SITE: Why no updates?

Loyal(?) readers may have noticed the lack of updates lately. It's not that I've been putting off reviews (just one, the 1959 Broadway Songbook concert, which I saw Monday...), but I actually had a week - perhaps my first since moving to London - when I didn't go to the theatre.

That's right. A full week where I stayed home every night. No shows, just me, the DVD player, and far, FAR too many hours on City of Heroes (my primary character is up to level 38 now!) So why didn't I go to the theatre?

Well, for one thing, money's tight. While I get some occasional writing work, job hunting is hard work, demotivating, demoralising, and a near exercise in futility these days. So the lack of funds rules out shows that I have to pay for. Of the shows I don't have to pay for (be they through officially reviewing, seat-filling, etc.), nothing really clicked last week. Sometimes it's a case of "I don't feel like traveling across the city to see this even if it sounds interesting" and sometimes it's "I'm sick of seeing disappointing productions there and the seats are uncomfortable as well."

The good news is that things are looking up: three shows this week (a touring dance show which I'm reviewing elsewhere tonight, and another play tomorrow night) and more to come. I, sadly, will NOT be blogging Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, as I'm getting paid to write about it (yay!) and having never seen the film am trying my best to go in blind. In the interim there will likely be other things to see.

And, to be honest, I did go and see something last week: the film adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's legendary graphic novel Watchmen. And to give you the short opinion? This film fucking rocks. It was everything I hoped for (no short order!) and more. The characters were appropriately psychotic, the sex and violence at adult levels (it's rated 18 for very good reasons), and the new ending works beautifully. I'm not sure how much people who haven't read the book will appreciate it, but for people who HAVE read it, your opinion of the book will likely be the same as your subsequent opinion of the film. Just don't go in expecting fights and explosions every 20 seconds. This is an intellectual, character driven film that has occasional bursts of graphic sex and violence, not the other way around.

And on that note, I'm off to have a bowl of cereal before trekking out to Hammersmith to watch Bollywood-style dancers.