Tea & final thoughts

It turns out that London totally lives up to the "obsessed with tea" stereotype. Tea is to London what coffee is to America, basically. I think I'm gonna stick with coffee. I tried to like tea, I really did. I went through a tea drinking phase in high school but I was just lying to myself. I really, really don't like tea. It pretty much tastes like hot leaf water, and milk and sugar don't do much to help that. But, for the assignment's sake, Camila and I went to a small cafe called Fleet Street Press and ordered a cup of tea. I was hoping that maybe, somehow, tea is magically better over here than in America, but, alas, I was underwhelmed. Sorry, Brits. We're pretty broke, so we didn't get scones or clotted cream or any sort of snack, so unfortunately we didn't get the real authentic British tea experience. That's alright, though, I had plenty of other authentic British experiences.

I hate a lot of things, but I think I had goodbyes most. This has basically been the month of my dreams. Being able to see 22 professional productions in one month is absolutely insane, and it just confirmed that this is what I want to do with my life. I've always heard that, regarding theatre, if you can imagine yourself doing anything else in the world, do that instead. There is not a single thing I would rather do in life, not a single other thing I can imagine myself doing, than creating theatre and being apart of this world. I love it beyond words, and I'm so thankful I got this chance to experience so much theatre in such an awesome way. I don't consider myself a very emotional or sentimental person, but this is one thing I can get real sappy about real quick. I knew I was passionate about theatre before this trip, but this has motivated me to do everything I can to become a working actor in a major city. And for that, I am grateful. 

Thanks, London.

scavenger hunt

"This cocktail was created by a bartender at a famous London gentleman’s club to commemorate the death of Prince Albert in 1861. Order one in the historic pub near Paddington Station named after the late Albert’s wife."

This bartender at the Victoria Pub had no earthly idea what we were talking about when we ordered the "Black Velvet". Luckily, a patron near us told her what it was (kind of), and she gave us a half pint of Guiness with a small bottle of champagne and let us make it ourselves. I didn't order one (I'm super broke) but I had a few drinks of Camila's and you know what, it was actually really good.

"This ancient bust is said to have inspired Percy Bysshe Shelley to write his famous sonnet about the “King of Kings.” The sculpture weighs 7.25 tons and dates from 1250 BC."

The Ozymandias at the British Museum. (Camila's picture, but we were together!)

"Find one of the hats made famous by Sherlock Holmes and snap a picture of yourself wearing it. While Sir Arthur Conan Doyle never refers to the hat by name, illustrators made the style synonymous with the fictional detective."

We couldn't find any actual hats, but we did find this one! At the Baker Street stop on the Bakerloo line.

"This masterpiece of nineteenth-century art was painted by a Dutchman for the artist Paul Gaugin’s bedroom; the dominant color of the painting is said to symbolize happiness."

Unfortunately, this room was closed yesterday! At the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square.

However we did find this gem in the gift store! This counts, right?

"Ask a citizen of the United Kingdom to explain the game of cricket to you. (Credit only if they comply.) Document with a photograph;double points for video. List the rules of the game in your blog post."

We got our friend Chris to explain it to us. We still don't understand, though.

"Find the only portrait (oil on canvas) of Shakespeare that was likely painted from life."

At the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square

Visit London’s oldest bookshop. Ask the clerk for a voting form for the shop’s “Favourite Novels of the Past 200 Years” poll. Make your selections and submit your vote.

Do we get double points for seeing Bill Nighy at Hatchard's?

These twentieth-century paintings were originally intended as murals for the Four Seasons restaurant in New York City, but they are now displayed in a dimly-lit room of a London art museum. Find them.

By Mark Rothko in the Tate Museum of Modern Art

This sixteenth-century painting by an Italian artist depicts a woman chained to a rock, threatened by a sea monster. Fortunately for her, a hero is on hand to save the day. The mythological scene is taken from Ovid.

Unfortunately, Andromeda and Perseus is in storage in the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square.

And finally, Order a bowl of this gelatinous cockney delicacy, made popular by workers looking for cheap, nutritious eats. Douse with chili vinegar and plenty of pepper. (It’ll help with the fishy taste.) In true Harry Potter fashion, you will automatically win the scavenger hunt if you eat the entire bowl. (Video proof required.)

No.

fringe theatre

In 2012, my high school's theatre department was invited to perform in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. The festival consisted of massive amounts of theatre, some pretty well known works and some brand new. I think the best (and maybe worst) part of fringe theatre is that you never really know what you're going to get. We saw a pretty terrible production of one of my favorite shows, The Last 5 Years, and an absolutely beautiful production of a show that had never been produced before, about three young boys in the middle of war with absolutely no speaking. I'm a huge fan of fringe theatre because it's full of young people who are passionate about theatre and aren't afraid to fail. Fringe theatre isn't about being commercial and appealing to a wide audience, it's about pushing the envelope and creating raw, real theatre.

Last night I finally got a chance to see a fringe show and went to Hampstead Theatre's production of Luna Gale by Rebecca Gillman. We had studied the show in an acting class that I had taken this previous semester and I loved it. It's a very new, edgy, and rarely produced show, so being able to see it performed after just studying it was great. It follows a social worker, Caroline, as she tries to help the minor child Luna Gale, whose taken away from her teenage, meth-addict parents and put in the grandmother's care. However, the grandmother, a devout Christian, said some concerning things about Christianity, her daughter, and the baby, making Caroline doubt Luna's placement and side with her sweet but troubled parents, Karlie and Peter. Caroline suggests they make up a story about how Karlie's former step-dad molested her, and how her mother didn't believe her when she told her. Although Karlie went along with the "story" like it never happened, it turns out that she was molested by her step-father as a teenager, and although she didn't tell her mom, she didn't have to in order for it to be obvious. That scene, where Peter is describing the event to Karlie's mom, was a stand out. It made me feel disgusted and heartbroken, and the mother's reaction of continuing to say she didn't know because Karlie never told her was enraging. There was not one weak link in this cast (Karlie's American accent sucked, but other than that she was fantastic), Peter was the real stand out. He was endearing, sweet, and so in love with Karlie that it made you hurt for him. If we had more time, I would definitely recommend this show to anyone here.

day twenty something

I grew up doing summer community theatre in an amphitheater in our local park, and St. Louis is home to the nations largest outdoor amphitheater, so seeing The Seagull in Regent's Park Open Air Theater kind of reminded me of home. Outdoor theatre has its pros and cons, both from an actor and audience member's point of view. There are the obvious drawbacks, like unpredictable weather (which we almost saw last night), and, uncontrollable outside noises, but I think my least favorite thing about outdoor theatre is it's lack of formality. This isn't necessarily pertaining to productions themselves, but more with the members of the audience. Because we're seated outdoors, I think audience members feel more comfortable with getting up in the middle of a scene and going to the bathroom, or whispering loudly to their neighbor their opinion of the show. Along with the number of other distractions that could happen at any given moment outdoors - a plane going by, thunder, or a bird pooping on one of the actors on stage (it's happened in a show I was in, it's a real threat!) - it can make for disengaged audience. However, this can also be a fun challenge for the cast and creative team of a show. They know they have to make the show so engaging that they hold the audiences attention even during those inevitable outside distractions. This is something I think The Seagull did a fairly good job with.

The set, consisting of a giant mirror propped above the stage, a grass floor, and a lake upstage, was enticing and interactive. It allowed the audience to see absolutely everything, even things the other characters on stage didn't. It also felt very natural, it didn't seem intrusive or out of place at all. The effect could really only be achieved in the outdoor space. If they did the same set in a classic proscenium, I think it would feel very mechanical and like-a-set. But, because it was surrounded by the trees and flowers of the park, it looked like it belonged there. Another great thing about the outdoor theatre experience is that it can sometimes be a little immersive. For example, when it started to rain onstage, it started to drizzle on the audience as well, allowing the audience to feel like we were in the house with them.

Ultimately, the only thing I remember not liking about seeing The Seagull outdoors was sometimes it was a little difficult to hear. Despite this, I thought the outdoor space allowed the production to be innovative and fresh while still staying true to Chekhov's story.

Day 23 & 24

I did not have very high expectations for Bend It Like Beckham coming into the show, yet it somehow still managed to fall short.

Let's start with the good. The set, costumes, and lights were all very intriguing and fun. I loved the rotating panels, the tricks they did with the soccer ball, and the Indian singing. I'm also a huge fan of Lauren Samuels, who played Jules, and I thought she was easily the best actor and singer in the show. Jess, played by Natalie Dew, was also a strong actor, although the part was not very vocally demanding and I thought her voice was weak at times. I also thought they had a very strong supporting cast in the girl's soccer team. They brought great energy and were fun to watch, but none of them actually talked, which I thought was a huge waste of talent. Generally, the music didn't do it for me. However, "Glorious" was beautiful and had some awesome harmonies.

Now the bad. The script and plot were weak and irrelevant. The movie the show was based on was made in 2002, so it's taken 13 years to take it to the stage, and it's lost its relevance. David Beckham, while still in the media every now and then, was far more popular in 2002, and not many people care about him now. Not to mention, hardly anyone knows who Mia Hamm, Jules' soccer idol, is anymore. Hardly any of the music was memorable, and I think they could've easily cut two or three songs. Also, a good chunk of the show was full of bad acting. At times, it kind of felt like I was watching a high school production with some awesome technical elements. In particular, Mrs. Bhamra, played by Natasha Jayetileke, was one of the most annoying characters I have ever seen on stage, ever. All in all, the play was poorly executed, and nothing really blew me away. Not to say that I hated my life during every moment of the show, but all in all, it was pretty bad.

However, today we saw two beautiful shows, Elephant Man starring Bradley Cooper and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Both were touching, funny, and all around lovely. It was certainly a refresher after last night.

Day 22

(Days 17-21 were spent in Paris, blog on that to come soon).

The Victoria and Albert Museum was established in 1852. Their primary attraction is design: architecture, fashion, etc. According to the website, their "founding principle was to make works of art available to all, to educate working people and to inspire British designers and manufacturers" (vam.ac.uk).

When we first got to the museum, Camila, Erin and I all headed straight to the fashion exhibit. Something that immediately caught my eye was the section on modern fashion (I've never really been one for history), and in particular this black jumpsuit covered in sequins.

The masculine features and tuxedo-like look of the piece made me think of the two leading women in the Shakespeare shows we saw at the Globe Theatre. Portia from Merchant of Venice and Rosalind from As You Like It both cross-dressed in order to get what they want. More-so in Portia's case than Rosalind's, it allowed her to be taken more seriously and achieve something she wouldn't have been able to if she was dressed as a woman. 

Women's fashion has always had masculine influences, and that's because masculinity is associated with power. Unfortunately, women are perceived as more authoritative when wearing suits, structured blazers, or inspired pieces like the one above (minus the sequins), rather than feminine dresses. This connects back with Shakespeare's shows and the amount of cross dressing women had to do to get shit done. Not to say Shakespeare didn't have a number of strong female characters, but, for the most part, in order to establish control or dominance, they had to dress like men. 

Unfortunately, we still see the stereotypes and gender roles at play today, as there's an abundance of men-inspired women's clothes, but you'll hardly see largely feminine inspired men's clothes.

Somehow this blog post turned into a post about feminism. Not mad about it though.

Day 16

The production of Everyman at the National Theatre was easily the coolest thing I have ever seen on stage. Even though we had read the script in class, I still didn't know what to expect. I had looked up production photos, and the website had a warning for drug references and language, which the script we read had none of, so I figured it was going to be a bit different. It was a lot different. In the best way possible, though. The text was adapted by Carol Ann Duffy, and it changed almost everything about the show while keeping the original message in tact. Not only did it make the show funny, poignant, and smart, but it made it much more accessible to modern audiences.

One of my favorite things about the show was how they still made references to the old text/language while completely changing the text itself. There would be little rhyming couplets here and there, or quotes or references from the Bible. Also, even though this is a small thing, I'm glad they kept his name Everyman. I'm not sure what I was expecting when they started the show, but since the show was much more human rather than representational, as I felt the script was, I wasn't sure if they would refer to him as Everyman. Not only did they do that, but they gave him the nickname "Ev", and called the younger version of him "Everyboy". It gave the show a Brechtian effect, and reminded the audience they were watching a play. It was incredibly effective and memorable.

While the text was extremely different from the original, and I can see how others could see it as they were "trying too hard" to make it modern, I thought it made the show that much more appealing to modern audiences. The show was the definition of theatrical, and it's one of the most memorable pieces of theatre I've ever seen.

nationaltheatre.org.uk