Death Trap Review

Death Trap was the extra show I have chosen to write about and probably my favorite show I saw while in London. It was show full of suspense and comedy that constantly kept me on the edge of my seat. Every aspect of the show seemed flawless and well put together. I am now going to take the next few paragraphs to tell you just how much I loved Deathtrap.
          First thing I loved about Deathtrap was the story. I love the story within a story, a plot within a plot. Just when I thought I had figured it out, there was a new twist. The characters were just so sleazy in the best of ways.
       The next aspect I loved was the set. The set remained the same for entire show, only small pieces of furniture were moved or removed. It was the interior of the writer's home and it was a beautiful lodge full all kinds of weapons, old movie props and ornate decorations and had to be a set designer's dream. It was realistic yet fantastical and had such a campy feel without being too cheesy. It was the perfect atmosphere for the story to take place.
           Next on my list to praise is probably the most important, the actors. They were just so smooth. I never once felt that they were over acting. They were so utterly believable it was the truly amazing. They completely got me, I was completely en-rapt. I think it was because they convinced me so fully that I had such a good time. I wasn't thinking about how the theatre was functioning because I was too busy watching what was playing out in front of me. They were just so quick-tounged and the pace of the dialogue was just fantastic. It was a constant back and forth without becoming repetitive. I really just loved Deathtrap, going in with no expectations and just being delightfully surprised was a great experience. Not to be repetitive, but this was my favorite show!

La Boheme Review

            While I was a fan of many of the productions in London, this was one performance that fell short of winning my admiration. La Boheme was our last show to see and instead of going out with a bang, I feel we instead went out with a bit of a whimper. The version of La Boheme we saw was not the original Italian opera, rather it was a modern version with some rather “modern” translations that at times left me wishing they had never touched the original.

            The play started out all right. The first act took place in a messy apartment shared by two starving artists, a painter and a writer. They struggled to pay rent despite having a seemingly large apartment and high tech devices such as a macbook and fashionable clothing with hairgel. I could let those details go but when the actors started singing in belting tenors about that “damn computer” they lost me. I understand that the translation was meant to be humorous but it times it passed the fine line of clever and tasteless. The whole joke just got old far too fast. The understandability of each character varied greatly which only frustrated me as time went on. I know we had a program with the lyrics but I wasn’t interested in having to read along and missing all the visuals, not that there was much to miss.

            After a lackluster first act intermission came and I was relieved for a nice sit down. Instead I was forcibly ushered out of my seat and down to the already pack bar below. Then a great marketing ploy was put into place because, surprise! Act two was to commence in the bar! Oh boy, oh wait, oh no! I wasn’t exactly please to find out that I would have to stand shoulder to shoulder for the next act when I thought I had been promised a seat with my ticket purchase. Needless to say if I had know the scene was to take place in the bar I just might have pushed forward to the front so that I might actually see but instead I stood in the back straining to see let alone hear what the actors were singing. Needless to say the entire act was completely lost on me and felt ripped off.

            I wasn’t even in the mood for the third act, by that point I was just waiting for the play to be over, wondering just how long these songs could last, and could Mimi just die already? Just the small details were aggravating such as the fact that while painting the sign, he does not in fact ever actually put the brush to the sign. It was just plain awful pantomiming. I had completely lost interest and despite the beautiful songs and wonderful piano playing I just didn’t care anymore. While I think the adaptation was a clever in theory, in practice failed.

Cinderella Review

         I had never seen a Matthew Bourne show, let alone any sort of dance theatre so I went into Cinderella not really knowing what to expect and not really knowing how to judge. This Cinderella was set during the Blitz in London, a modern fairytale. There was no fairy god mother but rather an angelic man who seemed to be playing the part of Cinderella’s conscious. There was no prince either, instead there was only an injured pilot who stumbles into Cinderella’s home. There were still an evil stepmother and sisters however, some of the characters who stole the show because I felt the main characters were quite bland by comparison.

            Which leads me to my first criticism, the characters. I felt that so many of the characters just fell short. There was no real character that really kept my attention for very long and wooed me with their charm. I felt that the dancers were great dancers but not necessarily good actors. Maybe it was because it was a story I had heard so many times before, but there was no new twist put on the characters to keep my interest. They seemed to distinctly lack a personality.

            While the story and the setting didn’t win me over, the dance and choreography seemed quite beautiful. Like I said I had never really seen a dance show before so I didn’t really have anything to compare to. I also know nothing about dance. I mean those dancers were definitely doing things I could never do and that alone impressed me. Then they were also doing in unison with each other. Wow. But after a while I felt like they were just dancing the same dance over and over again. Maybe it’s my dance ignorance that kept me from seeing the differences but I felt like the same waltz was being performed with different costumes in different settings. In fact it was the big dances with the most characters that I strangely felt were the least interesting. One dance that did win my fancy was the dance that Cinderella performed with the manikin while dreaming about the prince. I felt it was truly unique compared to the other dances. It was only the time in which I felt Cinderella showed any sort of personality. There was quirk and humor in dance and it was overall charming. It was less graceful and more entertaining.

            While the performers of the show didn’t win me over, to be honest neither did the setting. I felt that while the setting was pretty and interesting, it was a gimmick that got old quick. Once again maybe it was ignorance keeping me from enjoying it. I didn’t live in London during the Blitz and haven’t seen many classic films from the era so all the specific references went right over my head. Instead I focused on the little inconsistencies. One big one was the giant drop with the painted shoe. It was a beautiful shoe amongst the rubble but it most definitely was not he peep toed shoes Cinderella was wearing. How you have such a giant oversight for such a big production amazed me. It only took me a moment to realize that the shoe I stared at for ten minutes waiting for the show to start was not the right shoe. I know it was a small detail but it was enough, along with awfully uncomfortable seats to ruin the entire experience for me. While I had big hopes for Cinderella, it really just fell flat for me.

Black Watch Review

Black Watch was nothing of what I expected. I had heard a brief description of the plot, a documentary type format interviewing young soldiers about their time in Iraq. I was not excited to see Black Watch, in fact I was rather dreading it. I expected it to be too serious and too experimental. I was proved completely wrong within a couple of minutes. It was a brilliant piece of theatre that was truly innovating and completely engaging.

            One of the first few moments of play consisted or soldiers ripping out from the center of the pool table, emerging from the red felt in full battle gear, guns at the ready. It painted such a beautiful and haunting image on the stage. Moments like these would really make the play such a beautiful work. Even though it was set in a time of war and violence, all the staging and movement was eerily poetic in nature. I was constantly being surprised by strange musical numbers that both seemed to come out of now where but at the same time were seamless with the story. The strong male voices were powerful and so expressive. Like I said before it was rather haunting.

            When I went in I never expected song and dance but this production had both. To accompany the moving musical numbers there were also dance like segments. The soldiers, manliest of men moving about in sharp yet graceful “fighting” dance movements throwing each other around with such ease. All the movements in the play were in fact smooth and seamless. In one segment a soldier is changed from costume to costume and carried about by various actors all while continually giving a monologue about the history of the Black Watch. It was testament to both the talent of the writer as well of the actors to keep up with such a constant flow of speech and movement. In fact that is a perfect word to describe the entire piece, seamless.

            While the acting was by far the best I had seen in London, the technical and design aspects of the play were just as impressive. It was such an unconventional space. In fact when we were first seated it reminded me more of sporting arena than a theatre. The concrete floors and metal riggings at either end seemed foreign to me at the beginning of the play, but by the end it made only perfect sense. I find it hard to imagine this play being produced in any other format, I think it would be far less effective.

            The last thing I have to talk about is the overall sense of time in the work. It was fascinating to me how, once again, the shift from past to present was so seamless. One moment the soldiers would be conversing in the bar and the next moment they would be taken back to their time in Iraq. It was the use of such simple objects such as the pool table that functioned not only as a pool table in the bar where they were being interviewed but also as the back of the truck they were driven around in. It occurred to me how it took only a simple everyday object to remind the soldier just what they had seen.

            Overall the work was dramatic and beautiful with a strange twist of comedy. It made me re-evaluate my stance on the war in Iraq and about war life in general. It was heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time and I will never forget this performance.

Little Red Riding Hood Review

      Well, I have to say Little Red Riding Hood was definitely a unique experience, it was nothing like the other pieces we saw in London. Unlike the serious dramas that filled many of our nights by comparison Little Red was just a grand ol good time! It was a panto, which in Britain is a fairytale with musical numbers that has a ton of audience interaction. It doesn't just break the fourth wall it smashes it into pieces. Which of course made me both really nervous all the while entertaining me.
          I find it hard to fairly analyze Little Red because it just didn't take itself to seriously. I couldn't seem to find time to criticize anything because I was far too busy shouting at Granny to TURN AROUND! I had never been to any kind of the theatre like this before. I've never had an actor so forcefully demand my attention. I mean I was not about to defy the three little pigs, I was going to play along I was more than happy to say oink oink oink. I didn't want to get singled out.
       I can't imagine what that had to be like for an actor to have so much direct power over your audience. To actually be able to yell at that man sleeping in the first row. It must be a rush. While I'm sure the power was great, the amount of energy the actors had to constantly give up was just incredible. They were just so pleasant and enjoyable. I even had a soft spot for the big bad wolf and his morphing hairstyles.
         Little Red was just a great show and I just had a great time. I really wish that pantos like this would come to America, I know I would have loved going to one of these as I kid. I certainly still enjoyed going to one in my twenties and I really feel like Little Red was fun for all audience members, big and small.

Hamlet Review

            To be, or not to be? That is the question of the night. Should this production be in existence? To me the answer is questionable. Hamlet is not my favorite Shakespeare work and I was reminded of this while I watched the 3 and half hour production at the National Gallery. This Hamlet had a twist on the classic tale. Instead of setting being in ye old Denmark, it was instead an updated version set now, in the 21^st century. Guards instead of brandishing swords, were carrying machine guns. Instead of brightly colored stockings, there was only a sea of slate grey suits. While the concept was interesting, towards the end I was wishing there some ridiculous stockings to keep my attention. It was like watching a extended bad episode of West Wing.

            But perhaps I’m being too critical too fast. Let me slow down and talk about different aspects of the production and their level of success. First things first, the setting. I feel that by choosing to place Hamlet in a modern day the director was just asking for the choice to be analyzed. I admit, for about 70% of the play the modern translation worked well, sadly the 30% just didn’t seem to fit right and it was obvious. Scenes such as the gravedigger’s scene, which is one of the most memorable and important scenes, just feel so out of place and so forced into this modern world. Not to mention the final fight scene which just left a bad taste in my mouth. While they halfway decently explained by Hamlet would be wielding a sword, their interpretation of poison was just so badly outdated. People dying everywhere but at different rates with different reactions despite a shared poison. It was just too far fetched for my taste.

           But moving past the acting, it's time now to talk about the design. Once again, the design left me wishing it was just placed in a castle so I would at least have some nice tapestries to look at. Instead there were only stark white moving walls with a repeated crest. While the movement of the walls to create different spaces was clever, being seated on the side I often had a clear view into the backstage area where i was promptly distracted by the stage crew running back and forth. I didn't necessarily enjoy my surprise game of peekaboo. It was also disorienting to see an actor preparing to go on stage, stretching and being completely out of character and then seeing them snap back into character to enter stage, it kind of the took the magic out of the performance. 

           But alas I've been dragged back to the topic of actors who I thought were talented but left with a tough challenge. I feel as if certain moments of the play were acted beautifully, but other times they seemed to just loose steam, especially toward the end. Maybe it was the extremely long run time of the play, but like me they just seemed to get tired by the end. 

           Overall I think Hamlet had some winning ingredients but mixed together it was just not a winning recipe. Maybe my prejudice against Shakespeare played a part but I really felt as if Hamlet while appreciated by some was just not my cup of tea. I couldn't help pick apart everything that bothered me, and maybe it was because I had three and half hours to neigh say but Hamlet just didn't do it for me.

War Horse Review

            Within the first few moments of War Horse, you are already completely invested in the life of the young foal who prances before you. War Horse is an amazing mix of technical brilliance, as well as a truly heart warming and gripping tale of hope and love. The play starts out with the auction of the young horse to the main character’s drunkard father. A scared foal runs about the pen created by the cast holding up sections of fence while also pretending to lean and lounge on them. To me this first scene was really just a preview of the entire show. Just by analyzing this first scene, you can almost instantly understand why War Horse has become such a success.

            One of the first things I noticed about the show was the super effective use of minimal scenery throughout the play. The stage design for the show is just so impressive, yet at the same time so simple and understated. Besides a hung projection above the stage that shifted and changed as the story progressed, giving away dates and changing times, the rest of the scenery was seamlessly carried on and off by actors. It was amazing how little scenery was needed to explain to the audience just what was happening and where the characters were. Just a little barbed wire here, a few posts there. It was all it took to take me to a new place.

            Another aspect of the play was beautifully done was the music and sound. All the songs were performed by a single narrator character who had such an amazingly sweet and powerful voice. As I looked around me, it was the music of the play that really got the tears flowing. At the climax of the piece with Joey entangled and bombs and gunfire all around, it was the swelling music that really pulled on the audience’s heartstrings. From the booming of the gunshots, to the neighing of the horses, or the sweet melodies of sung verses, it was obvious that audio played an important part in this production.

            The last two aspects about the play I’m going to talk about are the most obvious, one of them being the acting. While I am certainly no expert on acting, I have to say I found the actors to be very convincing. I wasn’t in love in any one actor’s performance, but rather found them good as a company. I admit however, I often got distracted from the actors because I was watching the true stars of the show, the Puppets and the Puppeteers.

            This brings me to my final point, the Puppets. I really feel that while the rest of the show was beautifully done it would be nothing without the beautiful puppets that cross its stage. As I said when I first started, within the first few moments of the play you were already invested, because while only a puppet and three people stood in front of you, it took you only minutes to forget that what was in front of you wasn’t a real breathing, running, neighing horse. The beautiful and intricate construction of the puppets partnered with the absolute talent of the puppeteers controlling them made true magic on the stage. The horses breathed, whimpered, and lived (not to mention carried other actors around) The more I watched, the more and more I was mesmerized by these creatures, not being able to look away, watching how joints moved, how the puppets were controlled and realizing quickly how focused and concentrated the puppeteers must have been.

            Overall the show was beautiful for so many reasons and I would suggest this show to anyone as it a masterpiece.

The Animals and the Children Took the Streets Review

        What a great show to start the trip with! The Animals and the Children took to the Streets was a dark comedy with upbeat tempos and quirky down on their luck characters. It was unique piece of theatre that rather tickled my fancy. More than likely one reason I found the play so much fun was it was less like theatre and more like a moving and breathing illustration. For the most part the play was an animated cartoon with a couple human characters. The entirety of the play worked with projections on three flat white panels with which the actors seamlessly played along. It was just so fun.

            The story followed the lives of three main characters, Zelda the sketchy shopkeeper’s daughter and head of the children’s gang, the landlord of the tenement block, and Agnes, an outsider working to fix the problems of the Bayou. These characters as well as all other characters in the piece were played by the three actresses of the 1927’s company. I was greatly impressed to see them switch from role to role. While I knew the same actress was playing two different characters it didn’t seem to bother me because they did it so convincingly. What really aided the transition was the simple yet eerie white makeup that each character wore.

            The makeup and costume design for this show was great. For the most part the costumes were either red white or black sticking with the color scheme of the projections. The flat white makeup really helped the actors blend more easily with the projections that they were playing along with without hindering the actor’s facial movements. It all painted quite a unified scene. In the end it seemed only natural that these actors lived in this two dimensional world.

            Another key aspect that made the aspect work was the actors’ skill and timing with the projections. I can’t imagine how many rehearsals it must have taken, but the actors timing was dead on.  Even small moments such as sweeping with the broom and having the animated dust puff up had to take such enormous amounts of concentration and timing. While I didn’t realize it while watching the play I later came to understand that one of the character’s voices was entirely pre-recorded. It only made me appreciate the acting and the actors’ sense of timing even more.

            While lots of the play were pre-recorded the work still didn’t lose that live theatre element as all the musical numbers were sung live and one of the company’s members played on the piano throughout the entire play dressed as one of the residents of the Bayou. She even interacted with other’s characters. I really enjoyed that the “orchestra” was so integrated on stage instead of hidden away. It was a true nod to her musical genius as she was also the writer and composer of all the songs in the play.

            Overall I really just felt that while the story was dim and bleak, the quirk and wit of the writing and the cast really made The Animals and Children took to the streets a smashing success!

London Day 14 and 15, Tea Time! and Goodbyes

So it was official, the trip was almost over. We spent the morning packing and then headed out to explore the London streets one last time. We walked to Saint Paul's making sure to buy our last minute souvenirs before it would be too late! There isn't much to tell really. We walked to meet Steph and Charlotte one last time, did our last minute shopping and finally took one of those famous red double decker buses. I have to say, it was kind of just like every other bus I'd ever been on, but at least we can say we did it. Here we are on the bus.

After getting off the bus we walked to our final tea. Tea was so bittersweet to have everybody together for the last time. Though there were some banging scones it was really quite tasty and I enjoyed all the food there. Even Darron and Sharona were able to stop by for tea it was really great. After stuffing myself on scones and saying our final goodbyes it was time to go back to the flat and pack. Tomorrow we would leave London.

Bedtime and then Day 15

DAY 15
We woke up early one last time and finished packing our bags. After a touch and go trip down the all the floors with our stuffed bags, we were coming full circle. We hopped on the bus and headed back to the airport. We got on the plane, and we left London behind us with fond memories and a new perspective.

London Day 13, Taking the Bar Scene too Literally

After being so busy all the time the last two weeks, we all took Saturday at a much more leisurely pace. We figured we had deserved it. After sleeping in for one of the first times on the trip we got up and met up once more with Sami's friends from London, Charlotte and Steph and went to Covent Garden to do some shopping. After we just hung about and grabbed lunch. It was all very causal and fun. It London easy living. After spending a nice afternoon with girls it was quickly evening and time to meet up with the class once more for our final show in London, La Boheme at the Soho Theatre. First it was time for my last hot chocolate in London.

We arrived at the Soho Theatre and walked upstairs trying to sit, instead we were ushered back down again and told to wait. So we promptly took out our sandwiches took a seat and waited. When we finally got our seats and got a first peak at the stage and scenery, I was not very impressed. I was worried the show was going to end up being a bad version of Rent. Which in many ways it really was. The Operatic singing was alright, but the modern adaptation just seemed rather lame. Not to mention when Act 2 came about we were forced out of our seats and sent downstairs to the bar. There we were surprised to find out Act 2 would be taking place in the bar. Needless to say there was nowhere for anyone to sit and it was crowded and uncomfortable. While I appreciate the cleverness of the idea in practicality I feel as if the scheme just didn't work. I couldn't really see or hear anything so I ended up just being a bit lost when Act 3 began and I was just waiting for the play to end.
And end it did. So maybe not the best end to London, but an end it was.
To bed and then DAY 14.

London Day 12, The Prime Meridian

Our time in London was winding down, but we had a few more major stops to hit before we departed across the ocean. One of them being to visit the Prime Meridian. It meant we were off to see the Greenwich Observatory where one can stand one foot on the Western Hemisphere and one foot on the Eastern Hemisphere. First we had to get there of course, and that meant taking a river cruise down the Thames. It was quiet and relaxing. We got to pass all the famous London landmarks we had previously visited. It was really great to have at the end of the trip because it was a great reminder just of all the amazing places we had been during the trip. I admit an early morning boat ride did make me a bit drowsy, but a luckily we had a good hike up the hill to wake me back up again before we reached the observatory.

The Observatory was a beautiful building full of gizmos and gadgets. Golden spinning things and measuring things and all sorts of things that went way over my head. I really appreciate anyone who can stare at those gadgets for long periods of time. I imagine the life of an astrologer to be a lonely one. After spending some time in the rain at the observatory and having a serious and long drawn out internal debate about whether I should by a sausage from the Honest Sausage stand, it was time to leave and head out into Greenwich Village and Market. It was a beautiful little market and village and after some torturous window shopping at the market we stopped for a bite to eat and left the rainy Greenwich behind.

After a mellow afternoon of just hanging about London we had one more stop before bed. We met up with a couple of Sami's former residents from New Paltz who lived in London and went out to dinner with them. It was fun to hang out with true Londoners and hear their perspective on America. Later that night we headed out to unofficial London tourist spot, the London Icebar. Even though we were given a coat and gloves to wear it was quite chilly and 40 minutes was quite enough. The drink was quite tasty though and it made for a perfect nightcap. After the bar it was time for bed and then Day 13

London Day 11, The English Countryside

The time had come, it was time to LEAVE LONDON!!! I mean, not for good, just for the day. It was time to explore the English Countryside in a whirlwind fashion! After getting up earlier than ever before it was torture to drag myself out from under the covers, but I knew it would be worth it in the end. First we had to walk to the President's hotel around the corner to catch the bus that would take us to Victoria Terminal. Silly us thought we would be staying on this bus so we got nice and comfortable. WRONG. We were dropped off with a crowd of people at the station. After having to pay 30 pence to go to the bathroom we were ready to get on the bus and start our adventure. We lined up and boarded and of course assumed the bus wouldn't be full on a Thursday so we took the back seats hoping to stretch out. WRONG. There we all were crammed in the back of the bus where we would meet Philip, a young Brazilian in town to visit relatives. Here we are at the back of the bus.

Our first stop was Windsor castle. It took an hour to get there which was great because I got an hour nap. Ahhhh yeahhhh. We arrived at Windsor Castle a little nervous because there were rain clouds hovering above. Sadly we didn't really have long to worry about because we only had an hour and half before we had to be back on the bus. So after splitting from the group we rushed through the doll house exhibition and hurried down to see the changing of the guard. Of course we took a bunch of pictures along the way.

The Changing of the Guard was really interesting, certainly a lot of stomping and it lasted much longer than I expected. Still I enjoyed it and was glad I saw it in the end. Here's me and the guard. It was hard to resist just reaching out and trying to pet one of those fabulous furry hats.

So after a quick sprint back to the bus it was time for another nap, this time an hour and half and we would arrive our next destination STONEHENGE! We were so lucky, the rain held off and while the ground was a bit squishy, it was really quite awesome outside. Stonehenge was really beautiful. We weren't able to get as close as I wanted, but we were still pretty close and it was amazing to see such an icon in person. It's so hard to imagine these giant stones being dragged on logs for miles and miles. All the birds perched on the stones were just so picturesque and mighty mysterious. It was just such a relaxing visit to the most famous giant pile of stones around.

Back on the bus and time for another nap, 2 hours to bath and the rainclouds were finally deciding to have their way. Luckily the rain held off just long enough for us to arrive in Bath and walk into the Roman Baths. They were really beautiful. After walking through a little museum talking all about the Romans and their lifestyle (Luckily I had already learned all this in highschool Latin and was able to skim through) we finally reached the actual water. It was a lovely green color and looked pretty good to me, but I heeded all the signs saying DO NOT TOUCH WATER. I mean, personally I wouldn't have minded going for a dip, but rules are rules. I really think the rain falling into the pool only helped the whole ambiance. The water had turned the stones a vivid orange and the constant pitter patter of the rain and soothing sound of water entering the pool was really quite refreshing. I certainly felt more relaxed after leaving the Baths.

Sadly time was not on our side and we had to hurry from the Baths and take a quick tour of the town before heading back on the bus. After eating THE BEST SAUSAGE I think I've had in my life, we grabbed a quick cup of hot chocolate and it was back on the bus. 3 and 1/2 hours later we were once again back in London, tired, but with more pictures than ever. After a relaxing evening it was time for bed and DAY 12.

London Day 10, A Downer and then an Upper

Class came early, and before I knew it I was sitting at my desk, cup of coffee in hand, ready to go. It was a nice long class discussion, but all the sleep deprivation from the days before were quickly catching up with me and sitting still just made it worse. After struggling to keep my eyelids open and mind at full attention, I was relieved when class was over and we could get moving again.

Today was going to be a simpler day than most. The first stop was to go to the Imperial War Museum. After a short tube ride and a short nap we were there. We sat outside eating our sandwiches admiring the huge cannons hanging outside the building, but it was really only a preview of what was to come. When we finally checked our coats and walked in there were machines of destruction everywhere. Only of the first things you see when you walk in is a mangled car on a platform. It was a car that had been bombed in Iraq. It really kind of set my mood for the rest of the museum.

The museum was so big we decided to work our way up. We started in the basement in the first world war section and my mood dropped further. The entire basement was just packed FULL of artifacts, weapons, uniforms, and other miscellaneous objects. It really made me sad to think how much stuff came from the war time, how much effort and construction was put into making things to kill each other. It was clear to me that war, while being an awful tragedy, is great for production. There were just so many items, cases just littered with them. I couldn't help but think how much time and effort went into designing all these things and even when the item was beautiful, their truly dark nature. Then there were the caption of course that I stopped reading after a while because I was so bummed out.  It didn't help that there were little kids running about everywhere. Seeing them pointing at a gun in the display and talking about how they used that one in a video game and how they wish they could try it didn't really help with the mood. They were just being kids on a boring field trip trying to make fun out a seemingly irrelevant display for them. I didn't really understand why they were, they clearly didn't understand the gravity of the subjects being displayed and discussed in the museum.

It got me thinking however that children, similar to these children had to present when the world was going on. They were living an irrelevant war to them and had to choice, they might have peered at that same gun with the same longing and awe. The presence of these kids really just put everything into a weird perspective. It reminded me of the presence of the young girl in War Horse, still childlike despite the horrors all around her.

Overall the Imperial War Museum was impressive, and an important place to visit. However, I was more than happy to leave its walls. I definitely some pick me ups after such a solemn start to my day.
Luckily after some lunch and nap, we had some more light-hearted tasks set up.
The evening again was another free evening so after some debate over which show to go to, Kyle Sami and I decided to go see something completely different than we had seen before and the Angel Theatre; A puppet show!

That's right, the play was Alice in Wonderland and it was a good ol' puppet show. It took place in this adorable little hidden theatre tucked off the street. Right next to the theatre was the little puppet work shop were the puppets were made, it was just all so charming!

There were a good number of puppets in the performance despite there being only four puppeteers who were constantly shifting from puppet to puppet sometimes controlling two puppets at once. They were really quite impressive. The songs were a little cheesy, and sometimes the puppeteer's pitch was questionable but overall it was really entertaining and I was glad I went to see it. It was funny because while it was most definitely a show aimed at young Children, the audience was at least 80% adults so we didn't even seem out of place. It was great and really added to the variety of show types we had seen during the trip.

After an up and down kind of day it was time for bed again and then DAY 11.

London Day 9 Happy Birthday Andrea!

Happy Birthday Andrea! It was Jan 11 and our dear professor's birthday! And what better place to celebrate her birthday than one of the most notorious prisons in history! Yup, it was that time in our trip, time to visit the Tower of London! DUN dun dunnnn.....



No really, it wasn't that scary, despite a couple gnarly looking torture devices that had me cringing just looking at the diagrams, it was really quite a delightful place, surprisingly beautiful. One of the first exhibitions we visited was the Line of Kings which had royal armor and armory on display. Man, the armor was BEAUTIFUL! Each suit of armor was just so individualized despite obviously describing each ruler's size and shape, it was such a indicator of their personality. Different designs, patterns, and materials. Some seemed so practical while others were over the top and ostentatious and completely dysfunctional as true armor. The swords and weapons were the same way. Each sword was a piece of art not to mention a extension of the man who wielded it. There were even highly decorated guns, en crested with jewels or highly decorated. They were beautiful in such a dark way.  Here are some of the pictures of armor and weapons that amazed me.

I especially feel in love with the little guy above. The entire suit was maybe 4' tops, and especially enjoyed the little metal lizard perched on his head. He stood comically enough next to a GIANT suit of armor. It was apparently the armor of the midget and the Giant, and they were probably my favorite suits in the collection. A short second was the suit of armor shown above, it was etched with this beautiful gold pattern. It was beautifully and intricately done. After admiring the nice armor it was time to play. In the same exhibition there were all these games and trivia machines testing our knowledge on medieval weapons. Of course we had to try out quite a few.

After a quick walk around the outer wall, playing watch and spying on the loose Ravens hopping about the place, our time at the Tower of London was drawing to an end.

After leaving the Tower of London and having the best hot chocolate of my LIFE at Paul's, we weren't quite done with towers yet, it was time for a quick trip to the Tower Bridge right next door. Here were are standing on the bridge in the freezing wind.

Today was to be a busy day we had quite a few more stops before the day was over. The next one was King's Cross Station to take pictures with the famous platform 9 and 3/4. We had to search long and far to find it. Though we did enjoy exploring the station, it was beautiful. When we finally found it, it was quite the disappoint. Due to construction in the station it had been moved, and instead of the brickway, it was a large photo of bricks. Majorly lame, but we took our tourist photos nevertheless.

Next stop, the British Library right next door. I was expecting just a large elaborate library. What I found there was much, much better. It was half library half museum and all free! The first exhibition we went to in the library was based on the evolution of the English language. In addition to the famous books on display there were also interactive stations and listening stations with different topics such as dialects and slang. I thought that exhibition was pretty good, but the next room had a true treasure for me.
There was right in front of me was the first edition of Alice in Wonderland with the original illustrations by John Tenniel. Illustrations that I had loved since I was child. NOT only was the book there but I got to see the original woodblocks used to print them. They were so small and intricate and my printmaker senses were tingling! It was so amazing. There were some other amazing books but that was by far my favorite. Alice in Wonderland, has been and still is my favorite story. The British Library was another place I can't wait to go back to.

After the Library it was time for our last stop. Matthew Bourne's Cinderella. A more modern twist on a classic fairytale. This version was set during the London Blitz. It was an interesting idea, but I wasn't entirely convinced. Most of the time I had a hard time concentrating because the seats were so small and uncomfortable and my legs were in pain the entire performance. I think it made me more critical because my pain was putting me in a bad mood. I felt like lost of the dances were repetitive and while it was a great spectacle, it was not my favorite performance. After a long and VERY busy day, it was time to go to bed until DAY 10.

London Day 8 Dr Who? A pleasant surprise

After a relaxing Sunday, it was once again time to get up bright and early on Monday morning. This time our destination was the BBC! Due to living in Singapore, a former British colony, I've had my share of BBC and really loved the channel. I was excited to see what the inside of a television studio looked like. We were handed our handy dandy lanyards with our fancy looking BBC badges, and after the tiny hassle of traveling the metal detector and having to find all the loose change in the bottom of my pocket we were on our way. Before we even entered the building Lauren burst out into a fervor of excitement, I understood why, because there was the Tardis from Dr. Who, just chilling right outside the building. Of course some serious photo moments to be had. I was quite excited to make my Dr. Who loving boyfriend quite jealous. (Which he was)

After that the tour went a little down hill for me. We were immediately whisked away to the new department, which was kind of interesting to see, but didn't really hold my attention. I was really excited to see some sets and scenery and hopefully some workshops. When we were told we were being led to a studio I got excited again, but then I realized it was a completely empty studio. I mean our tour guides explanations of how the studio lights and walls and everything worked for different sets was interesting, but I was really disappointed when we did get to see any real sets. In fact we never even saw a camera he entire time we were there. The rest of our tour included a quick rush through the weather department and into high status dressing rooms but we never actual got to see any real productions or real employees making anything. I just wanted more. There was a fun little quiz show at the end, but overall the tour just left me very underwhelmed.

Well after a good ol' nap to brighten my mood we once again headed off this time we were destined for the grand Westminster Abbey! It was getting cold and despite two layers of sweatshirt It was definitely still feeling a bit nippy. While this may sound again like a broken record once again we were to meet an amazing tour guide at Westminster Abbey. He was super informative and had one of the best mustaches I have ever seen. He delightfully reminded me of Bilbo Baggins and it only made my tour experience more enjoyable.

One thing about Westminster Abbey that really surprised me was just how many dead people were inside it. I knew that a number of famous people "slumbered" inside its walls, but wherever you looked there was memorial after memorial after memorial. I was even more surprised to hear that they even outlawed burying anyone else there due to sanitation. I was trying not to think about just how many toes, arms, legs, or faces I was treading across. It was such a variety of people in there as well. From religious figures, to authors, to artists, to actresses, to kings. Everyone was included, even people whose beliefs were sometime not exactly "faithful" to the church were not denied, they also lied beneath the Abbey's roof. It occurred to me that the Abbey was less of a Religious building and more a national monument. While it still held religious connections, it really represented all the great people Britain has produced and their accomplishments. It was a fantastic building that held so much history. Not to mention it was beautiful example of gothic architecture. Though I admit by the end of the tour I couldn't even feel my toes and I was grateful to hop into the heated gift shop for a few minutes before heading back to the Abbey for the Evensong.

The Evensong was really beautiful, it seems so unfair that little boys have the most beautiful voices and are just destined to grow out of them. It was really useful that they gave us a program of sorts so we knew when to sit and stand and can understand the words. I'm not really one for religious ceremonies so it was better to think of it as a concert. It was really beautiful and it was wonderful to hear a performance in the cathedral. The acoustics were beautiful, after all it was the church was really built for. It's not hard to imagine how people could feel the presence of God in such a building, it certainly did fill one with awe.

After listening to the Evensong it was time to rush off to our next performance. This time it was the Blackwatch at the Barbican theatre. Now I admit I was apprehensive for Blackwatch. I had read about the play while doing the pre-departure assignments and I thought I was going to hate it. I thought it was going to be this over serious piece of dramatic acting. Instead I was quite PLEASANTLY SURPRISED. Within the first few minutes of the play I was immediately proven wrong. The very first war imagery of the soldiers ripping through the red felt of the pool table and emerging, guns at the ready sent shivers down my spine, it was just so beautiful. It really changed my mindset for the rest of the play. I was constantly being surprised by sudden musical numbers and "dance" fight choreography that was just engaging and really mesmerizing. It didn't take away from the mood of the work at all, rather i felt it wasn't jarring but rather perfectly woven in with the rest of the performance. I really REALLY enjoyed Blackwatch, unlike being my least favorite performance, instead it turned out to be my favorite. It was just so innovative and creative and masterfully done from a technical angle, not to mention a truly moving piece of work that really had me evaluating my stance on important issues.


After a spectacular evening and a truly amazing show it was time again for bead and then DAY 9!

London Day 7 My Mind, It's Blown

So after a fun filled evening it was back to class, but luckily the fun wasn't quite over yet because our class had some special guests! The actors from the Panto the night before were here to visit. Even the Dame decided to make an appearance. Needless to say it made for a rather entertaining class. It was especially great to hear about all their crazy stories of moments gone wrong and rather unusual audience participation. It was a good, light hearted start to my day.

Next it was the stop I had been waiting to go to all trip. The National Gallery. It was an art museum home to all the works and artists I find most inspiring and dear to my heart. We first sat outside eating our homemade sandwiches watching the human statues and it was just such a beautiful day, and I could barely contain my excitement for what was soon to come.

So finally we entered, and even in the first hallway, I was already impressed. There were just so many beautiful paintings. When we got to the room full of Peter Paul Rubens my heart just stopped.

Peter Paul Rubens is such an inspiration to me. He was not only a great artist, but a great man. He was a diplomat, painter, father, and devoted husband. Not to mention his work is some of what I consider to be the greatest paintings. He was a baroque painter meaning his works are just packed full of movement and emotion, fashion and history, as well as layers of allegorical symbolism. Though he is commonly known for his painting of bigger lady models, in fact that's where the term Rubenesque came from,  his talent and interest goes far behind his choice of models. The very way he paints flesh is so fascinating, he uses so many translucent layers that the skin just seems to glow.
It's amazing to see his work in person, to stare at the brushstrokes that from a distance blend completely together, upclose show the actually hand of the artist, the human element.
There were so many famous works there as well, many of my favorite paintings I was able to stand less than a few inches away (despite the guards eyeing me) and just stare. I loved just being able to stare. I only wish that we could have taken photos. (Well we managed to sneak a few)

There other amazing works besides those by Ruben, but there were just too many to talk about. There is however one other piece that was there that especially rocked my world. Before going on the trip to London I just had finished a course on the Northern Renaissance that focused largely on work by Jan van Eyck. One work in particular we had spent considerable time analyzing and studying, The Arnolfini Wedding Portrait. I remember while reading about this world famous painting noticing that it was located in the National Gallery. When I later learned I was going to London I was determined to see the painting I had spent so much time researching.
Ironically, even though I was eager to see the painting, it was the last art we visited in the museum. What a way to go out with a bang. It was just tucked away in a small room in the corner of the museum but it was tiny and magnificent. The entire painting, which is not much large than a 12" by 16" was just so amazing to behold due to the sheer amount of realism and tiny detail put into the work. I had known it was small before seeing it, so I wasn't surprised when I saw it, but it was just so different from seeing it in class where the image is blown up 50 times its size and projected on a wall. We had spent so much time looking at individual portions of the painting it was great to see it in person and behold it as a whole. It was just an awesome sight for me. Poor Sami, Kyle and Ian had to listen to me chatter about all the hidden symbols and it's mysterious meanings. It was beautiful and a great way to end my trip to the museum. I really can't wait to go back there one day.

We didn't really have anything scheduled for the rest of the night so we decided to walk around a bit and explore. We of course had to first pose with the lions in the courtyard of the museum.

We decided our next mission was to find Buckingham Palace. We just started walking and briefly asked a jogger for directions he told us that it was straight for 5 min.
About 15 min later we arrived (apparently the jogger was a fast walker). It was night so the palace was a little bit eerily beautiful. I certainly would have no problem living there. We peaked through the gates and then checked out the beautiful monument across from the palace. We scrambled about the statues with the rest of the crowd making good on our photo opportunities.

We caught the tube home and it was time for Day 8!