Speaking of the Teddy Bears Picnic, Ben, my friend Roger also once sent me a compliation of about 25 different versions of the song Teddy Bears Picnic, having remembered fondly an old 78 of mine that used to get lots of play in our college days.
I also do as you do when going to London...try to stay up as late as I possbily can that first night, usually till ten or eleven, I've even gone to a show that first night. Where are you coming from?...From La, it's about eight hours difference. And I don't sleep particularly well on a plane. I have learned it works better if one drinks less alcohol on the flight...but it's tough to refuse that free champagne and wine with dinner.
The lag usually hits me around the third or fourth night. Lurching straight up, wide awake at three in the morning. Though I've learned to fend it off with naps. Around three or four, I usually return to the flat and doze for an hour or two before getting up for the night's theatre. And this is pretty refreshing. The last thing I want to do is snooze during a play.