41 Club Meeting Report – Thursday 14th September 2017
This was an informal ‘opt-in’ meeting comprising of an excellent pre-dinner meal at Lazenbys followed by a saunter up the road to the Stephen Joseph Theatre to see the latest Ayckbourn – ‘A Brief History of Women’.
Having parked on Victoria Road (2nd attempt when some of the workers had departed for home) I spotted Geoff and Jenny Winn plus Richard Clark ahead of me and attempted to catch them up. This was easier said than done – boy, can those people walk fast. Maybe they were trying to tell me something…?? Anyway, I caught them eventually when they had to stop to wait for the green man.
We arrived together to join a select crowd of 41 Club members and partners at Lazenbys. Janet and John White were both there and looking much younger than they have a right to. (John even has a full head of hair still. Don’t these people know what stress is??).
Anyway, I digress. We were perusing the menu when my dear trouble and strife arrived straight from work. Just as well that she was earlier than expected really – I had completely forgotten what she had asked me to order for her and was about to use my initiative (never a good thing) and order her crab cakes followed by mussels – not the soup and beef bourgeon she actually wanted. And was she grateful for my efforts? – not a bit of it. Women, eh?
Anyway, disaster averted we dined well off what did look like brown wrapping paper in place of table mats. To be fair, 41 Club had eaten there before so Lazenbys were probably taking no chances with expensive tableware. Having ‘wrapped’ up (blame Chris Gray for that pun) the excellent meal we headed for the theatre although one or two wine-imbibers had to be dragged away.
We arrived to be joined by some more 41 Clubbers who were unable to make the early dinner. Despite a block booking the theatre seemed to have split us up to avoid trouble although we were within hailing distance of each other. The play itself was very good, and charted the changing life of a man over 60 years, featuring the different women in his life, against a backdrop of the same house. We looked across the theatre to see we had even been joined by the author and director himself – the theatrical legend that is Alan Ayckbourn.
All in all a really good night – many thanks to the organisers.
Report by Simon Lockley – (Co-written and dramatised by Chris Gray)
