ali was wearing a dress, and Seb was for some reason wearing jeans on one of the hottest days of the year.  We wrestled with many team name ideas (The Cathletes, Underdressed and Overweight) but eventually settled on Seb & Co. - get it? No one else did, and we were even mocked publicly by the organisers for coming up with such a rubbish name. Good start.  Best team name went to the Clitoris Allsorts (closely followed by One Erection). After a £40 (WTF?) jug of Pimms, I regrettably gave Seb a spare pair of shorts, and the competition got under way.  I will let the photos tell most of the story. First up - "Beer Pong".

This wasn't really beer pong, as there were no real beer forfeits.  You just had to drink half a pint at some point during the game.  After a couple of minutes of illegal blocking from the other team, we lost by one point - bitter much?  As long as those blokes in the blue Orlando tshirts didn't win the whole thing...  Next up - "Staring Contest"

This was a funny one - we all stood in a line opposite the other team, and it didn't really matter if you beat someone, it all came down to the last two standing.  I was gifted the win after the girl opposite me was judged to have blinked - she didn't blink.  Event No.3 - Rock, Paper, Scissors

I didn't put this one in inverted commas, as it was actually Rock, Paper, Scissors.  5 v 5, quick rotations - it was actually damn exciting.  I had mindgames in the queue with my opponent and lost nearly every time. Thankfully, everyone else did pretty well and we won comfortably in the end.  NEXT - Table Football.

Another comfortable win for Sebastian & Co (got it yet?), even though the eponymous Seb was at the bar getting beers for the whole event.  Ali and Cath turned out to be demon defenders - who knew?  Final Event - "Frying Pan Ping-Pong"

This turned out to be ping pong, I'm not sure where the frying pans got to.  We wrapped this one up pretty quickly to give ourselves 4 wins out of 5 events.  We were quietly confident having only lost one event by one point - who could top that? THOSE BLOODY GUYS FROM BEER PONG, THAT'S WHO.  Look at them celebrating in their perfect attire. Next year, next year...

There was one bonus event left, with a grand prize of team t-shirts.  We sent forward Ali (in a dress) and Seb (in my shorts) to take on the limbo.

Bookies favourite

What you can see above is the exact moment that Seb ripped open my shorts which have now been consigned to the bin.  Sad times.

Ali in standard limbo attire

They gave it their all, but some smaller, more flexible girl was finally announced as the winner in the end. Sebastian & Coe (right, enough clues) licked their wounds and trudged out to an off license.  Despite what you might think from my bitter comments throughout, it was a really good laugh and a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  They need to tighten up the events, as it could be even better with a bit more innovation. Scrap the staring contest, and bring in some classics like egg and spoon race, or a three legged race and I would be all over it next year.  I'll even change our team name.

Tuesday 16th July - Totally different from Rooftop Olympics and much more bizarre was my trip to see A Drowned Man : A Hollywood Fable from experimental theatre group Punchdrunk.  They have had big hits here including an interpretation of Faust, and The Masque of Red Death, but they have also received rave reviews across the pond in Boston for Sleep No More.

I won't go into any great detail about the show as it is a unique experience that I wouldn't want to spoil in any way.  What can I tell you? Punchdrunk have transformed 4 floors of an old postal office in Paddington into a living, breathing Temple Studios and its surrounding areas, with an insane attention to detail.  You are free to roam around (wearing a mask) for 3 hours, during which time you can try and follow a narrative, or simply explore the astonishing sets.  The story is loosely based on Buchner's Woyzeck but there is no need to know the plot before you go.  Don't try and stick with your friends, it will only hold you back.  It is intensely enjoyable being able to go exploring on your own, or follow right behind the actors as if you are a cameraman making your own film.  I managed to follow the main characters for most of the performance and see some key scenes, but this is not essential.  Do what you want!  I found List Leader Natalie again at the end and she had a totally different, yet joyful experience, as did other friends who went along.  We did both agree on one thing - wearing the masks over glasses is pretty annoying and painful so wear contacts if you can.

Don't be put off by the £39.50 price tag, it's the least they deserve for the effort that has gone in to the show. If you are feeling fancy, buy yourself a Premium ticket for £85.00 - "this will include an invitation to enter Temple Studios via the Studio Entrance, available only to a small number of guests each night, and an additional prologue to The Drowned Man, as well as a taste of Mr. Stanford's hospitality".  They have extended the run til December 31st and there are tickets for most performances still available here - I can't recommend it highly enough!  

P.S. - Please leave comments if you have been and let me know what you thought of it!

Mr.Fogg's - Propstore - Tamesis Dock

Saturday 11th May - The Bank Holiday sunshine seems a long time ago already.  I had hoped to go to the outdoor Dalston Roof Park but that was perhaps a tad optimistic.  So after some List investigation, I decided  to instead try out Mr.Fogg's in Mayfair - a new bar (soft opening - fully open 22nd May) that has been turned into Phileas J. Fogg's residence complete with a hot air balloon and hundreds of items that Mr.Fogg has collected and sent back on his travels.  I exchanged several verbose emails with Miss Lavinia Stewart-Brown, Secretary to Mr.Fogg, throughout the day to check that we could turn up.  Here is one of my favourites:

"Dear Mr Hickman,

I do hope this email finds you well and in exemplary health.

My sincere thanks for your gracious enquiry regarding paying a visit to Mr.Fogg's residence.  We are now attaining bookings from the 11th May onwards on select days.

Mr.Fogg is customarily ready to accept visitors from sixteen hundred hours and fifty nine minutes onwards.  The number of guests attending would be much appreciated.

If you could be so kind as to inform me if your party might desire a table in the Drawing Room I would be more than happy to make the necessary arrangements for you.  Should you wish to solely indulge in standing libation, that is fine and dandy.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further queries and I keenly anticipate your reply,

Yours ever,

Miss Lavinia Stewart-Brown"

I met Team List (Lauren, Natalie and her flatmate Arwa - Maggie arrived later) at Green Park and we walked up to Berkeley Square and down a quiet side road.  Upon entering through the discreet front door, we were greeted by Passepartout (Mr. Fogg's French Valet) who took our coats and showed us in to the bar.  Our barman for the evening was the hilarious Fabiano Pereira who flitted in and out of character for our amusement.  After ordering a round of cocktails, Fabiano decided to give us a 'tour' of the house which basically involved him making up stories about the wall ornaments, including a particularly distressing tale of how Phileas' two dogs were inadvertently killed by a sick rabbit. As I took out my SLR camera, Fabiano asked me what this strange modern contraption was - perhaps a weapon of some kind?  Fabiano and Arwa also had lengthy conversations about knitting in the rocking chair.  They got the balance just right all night between committing to the theme (with tongue firmly in cheek) without forcing us to resort to amateur dramatics.

The drinks did not disappoint either, and the menu is still very much in development.  We worked our way through several cocktails (mostly whiskey / absinthe / rum based) with various garnish experiments and real bamboo straws.  Their plan is to have telegrams arriving regularly from Phileas, recommending new exotic spirits and cocktails to Passepartout as he moves round different parts of the world. It's hard to pick a favourite at this stage, as we weren't always sure what we were being brought!  When there was a cocktail mixup, the immaculately dressed Tobias Something Something came over and sorted us out.  The odd freebie also came our way from behind the bar as they are still fine tuning the drinks. Tobias frequently dropped by to chat to us about our thoughts on the music, the drinks and future ideas which made for a really interesting evening.  Hopefully some of our suggestions will turn up in the bar one day!  Food options are fancy sandwiches at present, but I don't know if there are plans to jazz this up a little.  Don't leave without a trip to the toilets, where a reading of Around the World in 80 Days is played non-stop.  This is no surprise as the bar is run by the the Inception group behind Barts (read about my visit here), Maggies (Thatcher speeches played in the toilets) and Bunga Bunga (Berlusconi Pizzeria Karaoke Bar).  Look out for Disco (70s Manhattan reborn) opening soon in Soho too.

Team List Leader with Tobias

When we eventually came to pay, Fabiano was intially "confused" by our bankcard devices - committed til the end!  When the bar opens fully on the 22nd, there should be even more exciting things on the menu, including sharing cocktails in a globe and train, but there is something special about going to a soft opening that you should try and experience if you can!  

A couple of us decided to head over to Propstore outside the National Theatre to end the evening, where we also met keen Team List participant, Harriet, who is trying to amass a good points total before departing for Vienna.  Propstore is a temporary bar for the summer (it opened for the first time last year) that is full of National Theatre props from shows running this year.  See some of our favourites in the photos below.  It is incredibly well placed overlooking the river, and has a lovely almost open air feel despite being covered.  There is also a tasty street-food style menu and a good selection of drinks (Meantime beer always goes down well, even if it is everywhere now).  

However, I wasn't expecting it to turn in to a cheesy bar/club later on!  This isn't normally my thing, but because it's in a stylish, bright bar and is full of thesps doing the macarena and generally trying to out do each other to be the most extrovert dancer, we ended up staying for 3 hours.  The tables off the dancefloor still have a relaxed cafe feel as opposed to being a dark lonely corner in a club, and people watching is just as fun as getting involved with some Whigfield group dancing.  There is no door charge and it is open late all summer long.  Is there anywhere more fun and relaxed for a cheap night out in London?  No planning required, just turn up anytime during the day and fall on to a train in Waterloo at the end of it!

Organised Thesp dancing

Monday 6th May - A quick mention for Tamesis Dock that I went to on Bank Holiday Monday with Natalie, Lauren and Jason for Harriet's birthday.  Tamesis Dock is a Dutch barge bar and music venue moored near Lambeth Bridge with great views over to the Big Ben and the London Eye.  The outside space is perfect for a sunny day (which we luckily had) but there is also a lot of space downstairs, including a stage and dancefloor.  This was an outside affair but the below deck bars look great fun too - check to see when live music is on.  I would say that it is probably worth eating before you arrive as the portions weren't overly generous, though the Gin and Tonic Sorbet is tempting! For more boat options, try out Battersea Barge not far away or Bar&Co near Temple.

Natalie moves further ahead of Sam on Team List with a grand total of 38 points so far.  Debut points for several aboard the Tamesis Dock, notably Miranda and Fiona adding to the impressive Wimbledon High School team total.  Fabiano and Tobias deserve a special mention for their fantastic service with a smile and laughs in Mr.Fogg's.  That brings me up to date!  I had better go somewhere tonight then...