Month: September 1985

Jumpers by Tom Stoppard, Aldwych Theatre, With Annalisa, Johnboy & Mandy, 27 September 1985

The diary entry for that day reads:

Full day on [Financial Training] course – went to Annalisa’s -> meet John and Mandy. Saw Jumpers and had Chinese meal.

Again, nothing specific about the Chinese Restaurant. Probably Mayflower or Joy King Lau, is my guess.

Jumpers. I remember enjoying the play and the production without being bowled over by it. The cast was very 1970s/early 1980s sitcom heavy, which made them familiar, perhaps to excess. At least in those days you didn’t get sycophantic audiences giving “stars” standing ovations simply for turning up and walking on to the stage.

Here is the Theatricalia entry for the production. Peter Wood was a fine director and was especially adept at Stoppard, amongst others.

Here is some professional take on what we saw. Firstly, my friend, Michael Billlington, who liked it:

Jumpers Billington Guardian Jumpers Billington Guardian 2 Apr 1985 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Francis King in the Sunday telegraph also liked it:

Jumpers Telegraph King Jumpers Telegraph King 7 Apr 1985 Sunday Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

I sense that John Barber in The Daily Telegraph liked the production more than the play:

Jumpers Telegraph Barber Jumpers Telegraph Barber 2 Apr 1985 The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Michael Radcliffe in the Observer, perhaps bedazzled by Felicity Kendall, had this one down as a “don’t miss”:

Jumpers Observer Radcliffe Jumpers Observer Radcliffe 7 Apr 1985 The Observer (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

I do remember the evening as a memorable and enjoyable night out with friends. One or more of them might chime in with memories of their own about it.

Starting The Back Seat Drivers Course, 26 September 1985

Image generated to my specification by Nano Banana 2 Lite (Google Flow)

I think it was dad’s suggestion, having seen a promotional flyer.

I sort of wanted to learn to drive, but also sort-of realised that I had no need for a car, nor the means to buy and run one, until I had qualified, which was three years away at least.

Thus, I joined a municipal “learner drivers course” that taught you everything you ever wanted to know about driving but were afraid to ask…but didn’t take you anywhere near an actual motor vehicle to actually learn to drive.

I sort of liked the course and sort of recognised its futility.

It was more interesting than doing my Financial Training homework…

…actually, probably a similar level of uninteresting but at least it was differently uninteresting.

I seem to recall that one or two of the people on the course with me were quite interesting, in that they were rather different form most of the people I got to meet through my University and then working life.

I referred to it as Learner Drivers Course in my first two diary entries, before switching to my nickname for the course:

The Back Seat Drivers Course.

Dad probably rued the day he recommended that I take this course, as I am sure I pointed out his minor breaches of the Highway Code from the safety of my back seat whenever I spotted same as his passenger. Serves you right, dad.

DAD: SO don’t care.

Two Workaday Weeks In September 1985, The Highlight Being A Two Chinese Meal Day

Image generated to my specification by Nano Banana 2 Lite (Google Flow)

The diary is not very revealing for these two weeks in September 1985, but it gives an idea of the early stages of my full-time working life. More than work colleagues, I was socialising with friends from Keele, school and BBYO. Mostly the latter at that stage of the proceedings, by the looks of it.

Wednesday, 11 September 1985 – office ok – stayed in evening – spoke to Hayward [Burt, my successor as Education & Welfare officer at Keele] most of the evening.

Thursday, 12 September 1985 – office – busy etc. Stayed in evening – uneventful day.

Friday, 13 September 1985 – work ok – had lunch with Ashley [Michaels] – had a lazy evening at home.

Saturday, 14 September 1985 – went shopping etc – did very little today – stayed in evening.

Sunday, 15 September 1985. Lazyish day – big lunch and lazy afternoon – collected Grandma Jenny – lazy evening.

Monday, 16 September 1985 – Rosh Hashana – shule morning – lunch, then to [Doreen & Stanley] Benjamin’s for supper – quite nice.

Tuesday, 17 September 1985 – Rosh Hashana – shule morning – big lunch and lazy day at home.

Wednesday, 18 September 1985 – back to work – ok. Stayed in evening.

Thursday, 19 September 1985 – work ok – kept busy. Had a lazy evening at home.

Friday, 20 September 1985 – work ok – went over to Anil’s [Biltoo] in evening – cooked huge Chinese meal and then went out for a drink.

Saturday, 21 September 1985 – went to shops etc – went over to Andrea’s [Dean] in evening for dinner -> Mandy Green’s party – stayed at Andrea’s.

Apologies that I don’t remember much about this party. I think Mandy Green lived out Croydon/Sutton way at that time, which might explain why staying with Andrea afterwards made sense. I expect it was all good fun.

Sunday 22 September 1985 – returned home – lazy day – had Chinese lunch. Met Jilly in evening – had drink and then Chinese supper.

I love the notion that I had a two Chinese meal day. Chinese lunch will have been with my parents. Probably at Mrs Wongs in Streatham at that time. Drink and Chinese supper with Jilly would no doubt have been in Chinatown. Unusual for me not to name the restaurant. Probably Yungs, Mayflower or Joy King Lau in 1985.

Monday 23 September 1985 – last day in office before course – tied up loose ends et cetera – stayed in evening.

Tuesday 24 September 1985–1st day of course – had to leave early to go to Col Nidre.

Wednesday, 25 September 1985 – Yom Kippur.

Three Strindberg Premieres, The Gate Theatre, 10 September 1985

I always was partial to a bit of Strindberg and had avidly read all the Strindberg I could readily get hold of. But I hadn’t read these short plays and thought this triple bill looked most enticing.

Annalisa was partial to this sort of theatre and herself brought authentic Swedish upbringing into the equation too. For sure she was up for this idea.

At that time, Annalisa, who was still at Keele, lived with her parents in Harley Street, just a stone’s throw from Cavendish Square, so meeting up with her while she was still on her summer vacation was a doddle.

This evening was especially memorable for me. It was my first ever visit to The Gate, in Notting Hill. Little did I realise in 1985 that, three years later, I would make my home just around the corner from there.

I remember this particular evening of theatre well, as it was so darned good. Typical Strindberg themes. I remember one scene with pipe-smoking women which seemed terribly Scandinavian.

I expect the Italian meal that Annalisa and I had afterwards was at the Notting Hill incarnation of Il Carretto, which was a reliable Italian place in that 1970s mould.

Let’s see if I can find some professional reviews of that excellent Strindberg production at The Gate.

Yes! Of course I can.

I knew I could rely on my friend, Michael Billington, who wrote highly of the evening, although he didn’t like the play with the pipe-smoking women by the looks of it:

Strindberg Guardian Billington Strindberg Guardian Billington 4 Sept 1985 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

RS in the Sunday Telegraph also wrote well of the triple bill:

Strindberg, Telegraph, RS Strindberg, Telegraph, RS 8 Sept 1985 Sunday Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Ros Asquith in The Observer loved the production but found these stripped down Strindberg pieces too slight:

Strindberg Observer Asquith Strindberg Observer Asquith 15 Sept 1985 The Observer (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

I wonder whether Annalisa remembers this evening? I’ll ask her.

My First 10 Days Of Full Time Work At Newman Harris & Co, Starting 2 September 1985

Harcourt House – Nigel Cox / Cavendish Square, W1 / CC BY-SA 2.0

I am not going to write a great deal about my three apprenticeship years, autumn 1985 to autumn 1988. I had decided to qualify as a Chartered Accountant while I decided what I wanted to be when I grow up.

I succeeded in qualifying as quickly as possible but, 40 or so years later, I have yet to decide what I want to be when I grow up.

To facilitate the process of qualifying as quickly as possible, I returned to my parents’ house after leaving Keele. That decision probably didn’t much help my emotional state, which was a sense of “going backwards” from the highs of being Union sabbatical for a year to the mundanity of regular working life for apprentices in their 20’s.

Still, I didn’t find the studying too taxing [did you see what I did there?] so I was able to read a lot – my leisure reading focus being on play texts from the Westminster Library on Marylebone Road – and go out with friends to theatre, cinema, concerts and restaurants.

I was also able to help my parents out financially, contributing to the household bills, at a time that dad was looking to retire but signally failing to sell the shop.

Enough context – there’ll be diary extracts and articles about signature events.

Monday, 2 September 1985 – first day of full-time employment – went okay – stayed in evening.

Tuesday, 3 September 1985 – work OK – had a lazy evening in after.

Wednesday, 4 September 1985 – met Caroline for lunch today and went out with John [White] and Vicky [I cannot remember her surname, only her nickname] in evening –> Yung’s -> film Insignificance

Image borrowed from allinlondon.co.uk – click here for entry.

Thursday, 5 September 1985 – office ok – went over to Martin and Barbie Wilson’s house [Petra’s father and step-mother in Burgess Hill] for evening.

Friday 6 September 1985 – work okay – had a drink with [work colleagues] Mike & Sandra [King] after – went home – lazy evening in.

Saturday, 7 September 1985 – lazyish day – taping – shops – easy evening in also.

Sunday, 8 September 1985 – lazy day – [Uncle] Michael came round – Chinese lunch – sorted things in the afternoon and lazy evening in.

Monday, 9 September 1985 – work ok – went to Annalisa’s for lunch – had an easy evening in.

Tuesday 10 September 1985 – work ok – went to meet Annalisa after work – went to Gate to see Three Strindberg plays -> Italian meal after – very pleasant.

OK, that evening in Notting Hill Gate seeing Strindberg and eating Italian food needs its own article.

A Letter From Keele, Professor Les Fishman, 2 September 1985

I have no idea what must have gone wrong with the earlier correspondence, unless it turns up in a pile I have not yet excavated. I got on well with Les, both in my capacity as a student and as a students’ union officer. He was, in my experience, a wonderful lecturer and steward of his undergraduate students. So my comment about the long-forgotten faux pas would have been tongue-in-cheek on my part, as would Les’s rebuttal have been on his part.

Les Fishman Letter 2 September 1985

In 2008 I went to the memorial mini-conference Professor Peter Lawrence and others held in Les’s honour. I ended up meeting and hiring Les’s grand-daughter, Leo, who thus worked at Z/Yen for a few happy years.

 

Memorial Conference for Les Fishman, Management Centre, Keele University,15 October 2008