Name dropping

The Best Beloved and I celebrated thirty two years of married life yesterday.

I spent the morning with friend Jasper having a coffee, collecting three garden chairs left there after a recent garden party and behaving like two grumpy old men. We would have Chief Constables in publicly elected posts for a start. I suggested elected Mayors as well but Jasper wondered what powers mayors would have so I must investigate this aspect.

Meanwhile Best Beloved was in Petersfield being interviewed by the Registrar there. She will hear next week whether she has a part time job as a Support Officer. It will keep her occupied and keep me in the circumstances to which I have become accustomed.

When we were reunited we went for a meal at Woodies next to the New Place Cinema in Chichester. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal and afterwards decided to go to the cinema instead of our planned boat trip. The weather was more cinema than open boat. We bought tickets for the Simpson Movie. We waited in the cafe for the auditorium to open as the eight people congregated to see the performance. Amongst the people waiting was James Bolam and Susan Jameson. Luckily they were there. They sat just behind us and I was grateful otherwise it would just have been me in there laughing like a drain. I have been told off on previous occasions for laughing too loud in a theatre by other patrons. Anyway James and I laughed at virtually all the same gags and the film is certainly replete with those. As we left the cinema, both couples having sat through to the every end of the credits as was obligatory with such a film, we congratulated each other on being there and sharing the laughter load so equitably.

Feeling very satisfied with our encounter with the world of celebrity, we set off for the town centre and Waterstones with its cafe. We were in Chichester to see the opening of I am Shakespeare at the Minerva. However the cafe was closed so we set off in the general direction of the Festival Theatre to call in at the George and Dragon for a pot of tea. Nearly there, Roger Allam passed us going in the other direction towards the Market Cross. He saw that we recognised him but continued on his way hurriedly before I could call out how much I had enjoyed his performance in Blackbird and in the Old Vic panto.

Eventually we arrived at the Minerva a little earlier than we would normally have liked so had to seat reading the programme in the downstairs foyer. While we were there. Patrick Stewart came down the stairs from the theatre and crossed over to the main theatre. Alan Finch, the joint director, came in to meet up with Matthew Warchus, the director of I am Shakespeare. I said hello to Alan and he very nicely said hello back and asked if I was okay. Obviously not an actor or he would have developed the loook away stare and the blanked expression.

Anyway we were still sat there waiting for the auditorium to open, when in came Jenny Seagrove and Michael Barrymore, who were obviously coming in to see the play.

I am Shakespeare was written and devised by Mark Rylance and is an intelligent and humourous investigation into the authorship of Shakespeare's plays. Mark Rylance's character, Frank Charlton, is visited, thanks to circumstances beyond his control (marvellous set), by William Shakspar, Francis Bacon, Edward de Vere and Mary Sidney - all claimants to the authorship question. Sean Foley is there (The Play What I Wrote fame) to help or rather hinder. There is a great deal of audience participation and a police sergeant and his twin brother! It is a good evening if a little long at three hours. There are some longeurs which are mainly counteracted by some frantic action in the second half. It would have been difficult to maintain the pace of the first half. I learned a lot about Shakespeare and his works in a light hearted manner. Recommended viewing for everyone but especially those with an interest in the theatre.

So we had a lovely day to celebrate our thirty two years together but this is a game of two halves so here's to the next thirty two years!