Tea Time, "The Importance of Being Earnest" and farewell to London.

 Today was a sad day, as it was our last full day in London. I decided to spend it by visiting the London Zoo, which took me roughly 5 hours to see every exhibit they had to offer. There are simply way too many incredible photos to fit in this blog, so see my Facebook page for the awesomeness. We saw our last play of the trip tonight: "The Importance of Being Earnest," a VERY British comedy written by the legendary Oscar Wilde. It was a great way to end our trip, since the play was impressively fantastic considering that it was the very first preview. I have always loved British humor, so I laughed quite a bit. David Suchet was fantastic as the famous role of Lady Bracknell, and the rest of the cast was phenomenal as well. I have a feeling that this production will run for quite some time, seeing as how great it was. A few weeks ago, some members of the group and I went to the famous department store Harrod's to consume tea, in honor of "Earnest." In the play, tea-time is a very crucial aspect since it signifies wealth and class and is also the centerpiece for a number of humorous fights throughout the play. The tea that we consumed was very tasty and left me wishing that the U.S. was as big on tea as the British are.

It has been an incredible month; this trip to England has been one that exceeded my wildest dreams. Britain has heightened my appreciation for not only the wonderful art of theatre; but nature, people, and worldwide cultures among many other things. Living in the same town in Arkansas for 16 years stifles your awareness of the world around you and the opportunities that are available to you, so in a way, this trip was crucial to me. I return to the U.S. with a fresh perspective on my life and the world, and a level of inspiration to seek my dreams that has never been present before. I've always had the dreams and passion, but now my drive is more powerful than it's ever been. I offer a sincere thank you to England for everything that it has taught me, and I plan on returning the favor in the best way possible. Goodbye London, and don't worry; I'll always remember to "mind the gap."

The Scavenger Hunt

For the past two days, we were tasked with a scavenger hunt around London to find special items including drinks, paintings, and locations of significance. I wasn't able to find everything considering that I made it a personal objective to go to the London Zoo before we left, but I managed to find most of the items, which are listed as follows:

 Black Velvet cocktail at The Victoria Pub

 Casting my vote for best novel (The Lord of the Rings) at Hatchards Bookstore

 Painting of Andromeda

 Outside Hatchard's Bookstore

 Learning about Cricket at The Victorian Pub, with an ex Cricket player from Cambridge!

 Van Gogh's Sunflower painting at The National Gallery

 At the Victorian Pub

 Egyptian bust of King Ramses at the British Museum

 Speaker's Corner at Hyde Park

Wearing a Sherlock Holmes hat

Walking on Abbey Road!

"The Seagram Murals" at Tate Modern

Open-Air "The Seagull"

Last night, the group and I made our way to the open-air theatre at Regent's Park; a theatre similar in style of old Greek theatres, where there's no roof and the stage is completely open to the elements. This provided a very interesting and unique viewing experience as we watched a production of Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull," a play which takes place primarily by a lake. The setting of the play seemed to be perfect for a theatre such as this, as the characters often talked about the natural elements of their surroundings which often coincided with the actual surroundings of the space.The atmosphere that the natural lighting and scenery provided was very effective and visually pleasing, since the stage was placed among numerous beautiful trees and plants, as well as a small body of water which the actors often utilized. Being an outdoor theatre meant that the play was also exposed to the cons of the situation, such as rain, wind, and various noises. There were some moments where very light rain began to come down from the sky, but thankfully it never lasted very long. However, the temperature did begin to get a little chilly and it was sometimes windy, but overall it wasn't enough to really distract from the actions onstage. There were some slight issues with loud and obnoxious bird noise, as well as sounds from the city, but those are really my only gripes with an otherwise fascinating and pleasing experience. There also weren't any issues with sound surprisingly; I was able to hear every actor perfectly fine. I also noticed some moments where the scents from the stage and surrounding fauna really added to the ambiance and believability of the play, such as the actual smell of fire on wood when a character had put some papers in a bin and lit them on fire. While I admittedly wouldn't want to see every play in an outdoor theatre since it does provide some annoyances, it was overall a fantastic and unique experience that I'd recommend to everyone. 

"Violence & Son" a Fringe Theatre Experience

Each of us in the group was tasked  to see a smaller, non West-End a.k.a. "fringe" play at some point during our trip, so a few others and I decided to go to a matinee performance together. We found a theatre that was putting on fringe plays and had absolutely no clue what any of the plays were about, so we decided on seeing one called "Violence & Son." When we searched for our seats, we discovered that the theatre the play was being performed in wasn't a big proscenium like we were accustomed to, but rather an arena/theatre-in-the-round stage, which excited me because I'd never experienced theatre like that before, where the audience sits entirely around the stage. We chose our seats (which were unorthodox; they were typical lawn chairs!) and experienced the show. It ended up being one of my favorites that I've seen while on this trip, even inspiring me to purchase the script at the downstairs shop. A very dark tale about sexism, domestic abuse, rape culture and the negative imprint that parents can potentially leave on their children; it was both wildly entertaining and funny, while also delivering very scary and depressing moments that I will never forget. It was very refreshing to see a play that tackled such harsh subjects and held no punches while doing so, which I think helped it deliver the message and story it was trying to tell. The set, lighting, and sound where all very impressive as well for such a small play, and helped make the play the spectacular storytelling experience that it was. The acting was also very effective and well-done, and we even got to chat with them for a bit after the play was over. They were really down-to-earth and it was very nice to meet actors who were very humble and respectable, which is the type of actor or director that I strive to be someday. I'm very thankful that we managed to discover such a fine and exhilarating piece of theatre, one that reinforces why I love the subject so much.

"Bend it Like Beckham"

You know you're watching a West End show when the production values are insane, the performances are top notch, and the script is memorable. "Bend it Like Beckham," a brand new musical making its debut on the West End and which is currently in previews, is one that, disappointingly, does not possess all of the aforementioned qualities necessary in order to be a lasting West End production. The group and I saw it last night after having been given the privilege of meeting with the lighting designer of the show, who gave us some insight on the process (and difficulties) of lighting the show, as well as a tour of the set and backstage, which was a really incredible experience. It's a shame that such a unique set was held prisoner to such a lackluster show; one whose lighting design was indeed the standout among a story that was riddled with cliches and predictability, as well as songs that were mostly forgettable. The musical is an adaptation of the 2002 film of the same name, and was written and directed by the same woman who directed the film. The lighting designer gave us some insight into the struggles of working with someone who has never worked in theatre before, and he also said that it created an interesting duality between the directer and the lead choreographer; a person who had plenty of theatre experience. While the show itself was admittedly entertaining and did provide for a number of laughs, it was very clear that it was directed by someone who didn't have a firm grip on the art of theatre and ultimately created a show which at times felt like an amateur production. The sound design offered some awesome beats that really resonated through the theatre and was overally really effective, but it's a shame that the songs accompanying the beats were marred by bad lyrics. As mentioned, the set itself was very impressive overall, with lots of scenery changes that were eye-popping to look at and impressive from a mechanical standpoint. Sadly, the poor script and directing have lead to a musical that will most likely receive poor to mixed reactions from critics, and likely won't last long in West End's harshly competitive atmosphere.

Relating an item from the Victoria & Albert Museum to a play

For this blog post, we were tasked to find an object during our visit at the Victoria & Albert museum that we could connect to one of the plays we've seen, either through concept or aesthetic similarity. There were many incredible and intriguing objects on display at the museum, ranging from objects seen in Asia and Europe to those found during the Renaissance and beyond. The object that I decided reminded me most of a play we'd seen was this Turkish garb, presumably worn by someone of high-class or a very wealthy merchant; hence, it reminded me of something that either Antonio or Shylock would wear in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice."

The very ornate patterns of the robe, as well as the color scheme and materials utilized very much remind me of the costumes that were worn by Shylock and Antonio during the Globe Theatre's production of the play. Seeing as the museum is primarily an exhibition of the evolution of fashion throughout the years, it's fitting to see an outfit as stunning in appearance and symbolic of Turkish culture as the one pictured, and it can be determined that much influence was taken from these types of clothes when designing the costumes for Shakespeare's productions. I'm not sure exactly who (or what) this set of robes belonged to, but it can be determined that they definitely did NOT belong to anyone poor during that time period, as it was made with very fine materials that would sell for a ridiculous amount of money back then, as well as today. However, it seems very fitting for a merchant like Antonio or a moneylender like Shylock, who spend their lives dealing with money. Naturally they'd want to look professional, confident and wealthy in order to get the most business, so this garb would be more than fitting for that purpose.

Analyzing the Adaptation of "Everyman"

Last week, we saw the final play that we'd be seeing at the National Theatre: Carol Ann Duffy's adaptation of "Everyman," a medieval morality play by an unknown playwright. This play is another one that we read prior to our journey to London, and one that I considered to be one of the more interesting of the collection of plays we read. The play focuses on a man who is supposed to be a representative of the common human being, and one who has lived a life full of sin and must atone for them in a genuine manner. Carol Ann Duffy's adaptation of this play is much more modernized than the original medieval play; allowing for contemporary audiences to connect with it in ways that they possible couldn't have with the original text. She changes much of the language to fit modern times, as well as the setting and actions the characters take. There are selfies, drug usage, and homelessness abound in this version, and it all combines to create a devastatingly effective play about morals and the meaning of life. The main character, played by brilliant actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, learns the error of his reckless lifestyle as he encounters many characters meant to represent certain morals and life-lessons, such as four very fancy characters meant to represent greed, who then shun the main character when he fails to conform to their money hungry ways. A particularly interesting and heartfelt scene was one in which Everyman encounters his childhood-self riding his favorite scooter that he got for Christmas. He realizes how innocent he used to be, and how selfish he's become as an adult. This is one of many scenes in the modern adaptation that weren't in the original text, yet still gets the main moral of the story across, and in an arguably much more effective manner. Text aside, the production was directed and performed fantastically by everyone involved, and the production was one of the most impressive and captivating I've seen, and I was genuinely surprised and impressed with it. What could've easily been a rather dull, old-fashioned period play was transformed into an exciting and engrossing production that easily deserves the high praise it has received from critics as well as myself.

photo credit: http://www.theguardian.com/stage/gallery/2015/apr/27/chiwetel-ejiofor-everyman-national-theatre-rufus-norris-in-pictures

Touring Westminster Abbey

On Tuesday, the group and I got to take a tour through Westminster Abbey, a VERY historical location in London. This enormous building not only holds the tombs and memorials of hundreds of icons, including Elizabeth I, King Richard II, Sir Isaac Newton, and Charles Dickens, to name a few. It's a cathedral that has also served as host to numerous ceremonial royal occasions, including the corronations of many kings and queens as well as the royal weddings, most recently that of Prince William and Kate Middleton. It was truly remarkable and emotional seeing all of these ornate tombs of such legendary figures, making me feel a bit dizzy in the process, knowing that I was standing in the same spot where many fascinating kings and queens of England had stood. The architecture of the building was also extremely remarkable, and also gave example of how gothic architecture had evolved through the centuries as new additions were made to the cathedral. Another astonishing experience was being asked to stand silently in prayer every hour or so by an overhead announcement, further giving me a surreal sense of awe and wonderment at the fact that I was doing such a thing in a building as sacred and important as Westminster Abbey. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take any photos of the tombs or most of the memorials, but I did my best to conjure up some interesting photos of the architecture and a couple other interesting spots.

"Waiting for Godot"

Last night, our group had the pleasure of seeing a production of "Waiting for Godot," an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett. Starring Hugo Weaving and Richard Roxburgh, it's a dramatic play with comedic elements about a pair of men who are stranded in a seemingly endless landscape, where they claim to be waiting for a person named Godot. We read the play prior to seeing it, and at first I thought that it was a fairly serious play, with maybe only a couple opportunities for good laughter. However, the way that Weaving and Roxburgh as well as the other actors portrayed it revealed how much funnier the play can be! Specifically, their physical interactions and scuffles with each other as well as their vocal inflections really brought out the humor in otherwise totally bleak situations, which is very remarkable. It's also striking and creates a sense of cognitive dissonance when you contrast the humorous moments with the extremely depressing set design, consisting of a completely gray wash of color, a broken wall, and a solitary tree; perfectly establishing the lonely atmosphere of the play. This also made it fascinating to see how the audience reacted to the play and what they found humorous. Overall, the audience's reaction seemed on par with the director and actors' intentions, successfully hitting all of the intended comedic beats and getting great reactions in result. Overall, it seemed like a very succesful production, managing to bring out the light-heartedness and humor in a play that could easily be performed in a totally depressing manner. After the show was over, the cast came out to the stage for a questions-and-answer session, giving some info on the process of doing a strenuous show for so long as well as their warm-up process, which laughably apparently consists of Hugo and Richard sobbing uncontrollably in the elevator. It was great to see that they seem to still have a wonderful time performing the play, and it truly shows in their performances. It was definitely an impressive production, and easily an ideal method of performing it.



Photos from the Q&A session

M-m-m-m--m-MARKET!!!

On Saturday, me and a group of friends took a trip to London's Borough Market, one of the biggest marketplaces in the city and a major hotspot for many Londoners and tourists looking for a great place to grab some lunch or produce for a later meal. From the outside, it doesn't look all that big, but it's the moment you step inside when you realize just how massive (and crowded) the place is. It's quite daunting to say the least, especially coming from someone who is used to the small, local markets on the Fayetteville square, which pales in comparison.

It has the complete atmosphere of a bustling market, right down to the wide variety of smells and ethnic cultures that you'd expect to find in a big city market. One moment you're smelling fish, the next you're smelling pastries. It's quite a treat to the senses, and easily overwhelming to your brain and your wallet. If you let your stomach get the best of you, it is much too easy to spend much more cash than you intended on miscellaneous items. After spending many minutes walking around, I finally decided on what to eat; a Malaysian curry dish. It was very delicious, and left me very satisfied. It was also pretty cheap! The great thing I noticed about the market was that buying lunch there was much more economically logical than buying something from a chain or restaurant. My meal was only 6 pounds, which was much cheaper than I had anticipated. Once my friends and I had all purchased our food, it then became time to struggle to find a seat. This was no easy task, with lunch hour being one of the busiest times in the city. After spending a good number of minutes looking around, we failed to find a decent quality seat and instead chose to sit by the sidewalk. I've learned real quickly in London that sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. It was quite an interesting (and stressful) experience, but definitely worth it for the quality, all natural food that you can only find there. If only Fayetteville's market had half as many options!

"The Beaux' Stratagem" at the National Theatre

Last night the group and I went to see another play at the National Theatre, "The Beaux' Strategem." It was an absolutely fantastic play about a pair of thieves who intend to take the fortune of a family, but they end up falling in love with a couple women of the household. When I read the play, I knew there was potential for it to be very funny, but that humor paled in comparison to the hilarity of the production itself. It was much better than the previous show that we saw at the National, "Light Shining over Buckinghamshire." For this blog, I've been asked to write about a specific element of the production and its significance, so I've chosen to write about the hair of the characters. 

It being a period piece, the hairstyles of the characters meant more in terms of social status than hairstyles do today. In today's world, you can get an expensive-looking haircut no matter what your economic status is thanks to the countless number of salons in the world. Back then, however, your hair said a LOT about where you stood socially. Men of high status wore wigs to give themselves a much classier look, and women wore their hair in very ornate fashion to signify their status. This held true for the play, which dealt with many upper-class women who wore their hair in very grandiose ways. This helped the authenticity of the play and helped establish the setting of an upper class home, where it would make sense for thieves to want to steal such a large sum of money. One character in particular who stood out was Lady Bountiful who, quite suitably, had a very large and obnoxious hairstyle to coincide with her personality, and this fact only added to the comedy of her character. Overall, it was easily one of the top plays we have seen so far, and made me laugh harder than most plays that I've seen. 

On a side note, with each new blog post I will include a British word, phrase, or tendency that I have learned during my stay. This blog's word is: "knackered," which means tired or worn-out. 

Visiting Stratford upon Avon and experiencing "The Jew of Malta" and "Love's Sacrifice" at the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre.

For the past two days our study-abroad group had been staying in Stratford-upon-Avon, well known for being the hometown of William Shakespeare. This town is the definition of a stereotypical, quaint British town. The entire town has the atmosphere of an ancient, medieval place, making you feel like you're traveling hundreds of years back in time when you're in it exploring the cute, thatch-roofed buildings. Being as much of a fan of medieval history and fantasy, it was pure heaven for me, and much less hectic than the London streets.

During our stay in Stratford, we were able to see two plays produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company; "The Jew of Malta" and "Love's Sacrifice." Since these plays were produced by one company, or troupe, many of the actors who acted in one play also acted in the other, some with bigger or smaller roles. For this blog, I've been asked to discuss the performance of a female actor and discuss her performance in each play. I've chosen to discuss the actress who played Abigail in "The Jew of Malta" and Bianca in "Love's Sacrifice" whose name is Rhiannon Handy. Interestingly enough, she's actually the understudy for both roles, since the original actress fell ill. I must say, she did an absolutely fantastic job filling in, especially for the character of Abigail. She had a great sense of comedic physicality that truly accentuated the personality of the character, fitting right in with the rest of the cast and their styles of acting. She portrayed the combination of innocence and spunk that embodies Abigail very effectively. However, I wasn't too crazy about her performance of Bianca. I think she played up the innocence of the character a little too much, to the point where she felt like a very static character. I was also able to notice her actor-habits after having seen her in two different roles, and while they aren't detrimental in any way, you do notice it, such as her tendency to make very quick, jerky changes to both her physical movement and facial expression, which fit perfectly well with Abigail, but should've been toned down for Bianca. Overall, she did a fine job, but could've been much better.

Sadly, we had to leave this morning for Pickwick Hall in London, where we will be staying at for the remainder of our trip. On the way, we visited Kenilworth Castle, one of the last remaining castles in the U.K. It definitely satisfied the medieval nerd in me, and it was wondrous knowing that I was standing and looking upon such a historic place, where Elizabeth I once stood. It was an absolutely gorgeous place, and I'm extremely thankful we were able to visit it for a couple of hours before we resumed our journey back to London.