I wouldn’t normally voluntarily attend a holiday camp cabaret evening, and certainly not without having had a beer before hand. But tonight I find myself at Golden Sands Caberet Evening, so as convivial host Liam has now said seemingly hundreds of times… “Happy Tables…Give Me A Cheer.”
Why the hell am I here, any wise person might ask? As well as being on holiday I have signed up to compete a trainer’s course for a leading exam board and have some studying materials to read and watch this week. Naturally these are on line and the most convenient place to find wifi is at the back of the Entertainment Centre, hidden in a dark corner. Until I lost it a few moments ago I found that I was being stimulated by Liam’s singing and an online video of Barbara from Leek training teachers about a course I had never heard of in Leipzig. It was as Liam finished his Michael Jackson medley and requested for the umpteenth time “Happy Tables - Give Me A Cheer!” that I lost it. Barbara was buffering and I was losing my grip. I was finally beaten into submission by Ella leading the crowd in the Macarena. I have sensory overload and after I have off-loaded I need to lie down in a comfy clamping pod. I certainly don’t need to win Liam’s star prize or be a Barbie Girl. Happy Tables - WHERE ARE YOU?
Earlier today Lexi, Trixie and I walked along the coast to the small village of Starcross to catch the ferry across to Exmouth and explore. The walk was very pleasant as was the crossing. We had been to Exmouth years ago to visit friends, one of whom was studying in Exeter at the time. Trixie was very impressed with the beach side park that we managed to find. Later we travelled back to Dawlish by train, once again going through the village of Starcross, which would make a fabulous venue for a Romeo and Juliet festival, surely? As well as having good train and ferry links and lots of places to stay there are ample fields for marquees where theatre groups from across the region and country could come along and perform their versions fo the great love story. It would be a winner, wouldn’t it? Come on, Happy Tables. What do you think? Are you cheering this idea?
We had another cultural activity last night as part of the Exeter Fringe Festival, which we have sort of stumbled into by accident. There were no Happy Tables, thankfully, in the performance of Hot Flushes that we watched at The Barnfield Theatre. Hot Flushes was a musical inspired by the asset stripping of BHS by Sir Philip Green several years ago. Our hero Sandra has to battle the conflicting forces of her disappearing pension, hot and cold hormones, her husband’s dodgy leg, her daughter’s suspect parentage and the appearance of a gun toting American, Patsy. The play certainly had its moments but made for a good session of entertainment.