Was it a hundred years since I'd been to the ballet?
Well, that's how it felt when a friend invited me to a performance of Sleeping Beauty at The Playhouse Theatre complex in Durban.
We took it for granted back in the day, but a ballet performance is a rarity in our midst these days! Durban was only given two performances, so tickets were sold out in no time for 'ballet-hungry' folk!
When my friend booked tickets, we could only get seats way up in 'heaven.' At least we could see the whole stage and the musicians in the orchestra pit.
The Royal Hotel
We did the traditional thing and left early so we could have lunch at The Royal Hotel in Durban CBD, where we always park.
The grand old dame of Durban is over 150 years old and has seen many famous faces, but she is starting to show a little wear and tear. Thankfully there still are good pieces left from a more gracious era.
One entire wall is still covered in a tapestry that's been there for yonks.
Traditional African art
A little Christmas cheer
Waiting to be served would have given much subject matter for any comedy show!
It was as if we were invisible!
Someone arrived long after us, dressed up in a political party shirt, sporting the gleeful face of their infamous leader, and was served in no time. We later learned that the same party was celebrating their first birthday celebrations that weekend; likely all the waitresses were on duty in a private lounge for the delegates staying at the hotel!
We waved, went in search of a waitress, waved again, and eventually, someone came across enquiring how she could help us.
We've been sitting for over half an hour, need to order lunch or we're going to miss the ballet. This is the coffee shop, right?
Their parkade has an agreement with The Playhouse Theatre which brings in business, so off she ran. My friend said:
Does she think we're bloody well waiting for the bus, or what?
A waitress arrived looking flustered, took our order, which arrived in a reasonable time.
We had been waiting a whole hour, would have left if we weren't so hungry, but there no longer is anywhere else to go in that part of town!
At least the food and drinks were good - I ordered an Iced Coffee and a Lamb Curry Roti, both delicious, but it was time to run to The Playhouse!
The Playhouse
I could not take any decent photos of the exterior of both the Royal Hotel and the theatre complex. The Playhouse was turned into a state-of-the-art complex in the 80s, with one section of the exterior maintaining its' Tudor style.
It was awesome sharing the experience with my son's girlfriend!
Beautiful Nativity scene
The afternoon also took me on a trip down memory lane.
Photo scanned from my late uncle's album - that's him as Puss in Boots.
As you've gathered by now, he used to be a dancer, and that's where my love of ballet started.
When it was time for Puss in Boots to take centre stage, I had to peck away a tear or two, as Rulov excelled in this role.
Durban City Hall
Walking back to The Royal, we had more time to admire the beautiful neo-Baroque architecture of our city hall,
The city fathers commissioned a new hall in 1903, choosing what they termed a 'bold and progressive' design submitted by architect Stanley Hudson. Hudson set about creating a replica of the Belfast City Hall in Northern Ireland.
Source
Leaving the city centre, we drove past the old Receiver of Revenue's office building, which now accommodates the Department of Public Works, while the taxman now sits in a modern building!
We had two alarming incidents - my friend forgot to put her foot on the clutch in the parkade, and nearly drove through the wall. My car was parked at her home, and I took a corner too sharply so hit the pavement!
A bumpy ride with two old gals taking turns behind the wheel, gave my son's girlfriend quite a start, but did not spoil the afternoon for any of us;)
,PS I forgot it's long weekend, but hope to get the MRI report about my neck tomorrow (the shoulder injury does not faze me). I've figured which neck movement bring on the numbness and shocks, and only experience it when I forget. Hopefully can be resolved with physio.
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[//]:# ([//]:# (!worldmappin -29.85918 lat 31.02677 long Royal Hotel, Durban, a prelude to ballet at The Playhouse d3scr))