I – National Treasures

1. Good things (including nudity) come to those who wait.           

Having queued from 7.20am (behind sixty other hardy theatre-goers including one who had arrived the previous night at 11!) for Frankenstein day tickets, I was worried I might drop off during the performance. How wrong was I. A loud strike from the huge church bell suspended over the auditorium brought everyone to the edge of their seats from ‘lights down’. And the completely starkers Jonny Lee Miller squirming to find his feet as The Creature kept me right there for the first ten minutes of the production...!

2. Use your imagination.
The National's Olivier has got to be my favourite theatre space in London. It encourages the wildest imaginings of a director to be realised: a person shot underwater in Coram Boy, a full blown battle on horse-back in War Horse and now the 'birth' of The Creature in Frankenstein. Truly awesome. 

3. Theatre is business. Exploit play’s ideas and talent to bring audience back again.

The lovely Benedict Cumberbatch played Victor Frankenstein and I am tempted to go again to see him swap roles with Miller. Through demanding but superb physical acting from both actors, Danny Boyle (director) neatly presented the power struggle between the two characters.

4. British Sun + early evening = Pimms o’clock.

Having collected my tickets I found myself in a deck chair on the sand by the river Thames, surrounded by twenty photographers attending the press launch of The Southbank Centre’s Festival of Britain. Here I am in one of the photos! The beautiful sun also meant Pimms O’Clock came early this year. Doggetts pub by Blackfriars Bridge provided the perfect jug for myself and my great friend Katie, possibly the fondest Pimms-drinker outside of the Howies that I know.

5. Listen to lots of music.

Feels like summer so here's my summer mix!