One night in November

For mum’s birthday, three weeks ago, we had a lovely meal together, me and em, the pooles, the Burnetts, and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company. Last week we did the second bit of her birthday celebrating. We went to see ‘One night in November’ at the Belgrade.

Bob and Enid, Sue and Baz, The Burnetts, The Pooles (minus child), Me and Emma, and obviously Babs aka Mum. We met in the foyer. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I knew it wouldn’t be happy cheery stuff, being about the Coventry blitz during the second world war and all. And I had been warned it was very very loud. I felt slightly nervous when I spotted the St. John’s ambulance on the back row. I suspect this was because a lot of the audience were older adults with increased risk of heart disease and other life-threatenening conditions coupled with the fact that parts of the play were very loud. I was beginning to think I may have underestimated the loud.

I had. It was ear-piercing. The story was interesting but the play was slow to get going and very bitty for the first hour. But it got better and it drew you in once the intelligence started to realise that Coventry may be at risk of severe attack and that civilians wouldn’t be spared as with previous concentrated attacks. Whether or not Coventry was sacrificed for the greater good was raised as an issue but not answered either way. As a Coventrarian, I’m glad I saw it. It gave me a glimpse of what people experienced during that night. I knew it was terrifying. I knew it was loud. I knew it was devestating. I knew people experienced great loss. But the play really did take you closer to grasping the scale of all of those things.

I would recommend it, especially if you were born in Coventry or plan to make Coventry part of your roots. But it’s not for the faint-hearted. And the first bit, in my humble opinion, is boring.

Afterwards, we went to Brewers Fayre at Cross Point. Jeanette and Ian grabbed Leah on the way. The food was lovely. BUT half the dishes on the menu weren’t available so we were all getting stressed with each other as people had to go back to the menu and re-order. Emma had posh sausage and mash. They ran out of brandy. The service wasn’t brill either. But it was okay in the end. And my mum enjoyed it which was the main point Leah stayed the night afterwards. She had fun painting in the morning. Blogged here.