Sunday 4 March 2012

John Finnemore's Priory Engagement


Well, spring is in the air, the snowdrops are gambolling in the meadows, the lambs are thrusting their little noses up through the earth, and the rabbits... I don't know what the rabbits are doing. Something springish. Cleaning, maybe. Anyway, what all this means for me is that it's about time I organised another run of my sort-of-secret-unless-you-read-this-blog sketch nights, to try out material for the next series of my Radio 4 show, John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme.

So... I have done. Unfortunately, the pub we used last year has turned its performance space into a restaurant, the food-crazed fools; but I've found another I think will be even better: the excellent Priory Tavern in Kilburn. So, do please come along, if you fancy it, to John Finnemore's Priory Engagement;  8pm every other Sunday starting in two weeks time, on the 18th March. Each show will be completely different material, mostly written in the fortnight before. It'll be about an hour and a half long, including interval, costs £7, and is suitable for ages 12 and up. Last year's run featured Jekyll and Hyde's domestic arrangements; what The Archers sounds like to people who don't listen to The Archers, and the chilling tale of the man who went for a walk... and saw a goat. What this year's will feature, I literally do not yet know.

As an experiment to try to avoid people having to pay the ridiculous booking fees which were such a feature last year,  I've put a list up here you can go to to book seats for the first three performances. There are only 80 seats per show, so do please take your name off again if it turns out you can't come.

Right! I suppose I'd better go and write the first one, then...

46 comments:

Bean said...

Five year diary being consulted plus working out the military-like logistics for travelling from Essex to Kilburn and back on a Sunday evening courtesy of British Rail and London Transport, bless their cotton socks. The Little Train That Could- I hope!

sazie said...

Remind me why I live north of the border?!

Sparrow said...

LOL, A goat, we love goats over here on the farm.

Would love to go to a live event or taping one day, but we're on the other side of the pond so that's impossible. (A 9 letter world for unachievable)

Mel said...

Not for the first time, or I fear the last, I really wish I lived in / near London just for things like this!

Anonymous said...

I loved the Goat Story in the first series. Makes me glad I have an Eidetic Memory!

Alice said...

Bother! I wish I still lived in the UK. There's nothing exciting live over here in Canada - everything exciting is dead and displayed as a hunting trophy. I'm so envious of people who live in Britain. They have decent telly, proper radio, nice food etc. and from what I gather, they aren't grateful for it!

Serenity said...

Oh dear, how I do dislike living in the US.

Anonymous said...

Alas, finances (me) and work commitments (other half) make it impossible; I'll hang on and join the ballot for 'Cabin Pressure' tickets again later in the year - fourth time lucky, maybe?

Veej said...

Another person who can't afford the fare and can't do the journey on a Sunday evening, sorry. However, I don't think you'll be short of an audience! Wish you every success and we'll look forward to hearing the broadcasts.

Anonymous said...

indeed veej, "john may well have difficulty filling 80 seats, what with him being totally unknown, and all" I can hear douglas saying that. Is there a ballot for cabin pressure tickets? I assumed it was just ticket unit applications, you can see Ive never been to any shows ever and have no clue cant you :-(

Veej said...

You're right, Anonymous, it is ticket unit applications but also a ballot in that I think they are allocated "first come, first served". You never know your luck though, I applied last year never expecting any results but was amazed & thrilled to get tickets for what turned out to be "Rotterdam".

Anonymous said...

Rats! I am a north-of-the-border person too. Come to Glasgow! Not far out of your way, is it? :)

Still, I'm very excited to hear there's a new series and will definitely be listening.

Puck said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Puck said...

An air of spring!? How lucky you are! In North of France, to celebrate Putin's democratic election it's tundra outside
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QGagSIW-IKM/T1SaCKR1RJI/AAAAAAAAAjc/BodMVQbR-UQ/s640/IMAG0270.jpg
I'll try to come to London in April!!! Can't wait to hear the new series

Anonymous said...

Would hope on the first plane out of this desolate wasteland! Alas, am broke like the uni student I am and am on the other side of the world in Australia! Can't wait for the broadcasts though! Hope you have heaps of fun writing and performing them! :D

Anonymous said...

Can't believe I'm actually coming to see you!

My two sisters and me are as excited as if we'd won the lottery... unless, of course, it was a triple rollover... though even then...

Four weeks and counting. Yay!
BethMAllen

Jane Russ said...

In comparison to some, Oxfordshire is positively close and yes, we'll be there, although sadly only on one of the nights. I'm hoping to bring at least 3 others so you better be good Mr. F or there'll be trouble.
No pressure then!!
p.s. we now play yellow car on foot too, how sad is that.

Karan said...

We need you to do this in the USA!!!

Margo said...

Have you seen this? I can't take credit for it but it made me weep with laughter.

http://cabinpressurecaptions.tumblr.com/

Anonymous said...

anonymous in hull is almost weeping too, I like the way some of them keep reappearing, could mr C be giving too much pronunciation to his name cos its his :-). This one is particularly garbled
"has finally come about as much influence" he's in there somewhere I promise.

Jake Alston said...

great john! we have booked!
bit concerned about the way unless you have a doodle account anyone can delete your name freeing up a space....maybe you should take a look. :)

Kathryn said...

Good luck writing and trying out the new material! Should be hilarious, based on the first series.

As an aside, if we in the US want to see the show, then surely it's time for us to bring John over here? If we book a theatre in the middle of the country, like Wichita, then the most anyone has to drive is 1500 miles! (OK, 1800 from Maine or Seattle.) Who's in?

Musical Lottie said...

Ooh, yay. Sunday evenings will be difficult but as one of the days is during the school holidays, I should be able to make it at least once.

How many will there be in this run? (I'd love to come to at least a couple but can only really stretch to one per month, if that, unless I get any more work.)

Again, YAY! This is exciting news :D

Annie said...

If only I lived in the UK, darn this pond known as the Atlantic Ocean!

Good luck with the show!

Loose said...

I knew there was a reason I divorced my husband and gave him custody of the kids on Sunday nights! Finally it's all become clear.

Loose said...

And to my Aussie friend, calerine (that IS how she spelt it), moving over from Sydney 18 years ago was obviously all part of my plan. If you're not prepared to put the work in...

Only joking, you got Jimoen in exchange!

Emma said...

(Searches Google Maps) Ok, so once I get to the East Coast, all I have to do is swim...

;-)

cai-fox@gmx.net said...

Oh, why do I only see that now?

I live far, far away, but I'm actually spending the week around the 1st of April in the UK. In Sussex. An hour from London. I could easily come. But of course that one date is booked out already. My luck!

Well, I'll try to not let that get me down and instead think of all the times this blog and your radio shows have made me insanely happy.

Thank you, Mr. Finnemore, for being just... brilliant!

cai-fox@gmx.de said...

Wow, you know what is incredibly awkward? Trying to be sneaky and being to stupid to do so. As in slipping your e-mail adress in in your comment showing how desperate you are for a ticket, in hope someone will take pity on you and give you their ticket if they can't come or something. Which of course is all silly enough, but then typing your old, invalid e-mail adress tops it all.

And I guess owning up to it, doesn't make the whole thing any less stupid, silly or desperate. But there you go, that's fan-girlishness for you.

I'm gonna go now, hide somewhere, maybe listen to some Cabin Pressure until I stop sobbing.

Anonymous said...

cai, you could hope that perhaps sarah keenan might be one person, but perhaps they are not, good luck, i did consider going to that show, but the cost of the trip was £60 just in train and overnight in a youth hostel. best wishes anon in Hull

Cai said...

Thanks, Anon, that's kind :)
But you know, I didn't quite expect to really get tickets. That would have been really too much of a very happy coincidence. Actually I think I was one of the first people to check for that date who didn't get a ticket, so I can relish in the idea that I got incredibly close. I think I'm alright with that :)
How does the expression go? You lose some... don't you?

Very wise ;)

Oh well, I'll try and stop being whiny and annoying now.
And to be fair, life and the world are actually quite lovely to me at the moment. It's lovely and sunny outside and I saw my first bumblebee of the year today AND I am going to England in a few weeks. So, life is good.
Not that anyone is actually interested in that. I'll shut up now. Sorry people. (Maybe I should give in and get myself a tumblr or something.)
Bye to all you lovely people and huge thanks again to you, Mr. Finnemore :)

Anonymous said...

anon in hull grins, good luck with the trying to persuade him to get you a ticket

Anonymous said...

anon in hull is listening to unbelieveable truth on this mp3 player, im up to the john finnemore script ones, that means..... duh duh duhhhhhh that the 13 cabin pressures must be very close, swoon. There are 45 unbelievables so in fact I am managing my finnemore/cumberbatch habit with a hugs slab of laughing out loud at other stuff in shops, archive offices, on buses, trains etc in between

Cai said...

It won't work, will it?
:)

Anonymous said...

it might have :-P rsvp asap
anon hull

Cai said...

Life is very good, indeed!
Anon in hull, you are the best!

Anonymous said...

yvw, I hope you love it, and that I get to see cabin pressure 4 being recorded
anon hull

John Finnemore said...

Jake - don't worry, I've got the email addresses of everyone who put their names down, and if any names disappear I'll check with them that they took them off themselves.

Lotte - We're not sure, but probably another three

Cai and Anon in Hull - Excellent - glad that got sorted out!

Anonymous said...

us too sweetie :-P

Anonymous said...

since youve got my e mail you can save me a cabin pressure ticket :-P. ROFLOL
anon hull

Cai said...

I think you should.
She most definitely deserves it :)

Anonymous said...

hi cai, ive got a ticket, allegedly, have booked a room at YHA, got the coach tickets, now if the ticket fails to exist I shall weep until the country floods
anon hull

Anonymous said...

Anon in Hull would dearly love another ticket for April 1st fools errand

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