Filling a day — three times over….!

Then I had an interview with Edward Fox to transcribe, write up and file, and what a true gent, in every sense, he is. That was done by 9am, so I popped out for the day’s papers to read what colleagues had made of the previous night’s opening of Never So Good. Then I had notes to prepare for an afternoon recording session of theatrevoice.com, the monthly online discussion forums, that I regularly host.

By 10am, I was on the road, driving across the river from my Borough base to Highgate, to interview Warren Mitchell at his house on the edge of Hampstead Heath, at 11am. That was just the first of three interviews I was doing back-to-back: afterwards I headed back home, in time to do a 12.45pm phoner with Jenna Lee-James, the new narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. And then I jumped the tube to go to the West End to meet Lyn Paul backstage at the Phoenix at 1.45, before her matinee performance of Blood Brothers, for another feature.

One friend whom I told of this triple bill insisted that all I do for a job is simply meet people and chat to them (and then, as a now former partner, used to add, all I turn into is a typist!); but since he is a professional therapist, the only possible retort is that all he does for a job is meet people and listen to them! Then there was finally time to eat – and I managed to schedule a late lunch date with my mother, whom I’ve not seen for a few weeks. And then there was time for a haircut and to go online briefly at an internet café on Charing Cross Road – could I be suffering from an internet addiction that The Observer last week characterised as an illness? — but at least I discovered that my latest Guardian blog has also now been published.

Then it was over to the offices of Dewynters, who graciously now host our Theatrevoice.com discussions since the closure of the Theatre Museum, and where Charlie Spencer, Matt Wolf and David Benedict joined me for this week’s recording. We all of us seem to love doing these sessions; at their best, and yesterday’s felt a bit like it, it is like an animated conversation amongst friends – with passionate disagreements (David and Matt didn’t think Never So Good was much of a play, whereas Charlie adored it), and a lot of honest soul, or at least opinion, baring. Once we were done there, it was over with Matt to the Aldwych to pick up the invaluable RV1 bus to head to the Menier Chocolate Factory, where they always lay on dinner for critics on first nights – one of the best perks of the job! — before seeing Maria Friedman (whom I had also interviewed only last week for a piece that ran in last weekend’s Sunday Express, and Matt had also interviewed – so when Maria popped her head out to meet family, she came over to say hello to both of us, too).

Luckily the Menier is virtually on my home doorstep – so I was back at the front door of my flat within 5 minutes of curtain down. And still had to begin packing for today’s trip. (Why do I always leave it to the last minute?) I was finally in bed soon after midnight – with the alarm set for 5am. But an internal body clock woke me up at 4am, so here I am, filing this now! I still have my regular review column to write for this weekend’s Sunday Express, as well as a review of Maria Friedman’s show last night for The Stage, and an interview with Angela Lansbury whom I did a phoner with on Wednesday. So I better be off. And I’ll see you again from New York!