Since Cinderella

We've seen and done a bunch, I can hardly recount, but I'll try via bullet points:



*The Seagull- really good to see again, consistent with their performance at the Guthrie.

*Much Ado About Nothing- the first show we've seen with a British standing ovation

*War Horse- I cried, the puppetry was beautiful



*The London Zoo



We toured The National Theatre yesterday (where we've seen Women of Troy, Much Ado, and War Horse).



This afternoon is pretty much free, I might walk around the city for a bit.



Next time I'll write with my syllabus at my side so I can be sure to include everything. I'll try and post some more pictures too.

Cinderella

Since we're meeting Michael Billing on Wendesday, I thought I would read his review from The Guardian, and here it is since I won't remember it all:

''Even though Stephen Fry is a man of many parts, I'm not sure he'd be my first choice to write a panto and his script for the Old Vic Cinderella is, as you might expect, smart, knowing, self-referential and layered with innuendo. Fortunately it has just enough of the traditional ingredients to keep young audiences happy, though at times it's a close thing.

''Fry's revisionist approach is evident from the first when we see a lightly moustachioed, pipe-smoking Sandi Toksvig (right) sitting aloft in a clubroom chair. Acting as narrator, she sets the archly camp tone by looking down on Buttons and crying: "Hello, pert young man, what's your name?" Clearly this is no ordinary Buttons since, when Cinders asks if one can be too good, he replies: "According to Plato, happiness is contingent on virtue." And when Cinders launches into a song about her ideal lover who is big, strong and manly, it is clear that Buttons shares exactly the same dream.

''This must, in fact, outside the club circuit, be the first openly gay panto. It leads to a neat pairing-off of Buttons with the Prince's aide, Dandini. I also enjoyed all the old Carry On jokes on the lines of "I expect you've got a little package", to which someone adds "Not from where I'm standing."

''But this panto overplays its hand when five- and six-year-olds are invited on stage and informed, as a hamper is unpacked for a cod-cooking scene, "This is Buttons' favourite - gentlemen's relish."

''Since it plays around with the form so much, this is more a panto for sophisticated grown-ups than the very young. If you've seen scores of Cinderellas it's intriguing to find the heroine being accused of "pathological inanition" by the Fairy Godmother and asking the audience: "Am I really colourless and insipid?" (The house was divided on this one.) Equally the radical idea of Joseph Millson's strapping Prince Charming taking a shower is one best appreciated by panto buffs.

''Yet panto is an indestructible beast and this one survives Fry's post-modernist approach. Madeleine Worrall's Cinderella is certainly no simpering cipher. Paul Keating's tight-trousered Buttons also comes across as a somewhat more robust version of Julian Clary. And Mark Lockyer and Hal Fowler as the Ugly Sisters, Dolce and Gabbana, make the most of every opportunity.

''I'd have liked more slapstick in the kitchen scene and more tuneful songs from Anne Dudley. And at times the show, as someone said of Max Miller, is not so much near the knuckle as the knuckle itself. But Fiona Laird, as director, keeps it moving and Pauline Collins spreads her benign presence over it all as a decidedly downstairs Fairy Godmother.''

Yesterday and Today so far!

Wow, yesterday was a day full of adventure. My feet are a little tired.

We started off by having class/reviewing Women of Troy... Then we got a preview of Glenngarry Glenn Ross/Apollo Theatre.

After class we took off and went to the Tower of London! We saw the Bloody Tower(where two princes may have been murdered), the Crown Jewels, and the royal artillery. Then a few of us took off for the British Museum. We went specifically to see the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon Marbles... it took us forever to FIND the MUSEUM... but once we got there, we found everything immediately! I will definitely be going back, I just could not believe what was right in front of me... I managed to see/recognize one of the Egyptian Scrolls of the Dead. I really want to go back and see the Terra Cotta Soldiers from the Qin Dynasty! It's a special exhibit though so I'd have to go back EARLY and get in line... they only allot 500 admissions a day.

Really loved seeing Glenngarry Glenn Ross! I forgot how wonderful Mamet writes, and these actors really carried it well. I am puzzling over why this production was chosen/what a British audience thinks of this show... it's about salesmen making ends-meet via manipulation... There were so many laughing points, and it also was just wonderfully horrible regarding the truth of the matter/job. As people discussed today in class, it could be of interest to an English audience because it is about economy and that is prevalent to all people... truly I think it is timely, it shows how our focus is on making money for survival, so our focus is not on fixing social injustice or stopping the war in Iraq (the story is set in the 1980s, but so much is common to now...)

After the show we waited outside by the stage door and met Jonathan Pryce/got his picture/autograph. Then Anna and I walked about to try and find Hairspray to purchase tickets... but we walked and walked and couldn't find it. Turns out we were just a block away when we gave up... shoot! We'll go back later and try again.

Today we went to Westminster Abbey and saw the graves of Darwin, Sir Issac Newton, Mary Queen of Scotts, Charles Dickens, and Geoffrey Chaucer! WOWZERS. That's about it so far. I'll upload pictures soon, once I get my camera back-- I had Scottie hold on to it/put it in his bag so I wouldn't get accused of taking illegal pictures inside there, but I haven't run into him since.

Visit to Leeds Castle and Canterbury

What a day! I really enjoyed going to Leeds Castle, we saw so many amazing things :) I loved the duckery, seeing the castle itself, its small chapel and library, then the outdoor maze and grotto, as well as its aviary.



The grotto was beautiful, but it made me think of Pan's Labyrinth because of the, well, just look:

And Canterbury, well, we didn't get much time there. We ate lunch and then we attended Evening Song at Canterbury Cathedral.

I've tried uploading the 200 or so pictures I took today on to Picasso and facebook, but it's taking FOREVER to upload.

Women of Troy

Today was our first Saturday here at Regent's College-- to our disappointment we found that the Refectory doesn't open for breakfast until 9:00am-- so we delayed class for a half-hour so we could all satisfy our hunger (so far I've enjoyed french toast, a cinnamon roll, and bacon--so good)!

During class we discussed Lear and evaluated our experiences so far with British people. After class I took a twenty minute nap-- much needed!

At 12:30pm we ate at the Refectory again-- had some risotto and vegetables.

At 1pm we left Regent's for The National Theatre (popularly called the ''Nat-sh'' by locals) and saw a matinee performance of Women of Troy a play of Euripides. I felt literally shell-shocked after the performance, like I had witnessed the horror prisoners of war experience.

Before the show Rachel, Anna, Matt and myself walked around outside and found a skate park where surprisingly there were people OLDER than us skating, rather than tweens and teens in America.

A group of seven of us walked around, we found Covenant Garden, very awesome place with little shops, and we saw a limbo dancer. On our way to dinner we lost one of our group, but she managed to meet up with us later there-- *whew*.

We ate dinner at The Globe-- I ordered fish and chips and had lemonade to drink. Very wonderful. Totalled about £9.

After dinner we tried to go to a comedy club called ''The Chuckle Club'' but it was not yet open because people are still away for *the holidays*. We did find the location though... it was at the London School of Science and something else.
So we decided to walk about and find another club/pub place. We found a place called *Sway* which had a comedy club, but they were asking for £16, we talked them down to £10, but still, 5 of the 9 of us thought it was too expensive so we walked about and found a nice place to drink warm beverages/have dessert outside in Covenant Garden/listen to a guy play his guitar...

Anyway, now it's after 10pm and time for journaling/reviewing/and bed! We have an early start in the morning, we're touring Canterbury, Bath, and Leeds. I'll keep you posted as much as possible!

We Met IAN!

Okay, so we just got back from King Lear and it was a great performance. I hadn't read it before, so it took me a lot of energy to understand the first act. Can you believe during the intermission that the ushers sold ice cream IN the theater! Ahhh, weird! It cost £3 and I was not really interested...

The New London Theatre (off of Drury Lane)--thrust stage-- as we walked in the lights were dim, and there was a fog machine going. The first thing that happened was that a LOUD ORGAN sounded, and in walked a procession of characters... Of course some immature person sitting near us let out a loud gasp when Lear, going mad, strips off his clothes. I thought it was done tastefully/that it wasn't distracting-- it fit in perfectly with his discussion with mad Tom about dressing no more extravagantly than when we come into this world.


I spent £3.50 on a program, and good thing because after the show we waited outside near the stage door and we DID meet Sir Ian McKellen! 

Dreams do come true! 'night all!

I'm here!

Wow guys, I made it. The flight was fine- I sat next to this boy who I swear, talked like a 13 year-old, but looked my age... idk, anyway... I slept about 3 1/2 hours on the flight which was good considering the cabin lights weren't turned off until 10:30pm.

Before sleeping I watched a movie on the tiny screen affixed in front of me-- The Jane Austin Book Club. I had read the book two summers ago and thought it sounded more interesting than Rush Hour 3 (although The Rescuers and Pocahontas were available for viewing too)...

Arrived at the London-Gatwick airport at 2:30 am, had to do the scary customs check-in thing. I always feel like I'm going to be rejected although I never have a reason to worry.

We then took a bus from the Gatwick airport to London/Regent's Park where we dropped off our luggage in Reid Hall of Regent's Colleg... then we spent the day walking around, from Maryleborne to Baker's Street, to Piccadilly Circus... ate some food... rode the Tube and now it's time for sleep(FINALLY).

Tomorrow we start class, then we go on a bus tour of the city, and then we see King Lear tomorrow night at the New London Theatre (can't believe it/can't wait)!

Can you believe that for $100.61 I only got £42? Well, I can, but it still blows my mind.

Yes, the previous two paragraphs are pasted directly from an email I sent Laura, but I'm too tired to re-word/type it again for my own memory's sake.

I'll post a few pictures, then I'm heading to bed!

(Okay, I must add it grosses me out that there's a KFC and a TGI Friday's off of Regent Street-- come ON people, it's not the US-- in other news, I passed both a Burburry store and a Crabtree and Evelyn store.)

Less than a day before take-off!

I'm nervous; I'm about to set out for London with a group of 28 other individuals; two of whom I know well, the rest... we'll see.

I am already homesick-- and I haven't left yet.

I have spent so much time and energy preparing for this trip and I feel discouraged because I'm just not sure what else I need to do. I mean... do I need a book or a pillow for the flight? How much currency should I actually carry on my person?

I think I will finally relax once I am there and in the seat of a theater watching King Lear. I'll be doing what I love. I am sure I will just have a great time... we'll see if I actually USE this blog during my trip. I know we'll have Internet access at Regent's College while we're in London, but when we're in Stratsford-upon Avon or Rome, I'm not so sure...

It's just so weird, I'll be leaving behind my computer and my cell phone. Last interim in NYC I had both with me and used them daily-- I thought I was being, you know, independent, but THIS time I'll really be doing it on my own (with other STO students)-- no contact from home... *sigh*

Well... if I can, I'll keep you posted.

I take off for the airport tomorrow afternoon, and at 7pm we'll be flying!