P/REVIEW: View from the sofa 10

Yay, lockdowners ! We’re in double figures with our regular look at what you can watch at home in the world of theatre, film and other treats.

First off this time is the National Theatre’s latest gift in their @home series. This Thursday you get a chance to see the uproariously irreverent This House by James Graham. Filmed live on stage in 2013, it’s a timely, moving and funny insight into the workings of British politics . It’s 1974 and Britain has a hung Parliament. The corridors of Westminster ring with the sound of political in-fighting and backstabbing . No change there then ! It’s on the usual YouTube channel.

Kings of Broadway is an all-star concert celebrating the works of Julie Styne, Jerry Herman and Stephen Sondheim. it features among others: Liz Calloway, Jordan  Lee Davies, Janie Dee, Fra Fee, Clive Rowe, Samantha Spiro and Michael Xavier. Created to support NHS Charities Together and Acting for Others, it is free on YouTube on Sunday 31 May at 7pm .Don’t miss it.

Smash was a terrific made-for-television fictional series which purported to show the angst of putting together a Broadway musical – Bombshell – abut the life of Marilyn Monroe. It was a cult thing you neither loved or left alone, but now the makers and the cast have got together to produce Bombshell in Concert and it’s sure  to please its worldwide fan base. It’s topical too as there’s rumour of a Broadway version of the show – or its fictional version next year. Catch the concert on peopletv.com

Other streaming highlights this week or next include:

West End Live in virtual form will bring you stars of the West End in a variety  of shows, for the next 4 Thursdays on Sky and then on YouTube to coincide with the cancelled annual West End Live outdoor performances.

Judi Dench is in conversation with Gyles Brandreth , at London’s Orange Tree theatre ( 2017), It costs £4.99 on the theatre’s website in aid of their survival fund – orange tree theatre.co.uk

Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti , is free to stream from Opera North on their YouTube channel until the beginning of June, so hurry , it’s a rare opera/musical fusion treat. Watch it here now

And finally I’m indebted to my good friend , Chicago-based Hop Backus once more for a brunch treat , much beloved in Spain.

If like me, your breakfast now melts into lunch – here’s

Huevos Rotos – Broken Eggs.

1/3 cup olive oil – more if needed; 2 teaspoons paprika; 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne; salt and black pepper; 2 lbs new potatoes , cut in 1 inch pieces;1 medium finely chopped onion; 4 finely chopped garlic cloves; 4 eggs; lemon edges for serving.

Combine the oil, paprika, red pepper, some salt and pepper and a cup of water in a bowl. Pour the mixture  into  a skillet containing the potatoes. Bring to the boil, cover and cook for 6-9 minutes till the potatoes are fork-tender. Uncover, turn heat to low, spread in a layer and add the onion and garlic surrounding the potatoes. Cover and cook until the potatoes are golden brown and the onions softened ( 4 to 6 minutes ). Make 4 nests in the potatoes and crack an egg into each. Add salt and pepper. Cover and cook till the whites are set and the yolks are still runny ( 4 to 6 minutes ). To serve, break the yolks gently with a spoon, then scoop some potatoes and an egg onto each plate . Serve with lemon.

Perfecto .