Where are you going tonight?

[thebish]

Yes, Marina Caldarone. Was she there when you first started going? I used to review theatre for The Guardian and saw several of her productions, and rated them.

I've known Bob Carlton's work over the years - unerringly populist - but also often very enjoyable.

Musicians are extraordinary - I've known Carol Sloman for a long time - her husband has acted in several of my plays, and she's composed and md'd a couple also. she's excellent.

no - Marina Caldarone left in 1996 - 3 yrs before I arrived.

Bob Carlton - it seems to me from his productions - is very solidly "populist" and "safe" - like I said, nothing much pushing the boundaries here! There is a warmth and a humour about his work, though, that I like - some of it possibly generated by the idea that you somehow "know" the cast... and maybe that's a factor in the cosiness?

[General Mannerheim]

been to Bristol & Bath this week, first time visits.

I like Bristol, but Bath... meh. nice to look at, but has no vibe about the place, certainly wouldn't want to spend more than a couple of hours there. its no nicer than Chester or York either.

Bristol is cool though.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

been to Bristol & Bath this week, first time visits.

I like Bristol, but Bath... meh. nice to look at, but has no vibe about the place, certainly wouldn't want to spend more than a couple of hours there. its no nicer than Chester or York either.

Bristol is cool though.

Not been to Bristol, but I really liked Bath on my one visit. I like how the way it's built almost entirely out of that limestone gives the impression that it could almost still be a Georgian city. It's almost up there with Oxford (*spit*) in terms of having that beautiful consistent look that comes of being located near a good limestone quarry. But then I am a bit of an architecture geek, and so the Pulteney Bridge, Royal Crescent etc are interesting to me! Especially Pulteney Bridge, with its dual function of river crossing and shopping arcade - designed by the great Robert Adam, based on a rejected design for the Rialto in Venice, submitted by the even greater Andrea Palladio...

Did you go round the Roman baths? I think that's a genuinely world class tourist attraction . It's an amazing thing to be able to stand in one corner of that open courtyard and look at the Roman structures, with the Norman abbey rising up ahead of you, and 'modern' shops above to the right - that's almost 2000 years of history right there.

Anyway, I think it leaves Chester and York way in the shade, and I like both of them.

[General Mannerheim]

i agree with most of that, but I only need an our or two of wandering to take it all in. think that what i didnt like about it was that it just seemed to be a breathing tourist attraction, and all the locals were totally geared up for tourism, it just didnt seem to have its own agenda. Ive been to Rome several times, i love it there because the city still has a really good atmosphere off the beaten track of all the historical attractions, you can have a really good time there, shopping, cafes & bars and have the bonus of being surrounded by stunning buildings and monuments. i like to feel a vibe in the places i go, i want to interact with locals, see them enjoying themselves - like in New York. just cant be doing with the bum bag camera pointing brigade. Venice is another, its nothing but a living museum, fine for a few hours but would be bored staying there.

We went in the Roman baths, but didnt do the tour, they wanted 12rips each! you can see the great bath by peering over the wall by the Abbey and look at pictures of it in the gift shop! I dont really subscribe to the notion that just because its old, its interesting. I do like History, but more historical events than objects & artifacts. I woul have gone round them if it was free.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

i agree with most of that, but I only need an our or two of wandering to take it all in. think that what i didnt like about it was that it just seemed to be a breathing tourist attraction, and all the locals were totally geared up for tourism, it just didnt seem to have its own agenda. Ive been to Rome several times, i love it there because the city still has a really good atmosphere off the beaten track of all the historical attractions, you can have a really good time there, shopping, cafes & bars and have the bonus of being surrounded by stunning buildings and monuments. i like to feel a vibe in the places i go, i want to interact with locals, see them enjoying themselves - like in New York. just cant be doing with the bum bag camera pointing brigade. Venice is another, its nothing but a living museum, fine for a few hours but would be bored staying there.

We went in the Roman baths, but didnt do the tour, they wanted 12rips each! you can see the great bath by peering over the wall by the Abbey and look at pictures of it in the gift shop! I dont really subscribe to the notion that just because its old, its interesting. I do like History, but more historical events than objects & artifacts. I woul have gone round them if it was free.

Fair enough, and I definitely agree with what you have said about Rome and what makes it so good. I would put Paris in a similar bracket, but I know it's not to everyone's taste. London too.

Tough comparisons for Bath to deal with though - it's always been a quiet tourist spot, a spa town, a relaxing getaway from London - that is its 'agenda'.

As for the baths themselves, it's definitely worth the money. Their tour and audio guide tells a very human story - one of my favourite examples are all the 'curse tablets', which are little bits of metal with complaints/curses scratched on them in Latin and thrown into the sacred spring for the attention of the relevant goddess. There's one from a guy who had his clothes nicked while he was using the baths and his request was that some horrible fate should befall the thief. I like the evidence that they had a lot of the same petty concerns and complaints that we do.

So yeah, I was impressed by what a well conceived tourist attraction it is and it introduces you to plenty that can't be seen from the street.

[Gary the Enfield]

i agree with most of that, but I only need an our or two of wandering to take it all in. think that what i didnt like about it was that it just seemed to be a breathing tourist attraction, and all the locals were totally geared up for tourism, it just didnt seem to have its own agenda. Ive been to Rome several times, i love it there because the city still has a really good atmosphere off the beaten track of all the historical attractions, you can have a really good time there, shopping, cafes & bars and have the bonus of being surrounded by stunning buildings and monuments. i like to feel a vibe in the places i go, i want to interact with locals, see them enjoying themselves - like in New York. just cant be doing with the bum bag camera pointing brigade. Venice is another, its nothing but a living museum, fine for a few hours but would be bored staying there.

We went in the Roman baths, but didnt do the tour, they wanted 12rips each! you can see the great bath by peering over the wall by the Abbey and look at pictures of it in the gift shop! I dont really subscribe to the notion that just because its old, its interesting. I do like History, but more historical events than objects & artifacts. I woul have gone round them if it was free.

Fair enough, and I definitely agree with what you have said about Rome and what makes it so good. I would put Paris in a similar bracket, but I know it's not to everyone's taste. London too.

Tough comparisons for Bath to deal with though - it's always been a quiet tourist spot, a spa town, a relaxing getaway from London - that is its 'agenda'.

As for the baths themselves, it's definitely worth the money. Their tour and audio guide tells a very human story - one of my favourite examples are all the 'curse tablets', which are little bits of metal with complaints/curses scratched on them in Latin and thrown into the sacred spring for the attention of the relevant goddess. There's one from a guy who had his clothes nicked while he was using the baths and his request was that some horrible fate should befall the thief. I like the evidence that they had a lot of the same petty concerns and complaints that we do.

So yeah, I was impressed by what a well conceived tourist attraction it is and it introduces you to plenty that can't be seen from the street.

Agree too. I visited Bath recently for the half marathon and loved the place. The Roman Baths are well worth the money. My favourite bit was the overflow duct, built by the Romans, still servicing the reservoir like it did 2000 years ago!

Had lunch in the Pump Room afterwards and sampled the spring water (eeurghh) and then walked through town to the Circus and Royal Crescent beyond. Victoria Park was lovely and the guildhall market reminded me of the old Market Hall in Bolton with it's variety. I stumbled across an old books stall and spent an hour there choosing and buying some excellent tomes.

Bath is definitely worth a weekend as opposed to a couple of hours, in my opinion.

[Bruce Rioja]

Ah yes, memories of Bath. Drunkenly singing Who Will Buy? at two in the morning on the Royal Crescent. Marvellous!

[Puskas]

and sampled the spring water (eeurghh)

What do you mean, "eeurghh"?

You don't like the taste of chalk disolved in lukewarm water?

Pah.

[Gary the Enfield]

and sampled the spring water (eeurghh)

What do you mean, "eeurghh"?

You don't like the taste of chalk disolved in lukewarm water?

Pah.

Funnily, no.

[clapton is god]

Comedians at the Octagon last night:

First, we ate in the Spotlight at the Octagon. We have tried to do this over the course of our season ticket this year and last just to support the theatre but this was the last time. the food was awful! Back to the Olive Press for us.

Second, Bolton town centre. What's happened to it? 10.30pm on a Friday night and there was tumble weed blowing down Deansgate. Not a soul about.

We both really enjoyed the play. We can tell that by the level of discussion it provoked. In this case we talked about it all the way to the car, all the way back to Manchester and it was still raising comments this morning. Every character was rich and fully formed and had a background story that just ached to be told. The end of act two was, as William has said, climactic and brilliantly acted. It was an act way before its time , way before alternative comedy, and for Trevor Griffiths, the writer, to conceive it in 1975 was amazing. Mind you, the actor who plays Gethin was straight out of De Niro's Taxi Driver in clothes, hair style and attitude and that wasn't filmed until the year after this play first appeared so maybe there was some latitude going on here.

Absolutely firmly rooted in the 70's. Dated, yes, but not to its detriment if you lived through that period. Recommended.

Trevor Griffiths? William, you might know this. Would this be the same Trevor Griffiths that I would know from the 70's? A man of mixed race, afro and moustache (back then) and a bit of a comedian himself? Or is there another?

[William the White]

Glad you enjoyed - stirred up discussion in ours also...

This Trevor Griffiths is white, aged about 75 now, but came into prominence with a number of highly charged, politically committed dramas, in the 1960s and 70s, of which, for the stage The Party is amongst the more famous. Much of his career has been on TV - back in the 70s he wrote a really engaging series about a newly elected Labour MP called, I think, Bill Brand. Comedians and The Party were also produced on TV. He had a new play on at The Globe last year, which I wanted to see but didn't. He wrote a play for Bristol Old Vic when I was working down there, called Thatcher's Children, which had a great central idea but didn't really convince. I've seen other work by him round and about but in my view nothing of his on stage bettered Comedians.

A good summary of Trevor Griffith's career: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/539442/

But... Might this be your memory?

http://www.derekgriffiths.co.uk/

[General Mannerheim]

went into Bolton town centre today for the first time in a few years, was pleasantly suprised actually. was quite bustling, everywhere was clean & tidy - and walshes pasties were as always, tremendous!

[William the White]

went into Bolton town centre today for the first time in a few years, was pleasantly suprised actually. was quite bustling, everywhere was clean & tidy - and walshes pasties were as always, tremendous!

walshes?

[General Mannerheim]

went into Bolton town centre today for the first time in a few years, was pleasantly suprised actually. was quite bustling, everywhere was clean & tidy - and walshes pasties were as always, tremendous!

walshes?

Walsh's

[William the White]

went into Bolton town centre today for the first time in a few years, was pleasantly suprised actually. was quite bustling, everywhere was clean & tidy - and walshes pasties were as always, tremendous!

walshes?

Walsh's

Wasn't a punctuation question - I've never had Walsh's... Thought i'd had every possible bolton pasty... not a contraction of Greenhalgh's is it?

[TANGODANCER]

went into Bolton town centre today for the first time in a few years, was pleasantly suprised actually. was quite bustling, everywhere was clean & tidy - and walshes pasties were as always, tremendous!

walshes?

Walsh's

Wasn't a punctuation question - I've never had Walsh's... Thought i'd had every possible bolton pasty... not a contraction of Greenhalgh's is it?

Don't Walsh's own Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe?

[General Mannerheim]

went into Bolton town centre today for the first time in a few years, was pleasantly suprised actually. was quite bustling, everywhere was clean & tidy - and walshes pasties were as always, tremendous!

walshes?

Walsh's

Wasn't a punctuation question - I've never had Walsh's... Thought i'd had every possible bolton pasty... not a contraction of Greenhalgh's is it?

Don't Walsh's own Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe?

aye, Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe - but always feel a tool saying that, so we just call it Walsh's.

[William the White]

walshes?

Walsh's

Wasn't a punctuation question - I've never had Walsh's... Thought i'd had every possible bolton pasty... not a contraction of Greenhalgh's is it?

Don't Walsh's own Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe?

aye, Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe - but always feel a tool saying that, so we just call it Walsh's.

Right... Those are possibly the most horrible pasties I've ever tasted... WTF do they make that pastry out of? It's like some vile mixture of stale biscuit and slime...

LK - do you know this concoction? Can you shed light on what they do to produce that unspeakable mistake that encases hot potato and pink bits from god knows what former-animal? What is that pastry???

I can only say your taste in film and quality TV drama exceeds your taste in taste...

OK - I'm starting the thread...

[Lord Kangana]

I have no idea what depths of human depravity have been plumbed to come up with Ye Olde Pastie shoppe pasties, but they are feckin shite. Makes you wonder whether Sweeney Todd was involved.

[BWFC_Insane]

I have no idea what depths of human depravity have been plumbed to come up with Ye Olde Pastie shoppe pasties, but they are feckin shite. Makes you wonder whether Sweeney Todd was involved.

Agreed they are horrid. Like chewing through an old boot!