Comedy cellar restart, firework display....watched from the warmth and comfort (and as far as I'm concerned, safety) of the South Hill Park Arts Centre bar.....sounds great, doesn't it!
I have a huge problem with being outside near any fireworks, from two experiences in my younger days - I got burned by a firework in a theatre - the technicians hadn't taken into account that the flames wouldn't be out by the time they hit people on the balcony. It wasn't serious in as much as my dress had a lot of melted holes and I had some red, sore patches of skin but it was probably the most frightening experience of my life - a rain of fire pouring down all over me. Colin - do you remember that night?
The second bad experience I had was a GLC (Greater London Council) festival with live music and fireworks. I was on the South Bank leaning over the wall of the river and a firework came down a couple of feet in front of me, into the river but the heat of the firework actually parted the water. Again, a near-miss. Since these two experiences I can't be outside anywhere near them.
Well, the truth was bad organisation - grumpy, jobsworth bouncers, no open bar, no indoor safety for me, a field full of hideous, screaming kids and the worst 'firework' display I've ever seen. After 40 mins only a handful of fireworks had been let off and it became apparent the 'show' was a bunch of pretentious arty-farty types climbing up and down scaffolding. The start of the show consisted of setting these rotating 'teepees' on fire. It wasn't a firework display (even though it had been advertised as such) - it may have gone down well on the South Bank but the people of Bracknell (and us) had expected rockets and catherine wheels.
Does my view of this make me some kind of philistine? I expect so but firstly I think that you should get what is advertised - and this wasn't what was advertised - and secondly if this had been advertised I, certainly, wouldn't have gone near it under any circumstances.
We were fed-up to say the least, so, if South Hill Park was not prepared to serve us drinks or let us inside, there were plenty of other places that would. A five minute walk up the road to the Hilton meant we could watch the remainder of the display from the safety of being behind glass and with a beer in our hands! Much improvement.
Later, the Comedy Cellar kicked off and things improved somewhat though the temporary home on the stage in the Wilde Theatre did nothing for atmosphere or ambience. Ah well - back to normal now I hope.
