Experiencing "Light Shining in Buckinghamshire" at the National Theatre

Friday night, we had the pleasure of seeing "Light Shining in Buckinghamshire" at the famous Royal National Theatre in London. It was quite a treat getting to experience theatre in such a meaningful facility; it being a place and company officially established in 1963 after years of deliberation. It being a government institution, it's one of the best examples of a nation putting forth effort to fund and facilitate the art of theatre, with the intention of maintaining it as a viable art form despite the rise of other popular forms of entertainment such as film.

The theatre itself is absolutely massive; I was awe-struck at the size of it. Easily seating a few thousand people, it's grandness was a site to behold, and made me feel like I was about to experience something truly spectacular. The lights faded and the curtains rose to reveal one of the most spectacular sets I have ever seen; if I could've taken a photo of it, I would have. The set was revealed to be a massive table at which dozens of members of royalty sat and ate while the action took place on top of the table. As the play went on, what was at first a massive table gradually evolved into a setting for a courtroom, a ghetto, and a lawn of dirt.  It was, without a doubt, extremely impressive and a set that would permanently imprint itself into the memories of everyone in attendance. Unfortunately, the play itself wasn't quite up to par with the visuals. Many scenes were downright boring, and in turn made the stakes feel low and uninteresting. A play filled with as much politics as "Light Shining" does needs to have stronger, more interesting characters and stories within it, but it sadly had none of that. I was not alone, as I discovered once it was over that the majority of the people in my study abroad group didn't really enjoy or understand the play. It definitely felt like a play that British people would enjoy better, since it dealt a lot with British history and political strife that the British lower-class dealt with over the centuries. It was a great concept, but we all felt like it could have been executed a lot better. That said, it was still an amazing experience if only for the fact that the set itself was incredible and we got to see a play at a facility that has meant so much to the art of theatre. 

Experiencing "The Merchant of Venice" at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

I was waiting for the moment when I'd fall in love with a Shakespeare play, and it finally happened with my experience watching "The Merchant of Venice" at the world-renowned Globe Theatre, a recreation of the theatre that was sadly burned down in 1913. I now consider it the only way to watch Shakespeare; in the exact location that it was meant to be played. 

We, as a group, stood on the yard location right in front of the stage where the groundlings, a.k.a the lower class would pay a very small amount to stand for hours just for the chance to be entertained by theatre. Standing where the groundlings stood and watching the play the way they would have was truly a memorable and unique experience. The level of intimacy that is achieved with viewing the play in this manner is simply un-matched. In Shakespeare's day, the plays were very much meant for the lower class, and many moments where found in the performances that included the audience as much as possible. This was no exception with the performance of "The Merchant of Venice" that we saw. The first moment of the play was a musical dance that involved plenty of interaction with the audience, including male characters asking for money to pay for a lap-dance from the female characters; a request which one member of my study abroad group happily obliged. Later on in the production, the comedic relief character of Lancelot brought a couple audience members on stage for a hilarious bit, and throughout the play the characters would enter the stage from among the audience, which I could imagine would've been an ecstatic moment for the historic groundlings, allowing them to be so close and even touch the actors that they envied.

As for the performances themselves, they were absolutely top-notch. I have never seen Shakespeare performed so flawlessly and I believe a lot of it has to do with the fact that classically trained British actors were the performers. They were incredibly in-touch with the text, and that connection really helped make the production stand out. It truly felt like I was back in the 1600s watching  an authentic Shakespeare production, a feeling that couldn't be created anywhere else. The production also included the fantastic Johnathon Pryce, a well-known actor who has acted in many plays and films, including Pirates of the Caribbean. His rendition of Shylock perfectly balanced the villainy and greediness of the character with the humanity and sympathetic qualities of him. When I read the play, I felt hardly any sympathy towards the character, and confidently labeled him as the antagonist. However, the way Pryce portrayed the character really made you understand his struggles of being Jewish in a Christian society, which ended up making him a much more understandable character. Actors who can revolutionize a character and do it in a way that is not only well-done, but perfectly encapsulates the character are very rare. However, Pryce more than proved his capability of doing that very thing, and in the process created a performance that will always be remembered. We will be seeing "As You Like It" in the Globe Theatre in a few weeks, and I am more than excited to experience Shakespeare in that space again, which is something I honestly never thought I would say before, but that's the power of good theatre. 

Morel in London: Beginnings

I'm finally here. London; a place that I have somehow fallen in madly in love with in a matter of a couple days. After suffering through a long and exhausting 8 hour plane ride over the Atlantic, London has greeted me and the rest of my study abroad group with open arms and has cast its majesty upon us. 

After lugging our tired, feeble bodies to our temporary living quarters in Earl's Court, we then received our coveted "Oyster Cards" which granted us unlimited access to the London Tube, their subway system. A creation of true genius and convenience, the Tube had me completely mesmerized, since I had never ridden any type of subway before. It's absolutely incredible being able to travel multiple miles within minutes, a convenience that would be much appreciated back in Arkansas. I had also heard many rumors prior to my arrival in the U.K. that the Tube was very infamous for its tendency to be crowded and filled with rude, angry Britains. I have, however, found this to be completely untrue. Granted, it is rather busy during rush hour, but throughout most of the day it's not horribly crowded at all and I've discovered that it is an incredible location to people-watch. Frankly, I love it. 

Later in the day, we took the Tube to Piccadilly Circus; London's version of Time's Square, albeit with much smaller (and nicer) buildings. We then walked over to Trafalgar Square, another popular tourist location littered with restaurants, shops, and numerous street performers who are properly called "buskers" around here.

Our professor, Shawn Irish, informed us of a very convenient discount-ticket center where we all went and purchased tickets for plays that we each wanted to see. I chose to get a great deal on a ticket to see "The Phantom of the Opera," and excitedly traveled on my own back to the West End of London later that night to see it.

Prior to that, we were tasked as a group to find the London Eye, the National Theatre, and the Globe Theatre. After lots of walking and adventuring, we managed to discover each of the locations and took advantage of the great photo opportunities. We also walked across the Thames River using the famous Millennium Bridge; a very unique and modern bridge that offers amazing views of the surrounding area and the visually stunning St. Paul's Cathedral. 

While the day was absolutely exhilarating and London gave me one hell of a first impression, I was ready to head back to the hostel and crash into bed as soon as "The Phantom of the Opera" was over. On the way to the Tube, I stopped by Piccadilly Square for one more look at it. At night, Piccadilly is even more visually mesmerizing than it is during the day, with the lights of buildings, billboards, and double-decker buses bombarding your eyes like magic. After many more pictures and another lovely ride on the Tube, it was time for me to shower and sleep at last, and sleep I did.