This is Mandy Patinkin. We know him from ‘Homeland’. He was the boss CIA or FBI or whatever acronym they were. He was fab. Strong. Experienced (euphemism for ‘older than everyone else’s). Watched the first 3 series, all brilliant, then got bored, as you do as plots get thinner, more stretched beyond credibility, as it all gets a bit ‘same shit different day’.

Then, what, 5 years later, Mel sees that Mandy is doing a show. Oh. What’s he gonna do, relive Homeland? Interrogate a few jihadi suspects in front of a West End audience? Shoot three people dead? Bit of water boarding? Who knows.

That was ages ago. Then, suddenly, months after booking, we’re off to Shaftesbury Avenue to see the ‘show’. Whatever it may be.

But you see he had a life before Homeland. His ‘experience’ wasn’t in fact in ‘enhanced interrogation’ but in shows on Broadway. Films. Tv shows. First and foremost as a singer in musicals. He was best mates with Stephen Sondheim. Starred in everything for decades, belting out tunes in his very deep voice. As he did yesterday. Show songs, none of which we knew, but most were amusing. He’s amusing. And he is also a fantastic raconteur. Not tales about ‘show biz’ but about his life growing up in South Chicago. And he ended his show, the theatre absolutely packed with real fans who gave him his first standing ovation just for walking onto the stage, by singing ‘somewhere over the rainbow’. In Yiddish. As it was originally written.

The music was fine, the stories wonderful but really worked for me was someone who was so comfortable just being a Jew. Not ‘in yer face’ with it, just part of what he is. A very American way to do it.

I still don’t know why we go the tickets, but I’m glad we did. Other than Saturday afternoon in the West End, which is as revolting as life gets. Unless you are a party of 78 Serbian bargain-hunters, a hen-troupe from Huddersfield or pub-crawl from Putney. They all seemed to enjoy getting in my way. And blocking Tottenham Court Road station. All that was missing was a few ‘from the river to the sea’ banners to make it a perfect end to a lovely afternoon.

Happy Sunday

A xxxx