First of all, let me send out a HUGE, loving thank you to my friends and family for being such an important part of my life. What you guys did today was above and beyond, and I so did not deserve it. But I seriously LOVED being reminded of all the amazing memories we all shared and will continue to share.
I’d also like to send an additional shout-out to all of the new friends I am making here in England. I am looking forward to building meaningful relationships with you. (woo hoo Fatima!)
Onto the post:
I am taking a class called “Theatre in London”, where we go to a play every week and study various types of theatre. It’s been overall a really cool experience, and its been fairly different from attending theatre or other performance arts in the United States. First of all, the theaters are so amazingly old and historic. Imagine some of the older theatres in New York. Now add ten times the amount of history. You can almost see the stories peeling off the ornate gilded decorations and red velvet seats of the theatre. Every space I’ve been to has been incredibly unique, none seemed to have been built anytime in the recent past, and every theater had the type of mysterious-posh aura that made you think of a hybrid of the Met Opera and a really good murder mystery party. A few more observations: First, there are a lot of big celebrity names on the West End (equivalent of Broadway) which makes for much more expensive tickets. Second, I have not seen ANY standing ovations. For any play that is even moderately impressive in the States, the audience will stand at some point during the curtain call. Not here. Once. Maybe it’s because people are too posh to show emotion? Unclear. Feel free to contest that assumption! Third, they sell tiny Haagen Dazs ice creams during intermission that you can eat during the show. Fourth, you don’t receive anything free with your ticket. You can either buy the playbill (which is more like a book), or the full script of the play. Or neither, or both. Fifth, I saw very few people of color attending the types of theatres I attended so far. Unfortunately, I don’t know if that’s so far from my experience in New York…
Clybourne Park: The Royal Court Theatre (spoiler alert!) http://www.clybournepark.co.uk/
Clybourne Park is a really interesting new play, written quite recently, on the topic of relationships to the outsider, particularly relationships between races. The subject matter resonated strongly with a lot of the coursework I have been thinking about. The whole play takes place in a home. The first act is set in the 1950’s, where mayhem unfolds after the community learns that this particular house will be sold to a Black family once its current owners move out. The second act takes places in the present tense. It takes place in the same house, but the house is completely dilapidated. A young white couple wishes to purchase and “revitalize” the home, but first they must have a meeting with the community board. One of the board members, a Black woman and a descendant of the family that moved in during the 1950s, is hesitant to allow them to move in, fearing that her heritage will be forgotten. More mayhem unfolds. The play was delightfully funny, sad, and thoughtful all at the same time, and the characters created an enjoyable patchwork quilt of do-gooders, the politically correct, the ignorant, and the openly offensive. But most of all, everyone had an opinion.
The Children’s Hour: The Comedy Theatre http://www.thecomedytheatre.co.uk/
A classic Lillian Hellman play about two schoolteachers who are falsely accused by one of their students of engaging in sexual activity with each other. The audience watches as the lives of the two women, now assumed by the community as being lesbian lovers, truly fall apart. A classic example of realism, The Children’s Hour boasted a star-studded cast including Keira Knightley, Elizabeth Moss (from Mad Men), and Ellen Burstyn (who TOTALLY stole the stage). The play was gripping, and relevant to a lot of things that I think about today. While we were waiting to be let in (us plebes were let in after those with better seats), I was chatting with the security guard outside of the theatre about this and that. I saw him again after the show, and then learned that I had befriended Keira Knightley’s bodyguard, Marcus. Hurray!
KT Tunstall: HMV Forum (http://venues.meanfiddler.com/the-forum/home)
My friend Simon took me to a KT Tunstall (Suddenly I See, Big Black Horse and the Cherry Tree) concert in Kentish Town (I always wondered-is it not fully Kent? It’s only part Kent?) at the historic HMV forum. The cheaper tickets in the balcony were seated, with dozens of red velvet benches. The more expensive seats were on stage level, but they were mostly standing room. It was a really beautiful venue, and KT and her band had a really wonderful and full sound. I particularly liked her rockin’ keyboardist. Unfortunately, the opening act was kind of painful. On the bright side, there was a crazy giant painting of a lady with a tiger hat that lit up randomly during songs. After the concert, I dropped my jaw in dismay when I saw that they were selling a KT Tunstall “beanie hat” for £25. Yeah, that’s like 50 bucks. For a beanie.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg: The Gielgud Theatre http://www.umbrellasofcherbourg.com/
Out of all of the plays that I’ve seen so far, this one was definitely the most cheerful :). It also had the least barriers between the audience and the stage-there was a narrator that interacted with the audience quite a bit (amazing! Her name is Meow Meow, and she’s pretty well-known in the Burlesque/Cabaret world). Still in previews when we went to go see it, the show was a glorious blend of burlesque, opera, and the classic musical theatre boy-meets-girl structure. Though the songs weren’t anything to write home about, the musicians were incredible (and visible-which is always the best) the visuals were out of this world. There was an eclectic mixture of cinema, puppetry (love you Ora!), and physical theatre. The composition of the stage was always dazzling, featuring jagged angles and multiple textured surfaces.
And it was in this show I caved and bought one of those tiny Haagen Dazs cups that I mentioned in the beginning of the post. I justified it by promising myself I would use it for some other utilitarian purpose after I finished the ice cream.
I did. It now serves as my bobby-pin holder.
Isn't it adorable?!
Wow, there are so many incredible things to look at in the dark. Though I do need to transfer some of my mind to sitting in the light and working on my schoolwork (heehee). Midterms, here we come!
