Today, we completed the dream of every actor - we toured the Globe. It was a gorgeous theatre, and the way it works seems very interesting. Open air, costumes limited to time period, no lights, and a visible audience! Also, there was a bear hiding backstage that you could see if you peered into the murky depths. It made me giggle a little. I really wanted to be on that stage performing. I've never felt that much like I needed to be performing before. Normally, any aspect of theatre satisfies me, but I absolutely knew that I had to be on that stage someday. We'll see. We had an acting class as well, that was really more of a Shakespeare history class. It made me really excited to take Shakespeare with Doug this next semester though. After a brief lunch at EAT (hahaha, right?), we explored the Tate Modern. I love modern art - I saw Warhols and Pollocks and Cahuns and Picassos and Monets! It was an amusing experience because Ben was in our group and he abhors modern art. He was so grumpy the entire time. My favorite painting was "Bursting Shell" by C.R.W. Nevinson. It looks exactly like it fell out of Labyrinth and onto the canvas. After all of that excitement, Ben, Caitlynn, and I went to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. We got our cheap seats upgraded for free, and ended up sitting in amazing seats. After the show, which was spectacular, we waited at the stage door to meet James Earl Jones! It was so cool!
12 January
Class day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, and Coventry Cathedral. It was still snowing in places! I got sorted at a little Witchcraft and Wizardology shop hidden in Stratford - into Hufflepuff. I was angry at the Sorting Hat for that.
An excerpt from the journal I kept: "Today is our first day trip. I'm really excited to see part of this country other than London. I really love London, every bit that I've explored, but the rest of the country must be just as incredible." It's been a few weeks and I don't know why I so clearly remember writing those few sentences. Everything about me is perfect for London, but already I was ready to break out and see more. I'm not good at staying in confined spaces, apparently.
All of the shops in Stratford were named creatively, and most of them in the theme of Shakespeare. There was definitely an inn named "The Twelfth Night". We didn't make it to the church where Shakespeare is buried, but we saw the cottage that Anne Hathaway (his wife, not the now-famous actress) grew up in, and we saw the house that Shakespeare himself was born in. Actually, we saw a reconstruction of that house, which included one original floor. It wasn't as "religious" of an experience as the Globe was, but it was definitely cool. They have one of the original windowpanes on display, where hundreds of people have etched their names into the glass - including some other famous authors! There was an adorable statue of a Jester with quotes from As You Like It, Twelfth Night, and Hamlet on the base. It was a delightful thing - truly, I was filled with delight.
When we made it to Warwick Castle, I was half in awe and half almost disgusted. The castle itself is beautiful in the creepy, old, historic sort of way. However, they advertise it like Disneyland. There's a princess tower where 8 year old girls can go play dress-up (and Rick was disappointed that he couldn't go in). The part of Warwick that I was most excited about was walking up on the castle walls, which, OF COURSE, was closed due to the weather. England is apparently as bad as Western Washington when it comes to snow. The coolest part of Warwick makes me sound morbid - Nicki, Alyssa, Lauren and I (I believe - I could be wrong about people) climbed down into the "gaol" (read: jail) and explored the creepily lit area. And hidden off in a corner was something I'd only read about in The Phantom of the Opera and seen briefly in Labyrinth - an oubliette! Since it is pretty much a hole in the ground that is ten thousand times creepier than the gaol itself, there wasn't much to see but it made the line from Labyrinth so much darker: "It's a place you put people to forget about 'em."
Finally, we arrived at Coventry Cathedral. It was a little overly emotional for me, actually. The cathedral is gorgeous, as is everything else in this country (honestly, even cows are pretty here). There are a few small chapels scattered around the main cathedral and everything has meaning - it is the perfect place for someone like me. I happened upon The Chapel of Christ in Gethsemane - a chapel for those who are suffering or those who wish to pray fervently for the salvation of those suffering (whether emotionally, spiritually, or physically). At the front of this beautifuly room, there is a gate - shaped like a crown of thorns. To enter the chapel to pray, you have to pass through Jesus' suffering. I leave you to think about how profound praying there would be.
13 January
I was rushed through the British Museum, which, surprisingly, is full of the history of everything but Britain. (Not really, but it sure felt like it at times) There was an exhibit on the history of the United States, and I was impressed by how similar it felt to walking through a museum at home. We saw all of the epic requirements like the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies and such. The top floor was devoted to Japanese art and history, which was very interesting because I've never really been exposed to true Japanese art - Manga certainly doesn't count.
The class saw Shakespeare's Twelfth Night as performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company. I fell in love. Literally. If I could do anything in this world, unlimited by my own talent or means, I would work with the RSC. I've always loved Shakespeare - probably partially thanks to my refusal to read any version of The Bible besides NKJ as a young child. Twelfth Night is also the only Shakespearean play I've seen performed (if you don't count being IN A Midsummer Night's Dream) and I've seen it a few times. Never have I understood and absolutely loved it like I did during this performance. Miltos Yerolemou as Feste was positively brilliant. If someday, I get the chance to go back to England, I am most definitely making a point of somehow becoming involved with the RSC.
14 January
Today was an adventure day. I had lunch at this cutesy restaurant called Tiger Tiger (Restaurant Restaurant) which we later discovered becomes a nightclub at a certain time. The food was good and cheap, and the waitress was hilarious. We walked in and asked for a table, and immediately she went "OH, I love Americans!" She regarded us as a white peacock - interesting and beautiful, but abnormal nonetheless.
I may have also done something extremely "unlike" me, according to my youth leader. My mom was okay with it when I told her. I haven't told Dad yet...oops. I finally got the tattoo that I've been thinking about since high school.
This evening, a few of us got really epic cheap seats to see The Habit of Art by Alan Bennett. Richard Griffiths was in it (i.e. Uncle Vernon from the Harry Potter movies), and the play itself was incredible. I can't really describe it, so please, if you love theatre, go look it up and then figure out a way to go see it.
15 January
We went to a lunchtime concert by the London Symphonic Orchestra at St. Luke's. It was a brass quintet, including the youngest principal trumpet player London has ever seen (22). There was a gorgeous piece of music by Michael Berkeley that was inspired by Chaucer! I've never really been one for classical music - I love Clair de Lune and listening to Chris H. play everything ever, but aside from that...not much. This concert was interesting because not only was the music simply astounding, but they explained the context and the importance of each piece. It really helped me grasp the story that the music was telling.
And today, I completed a four-year quest. I saw Wicked! - the untold story of the witches of Oz. The musical is based on the book by Gregory Maguire and the music is by Stephen Schwartz. Sadly, the dancers were sloppy, the sound was a little off, the mics cut out once or twice, and Elphaba... Oh, dear. Alexia Khadime was an incredibly talented singer -she hit all the notes well, yes. But her ability to stay in character did not present itself to us once. She slipped between something that was possibly Elphaba and something that was decidedly not. I know I sound like a theatre snob, but its true!
16 January.
Wet got up early to queue today. Doesn't that sound so much better than standing in line? Queue. It's a fun word. We got the last seated tickets (and one standing) for Red, a lovely play by John Logan about the painter Mark Rothko (among other things). It was very hard to watch at parts, because it is very deep and abstract (like a Rothko painting, actually). Surprisingly enough, Alfred Molina was in it. If you don't know who that is, don't worry. I didn't either until after the play, we were kind of hanging out in front of the theatre and he came out to a crowd of fans - some of which had "Doc Oc" posters for him to sign. Yes, that's right, Doctor Octopus himself.
