Week 9

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to choose a park over an art gallery this weekend, as I'm writing this with my arms and legs sunburnt! But nevertheless, the weather during the week was much grimmer – perfect to have a drink at Hampstead Theatre bar  before seeing Canary. The play is telling the history of gay movement since 1960s through personal stories. It's a typical gay related evening – a bit of humour, a bit of campiness, a bit of seriousness. You've seen one, you've seen them all. However, there were few interesting quotes – "Women and gay people are the litmus test of whether a society is democratic in respecting human rights. We're the canaries in the mine," by Peter Tatchell.

I was left with a similar feeling of 'nothing new' after seeing A Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky written by three authors. It's about a dysfunctional family facing the end of the world. There were brilliant moments but it didn't hold my attention as through most of the play I was busy wondering how I would behave in the last weeks before the end. A rather more amusing experience was listening to the actors interpreting their roles and the play in the afterwards held Q&A at the Hammersmith Lyric. A little moan – why people feel the need to go to the Q&A and instead of asking questions talk about their life and give background of their families, etc. The rest of the audience is interested in the family just seen on the stage, not someone's from Northern England.

Also this week: experienced women singing men's parts in the first Vivaldi's opera Ottone in Villa and just couldn't get enough of Goldfrapp new album Head First