The older I get the slower I am at things like planning itineraries. Today, I spent hours on our October Spain trip that I had already spent hours on. It doesn't help that some of the websites are not very good and neither is my Spanish. My dabblement (I know, it's not a word, but it should be) with that language started and ended over 45 years ago. I thought I had booked tickets to the Alhambra, but I think I forgot the last step to complete the transaction and it timed out. But it was time to focus on London and the Alhambra will have to wait until tomorrow.

In the midst of booking hotels in Madrid and Sevilla, I also booked tickets for a play for tonight in London. John Osborne's The Entertainer is playing at the Garrick Theatre and this is the last night of previews. It stars Kenneth Branagh in the lead role of Archie Rice, and Sophie McShera (Daisy on Downton Abbey) as his daughter Jean. John Hurt was supposed to play his father Billy Rice, but he had to cancel due to some health issues and he was replaced by Gawn Grainger. Other cast members included Greta Scacchi, Jonah Hauer-King, Phil Dunster, and Crispin Letts.

It's a dark play, set in post-war Britain, about a family of performers. This production describes it as portraying "the seedy glamour of the old music halls for an explosive examination of public masks and private torment." It was first performed in 1957 and Sir Laurence Olivier starred as Archie. I also read that the playwright used the decline of the old music halls as a metaphor for Britain no longer being the world power it once was. I guess I can see that, now that it was pointed out to me. But I found the play just okay. They had a few kinks still to work out but, for the most part, the acting was good. I admit to nodding off a couple of times in the first act, which is a problem I have when the lights are out. So I should probably see it again, but I'm pretty sure I won't.

Before the play, we went to find a restaurant for dinner. Gord spotted a Wagamama very near the theatre. I had been wanting to get to one, since we had really enjoyed going there back in 2007. The food was good and inexpensive back then. This time, not so much. The food was mediocre and a bit pricier. We happened to be sitting where we could watch the food being prepared and I was surprised at the amount of plastic they throw away. For the noodle dishes (and they prepare a lot of them), they pull out a little plastic bag of pre-measured noodles, put the noodles into a larger plastic bag and add the other ingredients (depending on the dish, red onion, bean sprouts, cilantro, peppers, etc.), shake it to mix, empty it onto a hot griddle to cook, and throw away the little bag and the big one. I'm sure it's very efficient, but not very environmentally friendly. I will now have to think twice about going back.

On the way home we took the wrong exit out of the underground at King's Cross and ended up inside the train station. And we found this, which was on my to-do list.