The 193 steps

 ...Duncan at the beginning of our 7 hour adventure ...

Duncan and I have done our homework.

We had tickets to go to the Moscow State Gogol Theatre Performance of “Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka”.

We had previewed the show on YouTube, seven segments in all.

We had the plot down pat, had listened to the music, and had asked questions about what we had heard.

For example, I didn’t know what a sacristan is, since no one in my faith holds that holy office.

Duncan and I have been hanging out on the tube for some time now, and we have plans for what happens should one of us get on or off at a stop and the other be left behind.

Arta with her purse full of nutella sandwiches and asssorted sweets

We got to run our plan today.

The Piccadilly Line has five elevators that bring people up to Leicester Square.

We were waiting to get on elevator five, when I saw Duncan (and many other people) slip behind a pillar to go up elevator four.

Not wanting this to be the first time we were parted, I too, slipped over, and pushed my way onto the elevator, which was already full.

But half way to the top, I realized that I couldn’t see him anywhere in that over-sized elevator.

I got off at the top to wait for him to come up in the next elevator, but no Duncan and the security agent was asking me to go through the turnstile and wait for my lost grandson on the outside of the station.

Duncan beside the poster advertising the Russian play

Five minutes later, still no Duncan.

At the 10 minute mark I was figuring out what I was going to say to Steve when I called him.

At that point, I saw Duncan’s face on the other side of the barrier, but he was in an elevator going down and unable at that point to leap out.

I waved.

the theatre marque for English subtitles

Ten more minutes, and I couldn’t stand it any longer and told that Security Guard that I had to come back through the turnstile, for I had lost my grandson.

He asked for his name and then took me through a small corridor, and in that same corridor Duncan came rushing towards us.

Aah! My live was getting good again.

We pulled ourselves over to the side of the walkway that leads to Covent Garden and we talked. Duncan didn’t slip through to go up elevator four.

He was just looking for me, and when he figured out I was missing, he ran the 193 steps to the top of the line.

Not seeing me there, he got on the elevator to do back down, saw me wave, and so at the bottom again, he ran the 193 steps back up to the top. His cheeks were red by now, and he was limping from the charlie horses that were now in his legs.

After sharing with each other our sides of conflicting but similar stories, we stayed pretty much shoulder to shoulder, forearm to forearm for the rest of the day.

How is that for a theatre chandelier?

The Shaftsbury Theatre had the most unusual coloured chandeliers.

I didn’t know if the underwear that I saw hanging from them was for our show, or for the Rock of Ages show that is being presented at that theatre. Duncan and I decided that it was probably be for the night show and not for our show.

We were right.

Our seats were in the Grand Circle, which is less grand than the Royal Circle, and even further away from the stage than the Stalls.

Still, our tickets had been the right price.

The Shaftsbury Stage:  the sky and the earth covered with snow

Of all of the events we have attended since I have been here, this one took the most energy from us.

The English subtitles to the show ran by on a marquee, too fast for us to both enjoy the show and to enjoy the explanation of the words that were being said in Russian on the stage.

We were watching a three hour folk tale from another culture, and even though we had done our homework, there was much in the fable that we were missing.

The Russian dancing was live – and intricate.

My favourite character was the devil, who in this show, had only one night left to teach people how to sin.  Hard not to be interested in that premise.

Duncan could remember the hero and heroine’s name (Vakula and Oksana) when the play was over, so he gets 10/10 for points from me.

We know every Subway (Restaurant) in town,
ones that are close to a theatre we have been to.

A foot-long subway, drink and chips gave Duncan enough energy to make it home, where he begged his father to make me stop taking him out to see London on the weekends.

I will be leaving in ten days so his life will soon get easier, and some other grandchild’s life will get harder.

Arta