Culture, Curry and Champagne

Well, I've been a cultural glutton the past week- went to see "You, Me and Everyone We Know" at the Curzon Soho, saw "Tom, Dick and Harry" and "The Producers" in London's fashionable West End, and then went up to Manchester to take part in the Big Gay Read at the Central Library. I was asked to choose my favourite book with queer appeal and talk about why I love it so much, then read a passage to the audience. The room was packed on a wet and blustery Friday afternoon, and I told the gathered about the virtues of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Jeanette Winterson's debut and semi-autobiographical novel. Jeanette is a redhead from Accrington, and I feel a particular connection to her and her books because I fell in love with a redhead from Accrington (usually referred to here as The Strawberry Blonde). I hasten to add I DID NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH JEANETTE WINTERSON (though her ex girlfriend, the writer Peggy Reynolds, is HOT STUFF and another redhead to boot)
OK I have just read that back and it makes me sound like a ginger-chaser. Hmmmmm......

My verdict on the film/shows? You, Me...etc. is quirky and touching and very self-conscious, but I would expect that from Miranda July, the writer/director/star. Our paths crossed many years ago when she and I were performing and hanging around the ICA. She is striking and intense and clever. It's nice to see people emerge from the fringes into the mainstream, and with such success. I know that's a really American outlook. Sorry. Oh....actually, I'm not.

Tom, Dick and Harry is a classic British farce- if you like Fawlty Towers, this will make you laugh....really hard. The Strawberry Blonde was doubled over in hysterics. I chuckled and cringed. I saw the Producers for the second time- and though the cast the first time around was much better- Brad (?) and Lee Evans in the top roles- I actually enjoyed it more the second time around. Leigh Zimmerman is gorgeous, James Dreyfus is SOOOOOOO GAYYYYY (does he ever get tired of flapping, I wonder?)

Last night I had the most wonderful evening with my friend, the incredibly gifted artist Martin Firrell (www.martinfirrell.com) He treated me to champagne and crisps in his uber-pad in Soho, and then on to the Red Fort, possibly the poshest Indian I have ever had. We spoke of Mama Cass, choral evensong, public art in Trafalgar Square, radical architecture in Bangladesh, and the Baroness Gerda Von Posch. A bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and dessert wine was followed by a champagne nightcap at the Soho Hotel. Perfect.

Going to the gym this afternoon to counterbalance my curry and champagne consumption. There's a "Fit at Fifty" class - I am WELL UNDER 50 YEARS OLD- but the guy who runs the class is kind of like a British Richard Simmons. For non-Americans reading this, you may ask "Who is Richard Simmons?" You MUST look here:http://www.richardsimmons.com/ I guarantee you will NOT be disappointed by looking at this link and it may change your life forever!