TEA TIME:

June 21^st

     I am not a fan of hot tea. I don’t like the taste but mostly because I am not a fan of hot drinks. Hot tea just doesn’t soothe me the way that it is supposed to. It just feels weird on my palate and odd to have with a meal or breakfast. So of course being in a country where hot tea is the choice drink I was a little out of my comfort zone in that sense. It is just hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that hot tea is the choice drink for a social event. So when coming to this last blog assignment I felt uncomfortable and not looking forward to when I needed to have tea. I did not go out and buy hot tea and do tea time because I just couldn’t for the life of me pay money to have high tea or even tea with a meal, so I did the next best thing: Pickwick tea. One morning I put my pride away and poured myself some tea for breakfast. I put in a lot of sugar to help with the taste and then I drank it. I didn’t really care for the tea but I can say now that I have had tea in London where it is engrained in the culture and society.

     Now in The Importance of Being Earnest both the tea and cucumber sandwiches and even muffins are important because it signifies a social time to discuss and talk with company. The play even goes as far as saying what each character specifically likes with their tea. I think of their tea time as businessmen’s smoke break or game night where they get together to gossip and talk about life. It also keeps the people engaged in something so that an uneasiness doesn’t fall upon the gathering and that there is always something to eat or drink. So although I do not like hot tea I do appreciate what the context of what tea time means and how it brings people together.

LONDON SCAVENGER HUNT:

June 23^rd

     I unfortunately did not get too involved with the scavenger hunt. However, I did run into a couple of the clues while heading towards the different theatres for my shows.

Mark Rothko Paintings: Located in the Tate Modern

Sherlock Holmes Hat: Found at a roadside booth

THE SEAGULL:

June 22^nd

     Any open air experience is something to keep in your memory because that is how they used to produce a lot of plays, especially if the play makes reference or is set outside, that makes it even better. Seeing The Seagull in the Open Air Theatre was really cool. I may not have agreed with some of the artistic choices of the production itself, I still think that they used the fact of being outside well. They were able to put an actual lake in the back to swim in and make reference to, as well as use water during the rainstorm. They had walkways going in different directions as well as completely upstage which was great for some strong moments in the end with lighting and staging. Sitting in the audience can be tricky if you are hard of hearing because they do use microphones to help boost their voices but not too over the top because the point of theatre is to use your own normal voice to project, so there were moments when it was hard to hear and follow. There would be planes flying overhead that would be loud and distracting but there was nothing that the actors or producing team could do about that. However, being able to sit outside and breath in the fresh air made me feel more immersed in the garden/backyard area they were in for the first half of the show. I can tell that weather is a problem when doing outside shows because if it does rain too hard then the show would have to stop and that would be a bummer for everyone there. Luckily it didn’t rain at all while we watched the show. So overall it was a good show, some interesting choices were made as an artistic team but not all shows can be perfect and satisfy every audience member.

FRINGE THEATRE: Violence and Son

June 20^th

     This was a very unique theatre experience. I have never attended a show in the round and this production was directed that way but it was even more of an intimate experience. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and I think that the director understood and utilized the audience on all sides. There was never a moment when I felt that one side was getting their faces the most; it was balanced. Seeing a show this way made me want to direct in this kind of setting. The transitions to signify later in the night were a little confusing to me. I don’t watch Doctor Who and each transition was based around Doctor Who references and I just didn’t see the meaning behind those transitions outside of Liam, the son, being a fan of the show. It was a smart way to give time to actors to get ready and prepped for the next scene though.

     The father and son duo were really great. I enjoyed seeing their interactions and their differences. I wasn’t a big fan of the young girl and I think that was because I felt she was not grounded and more scattered brained. I also feel that she played the end in the beginning which didn’t leave anywhere for her to go to. The father’s girlfriend was okay but she was just more of a filler to get a better understanding of the father and how he thinks and what it means for him to be nicknamed violence. The play itself was an interesting take on what we pass to our children and how even opposite opinioned people can be alike. It also had a good story on what “no” means in a sexual relationship and the two sides to the story. It made me feel sad to think that these type of stories happen all the time with no consequences when something should be said. It’s scary.

     The show didn’t blow me away or leave me amazed and in awe but it did make me think, which is what shows should do. I think it was a great fringe experience and it does make me want to go back to that theatre and see what other shows they produce if they are as meaningful as this one was.

BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM:

June 17^th

     This was an interesting show. I had seen the movie a long time ago and thought it was okay. It is not my favorite kind of movie. The musical also made me feel the same way. I could go on forever on why this just wasn’t a great show but this blog needs to be more about the lighting and sound and technical aspect. I don’t know much about lighting in any aspect but it was cool to look at during the show. I felt at certain points there were too many cues in a song where it didn’t feel needed. The lights became a distraction during those times and I think in my opinion the audience shouldn’t be seeing when the lights change because the cues flow with the music/show.

     As far as the music is concerned, there were some good songs and some songs that just needed to be cut. I honestly think that most of the songs needed to be cut from the show or trimmed down so they didn’t last as long. The song I did like was the song with the mothers and daughters which portrayed the sides of all them really well, and the other song was the soccer team’s song when they are about to play the Germany team. I just don’t think the music flowed well together as a whole for the show. Musicals usually have a musical note or theme that flows in different ways throughout the show to keep it all together and Bend It Like Beckham did not have that. So by the time we got to the new song I had forgotten the last one and I think that I should have a flashback of the previous songs earlier to make me excited to see where the story is going to go.

     Even though the show was still in previews I don’t think they will change it much or change it enough to make an impact, which is sad. I had moments during the night where I thought this would be a cute fun musical to do but then I would loose that feeling in mundane directing and complicated and excessive songs. However, after hearing Neil talk about how it is harder to cut songs and scenes because of actors contracts I could see why things weren’t cut that could have been earlier due to that rule. But such is producing world, shows come in and out all the time and every once in a while a star makes it through and unfortunately this one was not a star.

VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM:

June 16^th

“I want to empower women. I want people to be afraid of the women I dress.” Alexander McQueen

     I always enjoy a show that really showcases powerful women in life. I like seeing them take charge and going down the path that they want to. I went through the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beasts exhibition and was just blown away by how powerful McQueen made women look and feel with his designs. Even though his clothes were just on mannequins I would just stand there and feel the power and poise that would come from wearing those designs. The quote above is from the exhibition and I think it really correlates to the production of The Merchant of Venice and the side of Portia that we saw with this show. She had power and money and you could see the rule and manipulation that she had over the others. The type of clothes that McQueen designed had me imagining Portia in those. She would still be elegant and beautiful but yet her clothes would give off the air of a leader. Now of course The Merchant of Venice we saw was set in a different time period but if it were to be modernized I could see Portia in those types of costumes: sleek, crisp, straight and bold. I really only think though that the way we saw Portia portrayed would be the only way for McQueen’s type of costumes to really reach it’s full potential. The costumes would be fantastic and wonderful and everyone would love them but something about seeing the darker side of Portia along with those types of jackets and dresses that McQueen designed would wow the audience. There was so much to see in the Victoria and Albert Museum and I really only saw like a quarter of it, but what I did see was amazing.

EVERYMAN TEXT:

June 10^th

     The production of Everyman was definitely altered and arranged to fit this particular show. It was modernized and most of the text was adjusted to make it more understandable and flow better with the vision of the performance. I think that Carol Ann Duffy did a wonderful job with the translation. I read a book last semester called Why Translation Matters by Edith Grossman and she talks about how important translations for any kind of text is important because that is what influences the readers or in this case audience members. I was thinking of this book while I was thinking over the show because the form of translation to the original Everyman was executed really well. You could sense that everyone on the team understood where the new text was coming from and worked from there. The show really emphasized the visual aspect of today’s society and I wonder how much of that was written in the translation to portray certain things on the giant wall or if that was a director’s/set designer’s/media designer’s choice?

     I learned from this experience that a lot has to be put into making a translation but then also transforming it into a live production. A lot of questions come to my mind when thinking about all of this. I wonder if Carol Ann Duffy had any say about the production itself because she didn’t translate this script specifically for this production and I know that a lot of the creative ideas come from the playwright themselves. Why do a translation in this way? That question however could be for any show because it does come down to the director and designers of where they want the show to go, but still an interesting thing to think about. Overall I really enjoyed the show and thought it got the point across really well. There is no denying that everything was put into this show to really get into the audience’s face and make them think about their lives; like the original text set out to do.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY:

June 9^th

     Westminster Abbey is so big that you really need all day to take the time to see it all. I feel like we saw a fraction of the Abbey and that is sad. I love being able to take my time and go through it all but I know that we had a time frame and guide to move things along. There was just so much history in one building. In all honesty I did not look at each of the graves to try and find actors but rather I just wondered at the how many there were and just the fact that people would be walking over them without any thought. I do remember that they had a plaque for Shakespeare there as well as Noel Coward and just a whole section on poetry/acting that was neat to stand in and read all the graves. I would just love to go there and just contemplate life and really take the time to understand the purpose of the building and those that were buried there.

 

WAITING FOR GODOT:

June 8^th

     Waiting for Godot is a complex play. When reading it I had difficulty understanding the meaning of the play. I do think that is what Beckett was trying to get at all along; what is the meaning/purpose? However, through this production and after time of contemplation I think that is exactly what Vladimir and Estragon ask throughout the show. What is the purpose of life or what is the purpose of waiting? So with all these thoughts going on in my head I think that this play is a tragic comedy. It really is sad the life that these characters live, just waiting everyday for Godot, but yet we laugh at the realness of their circumstances and have moments where we feel the exact same way in our lives.

     The audience that was present for the show while we were there was very captured by the story and these actors. Everyone laughed at the same moments and you could tell that people wanted to see Godot come out in the end. It felt like an audience that understood theatre and are regular goers. I think what really made me enjoy this production is how real it felt to wait. The performance didn’t jump along really fast and keep up pace but rather they took their time and had moments of silence to really settle in the idea of waiting. I felt like I was waiting too. The choices they made were real, subtle and effective. The moments when I really felt this waiting feeling were the opening of the show and the second act. Estragon is trying to take his boot off at the top of the show and that moment was a good two minutes or so of his struggle in silence, and then act two opening with Vladimir pacing around the space looking at all the differences between days was just as long. I think they were great ways to start off each act. It was a good show and I think that I will always be processing this show because of the way the text is and how it can be viewed, but I like those kinds of shows.

MARKET DAY:

June 6^th

     I had the privilege of going to more than one market, and both happened to be opposites. Borough Market held a lot of food and desserts. All tightly packed together overwhelming all the senses. It was an interesting experience. I personally do not do well with crowds. I like to push forward and keep going till I am out of they way and into a clearing. For Borough Market I could never find the clearing. It was always packed with people on every side and anywhere you stopped you were bumped or shifted. I did not feel comfortable there. However, the food was wonderful. I had a sausage burger that oozed flavor and uniqueness. It was a great dinner; and then afterwards I had partaken a chocolate croissant, which hit the spot to finish my meal. After that was finished I was ready to go, I had my fill of crowds and markets. Overall it was an interesting experience not somewhere I would go every day but I would occasionally go just to pop in to get some food and then leave.

     The second market I went to was the Brick Lane Market. This market consisted of vintage clothing and household items. However, this market traveled down a street whereas Borough was just in one area so having the market on the street helped diminish crowds and keep people moving. It still had a lot of people but I felt more at ease and willing to stay longer. Everything was intertwined and flowed well. You could step up to a street booth or make your way into one of the stores that are permanently there, so there was good variety. I also didn’t feel rushed because there was a lot to see outside of food. It was a place to take time and find the treasures hidden in the little nooks as you walk along the street. Both markets were unique in their own way and I am happy that I experienced them but in the end I am still good with getting in and getting out. I like to keep things plain and simple.

THE BEAUX’ STRATAGEM:

June 4^th

     Props are such an interesting part of a production. Some shows will have just pages and pages of props that are needed for a show or it could just have five. Props fluctuates all the time and even the script won’t have all the props listed and a director may add more; so many factors into just deciding on a prop but when it hits the stage I think that they are some of the most essential things used by actors. Whether or not a prop is on stage defines how a scene goes. A scene is written around one prop sometimes and the whole scene could fall flat because that prop was not there. In The Beaux’ Stratagem there wasn’t a lot of props used or even really on the set. One prop that was talked about a lot and not really used or even seen on set much is money. It is what drove the two gentlemen to woo the ladies and keep the story going. Money can do all sorts of things to people and in this show we saw each character’s need for money. So in my opinion it was a prop because it was something tangible they were fighting for. Archer and Aimwell arrived with a small amount of money to hold them over but they also used this chest to make it seem like they had a lot of money so word would spread to help them woo rich women. The Beaux’ Stratagem was a wonderful show and honestly I wasn’t paying attention to the props during the show because I was just too entranced with the characters and what they were going to say next. It had great energy and pace and I guess in a way the money helped with all of that.

WOMEN’S ROLE:

June 1&2nd 

     The female role in the theatre nowadays is huge. Women everywhere want to be actors and are auditioning against each other for those iconic roles but thinking back in Shakespeare’s time women didn’t touch the stage at all, so the shows we see now written in that time period would have been all men. So how does having real women in the female roles affect the product of the show and the audience’s reception?

     In The Jew of Malta there really was only one major female role, Abigail. The original cast member playing this role was out sick so we saw her understudy for both shows. In my personal opinion I didn’t really care for The Jew of Malta. It was harder for me to follow and I didn’t really care for the plot line so I wasn’t invested in the show that much. I liked the actor who played Ithamore and his interpretation of it. But other than that I didn’t really care for the jokes or action. I just don’t think it was my kind of show; but to get back to the role of the Abigail in the show. There wasn’t much for her to really do. It was just her father telling her to fool the guys in love with her and to fool the priests, and then she leaves him to become and nun and gets killed by her father. So I don’t really think there is much of a difference the role being played by a real woman rather than a boy playing a girl. The story isn’t really about her and she doesn’t have much time on stage. The understudy who we saw was okay. Like I said not much for her to work with so we didn’t see a lot of her acting ability from this show.

     On the other hand we did see more of her in Love’s Sacrifice. She played Bianca as the understudy again because the original actor was sick. There was more variety for her in this role and I liked her better in this part. However, the role that I really was intrigued by was Fiormonda. She is the sister to the duke. The show opens with her still in mourning of her dead husband but in love with Fernando who doesn’t love her back. So she plots to get revenge on him when she learns that he is in love with Bianca, the Duke’s new wife. There’s lots of chaos that ensues and in the end pretty much everyone dies but her role is very different than Abigail’s in The Jew of Malta. Fiormonda is strong and forceful. She gives orders to her henchman guy as well as influences the Duke in his decisions. I think that a boy playing this role back in the day would have been good but I think the level of power and independence that she has would have been lost on the audience because women who have the strong roles in the older plays stand out more and are more rare.

     After Fiormonda falls to her knees to beg Fernando to love her she vows to make his life hell because she does not bow to anyone. Just those few lines alone have so much strength that a boy playing that wouldn’t have given off the necessary strength to the fact that it was rare for a woman in that time period to have that kind of power and independence. Overall the shows were okay but not my favorites. They just weren’t the strongest plays and I think that is why I personally didn’t invest in them that much. But you have your amazing shows, your bad shows and your “eh” shows.

THE NATIONAL THEATRE:

June 29^th

     The vision of the National Theatre is to make an impact in the theatre world and to really give an opportunity to theatre artists to become better at their craft. The National Theatre is known all over the world with a lot of its more popular and famous productions being streamed in theatres in the states. The show that we saw there was A Light Shining in Buckinghamshire, written by Caryl Churchill.

     It was an interesting play. The script itself was hard to understand and follow but I think a lot of that had to do with it being about British history and I don’t know anything about their history. So a lot of jokes and famous names went right over my head, but there were still good moments that I enjoyed and was intrigued by. I was more fascinated and awed by the technical side. The set and lights and just overall beauty of the show are what kept me intrigued and paying attention. Masses of people would enter and move things around and then set for a short scene and then keep moving for another one. It was all choreographed and everything had double meanings. The set was the king’s table where him and all his men ate but the actual show was about the common people starting this revolution to take over the monarchy and they played these scenes on the dinner table during dinner time. So the higher class were eating this fancy meal or working on paperwork while the common folk were playing these beautiful scenes right in their faces. Such a push for idea of the poor man working hard everyday for a scrap of food while the high and mighty just lay around and eat all day.

     It was surreal to actually see a show at the National. But yet while sitting in the theatre I wasn’t aware I was in this well-known place but rather just another night to enjoy theatre. And I think that is what the founders wanted, just another place for people to see good theatre and to walk away a different person. I know I walked away different, it may not have been from the play itself but rather from the beauty and grace of the show.

MERCHANT OF VENICE:

June 28^th

     I don’t know where to start with this post… I just have so many thoughts and feelings about this show that it is hard to put them on paper (or rather computer). I have never seen The Merchant of Venice before in any kind of setting. I haven’t even really spent time in the text studying it; so I was excited to see a Shakespeare show that I didn’t really know. After talking in class before we left for London I imagined a production of this show could go different ways in how they portray Shylock and the company. Either he could be ruthless and evil, exactly what Antonio and his crew thinks Shylock is or that he could have a mean streak but yet a quality about him that the audience would cheer for, a normal human being with their ups and downs. In this day and time the first choice would be hard to sell to audiences because of the slander against Shylock as a Jew, but the second “version” could and did prove to be successful.

     Jonathan Pryce was amazing. And yes that does sound cliché and common because that word is used all the time but what made him unique is that you didn’t know it was him on the stage. You know when you see tv or movie stars and people you know on stage and whenever they are speaking and doing a scene you only think about them and you are always aware that they are acting. With Jonathan Pryce you forgot it was Jonathan Pryce. He walked on stage and you were entranced and just sucked into the story. You could see/feel his intense faith and devotion to his people and his ways. And it got to the trial scene and I was rooting for him to take the pound of flesh. I sympathized with him and his daughter when, in my opinion, Shakespeare may not have thought of the audience sympathizing and rooting for Shylock, the outsider.

     Some of my favorite interactions during the show were between Shylock and Jessica. I think it partly had to do with me knowing that she was his daughter in real life but more so the connection and just heartbreak that came with that story. I never realized how demeaning and heartbreaking it was for Shylock and Jessica that she turned her back on him and their faith to be with Lorenzo. It’s noted in the text and all that but to see how it killed Shylock to hear that she ran away and then with the ending that this production added, where Jessica falls to the ground in grief and sobs because her father must denounce his faith and become a Christian. She left for promise of love but in the end she realized she left the only true and pure love that came from her father and faith. She will never be accepted in Lorenzo’s group no matter how hard she tries, as well as the Jewish community because of her change in faith and I think the ending is when she realized the consequences in her choices.
     Overall I loved this show. Standing right at the edge of the stage and seeing the actors up close was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Having actors interact with you and making eye contact is not common in this time and I enjoyed experiencing that. Standing for three hours is hard on the feet but if I could return every year to see a show done in original practice like that I would go in a heartbeat. Nothing beats seeing a show in the Globe.

TUBE DAY:

June 26th

     Our fist day in London was filled with tube traveling. We had the task of taking the tube to the Embankment stop where we would then cross the Golden Jubilee Footbridge over River Thames where the National Theatre, the London Eye and the Globe are all located. It was an adventure! After deciding that we would travel as a group to go see all these places, we headed out. At first I was confused at how each tube was named and directions they were going, it took me a few trips and taking the time to study the map to understand the steps I need to think about first before heading out.

*I personally learn subways systems or tube systems by taking the small maps available and just studying them and seeing where I need to go before getting in the station. I like to have a plan before stepping in. And people move fast when traveling anywhere really in London, and I always hate to be the person holding people up unintentionally so I wanted to make sure I was prepared.

     We found the way to Embankment and then crossed the bridge stopping along the way to take pictures of the bridge view and just enjoying the wonderful weather and sights that we have always seen on a tv screen but never in person.

     The first stop was the National Theatre and they had a huge pointer finger on a wall where you could take pictures with, so naturally we all took pictures. It was to promote Everyman, which is a show we will be seeing later on the trip.

     The London Eye was next. It is huge and expensive to ride (we didn’t ride it) but yet so unique and cool. After figuring out where to walk to get to the Globe we walked along the coast/pier side.

     There were lots of performers and places to eat and just people having a good time out in the sun. It was a nice leisurely walk.

     We finally arrived at the Globe and got our group picture and then walked across the Millennium Bridge.

*Harry Potter Reference: The Millennium Bridge is the bridge that the death eaters attacked and destroyed on The Half-Blood Prince.

     Once we crossed the bridge we realized we didn’t really know where to go. None of us had a detailed map showing us the closest tube station so we wandered a bit till we found a map and got back on track to where we wanted to go. Once we arrived at the closest station I felt comfortable and had a good idea of which tube to take and in which direction. Overall I think this day was the best way to start out our trip because it really forced us to learn the tube so we could travel confidently on our own without being scared that we will travel in the wrong direction. It also feels nice when walking through the stations and (hoping) people think I’m just a normal person traveling and not a blubbering tourist, even for only when riding the tube.

*Also I want to note that I saw The 39 Steps later that night and it was great. It was such a funny show with great specificity and uniqueness, and a wonderful show to end a wonderful first day.

Tune in the next couple of days with a post about The Merchant of Venice at the Globe.