Drama on Hampton Hill

Picture at Richmond Station.

Peter, Bridget and I went to see the Hampton Hill Theatre production of 'Pornography', a play about the 7/7 bombings in London.

Simon Stephen's play premiered in around 2008, this production was directed by Josh Clarke, the son of John Clarke who I worked with at The Times.

Sadly we missed John who came along last night, but I congratulated his lad and caught up with Peter and Bridget's friend Jim (who played a sexually predatorial college tutor).

I hadn't read anything about the production beforehand but worked out the historical place of it quite quickly. 

Finding some of the character stories a bit loose in the first half it all came together beautifully (and of course tragically) in the second half.

It made me think back to 7/7 when I still working at The times with the director's dad. I headed to work on the Tube but when I changed trains at Embankment the platform was too crowded.

I left the station and felt there was something odd, I tried to call my boyfriend. I couldn't get through. 

There were no buses running and no cabs so I got on the river bus to Wapping.

There were only 6 of us on the boat. Me and 5 American tourists. As we sailed down the river we hears police and ambulance sirens going off everywhere.

The boat terminated at St Katherine Docks but not before the river pilot told us the news. It was terrible, but the sort of day when your skill as a newspaper designer comes into its fore.