Days 16 & 17: It Gets Better

So, on a rainy, drizzling Sunday morning, instead of going to church, like I had planned, instead I stayed in and wrote blog posts (I'm still catching up...).  Sunday morning you're supposed to sleep in, right?

My original plan was to see the Victoria and Albert, the Science Museum, and the Natural History Museum.  Well, I got to the Victoria and Albert just fine, and spent about an hour and a half wandering around there.  It's definitely an art museum, in the true meaning of the word.  Only art finds its home there, not purely historical objects.  My favourite part of the whole museum were the two items I found, displayed for the blind.  The item description was in braille as well as visible, and next to each object were the words "please touch".  This made me ridiculously happy inside.   I put my sweaty little fingers all over that piece of 13th century wood.  No, literally.  It was part of a roof.

Afterwards, I decided I really wasn't interested in the science museum after all, and BOTH lines for the natural history museum were forty minutes long.  Inexplicably.  The staff standing in the rain, directing the visitors this way and that, were somewhat bewildered.  I promised to come back another day when they weren't swamped by everyone and their family.

So, I went to Camden Town, so I could walk easily to the Lion and Unicorn.  I love the stuff in the shops there... lovelove... goth dresses and full-length leather coats and the most amazing boots... but all way outside of my budget.  Can we have a Camden Town in the US?  East coast?  Please?  With reasonable prices?  Or is that too much to ask...

The next day, today, Monday April 30th, since I didn't have a show till the evening, I went to Rochester.  Of course, there was some ticket confusion, and I went back from Rochester in a hurry trying to get it all figured out, which I did, successfully, but not until I stressed about it.  On the way, I got to talk to two amusing ladies, who were having fun waving at people at stations and confusing them.  So I'll talk about Rochester, its castle, cathedral, and town.

1) Rochester Castle.  The same as featured in the movie IronClad.  It was GREAT.  I got to climb all the way to the top and peer around.  The amount of history there is fantastic!  I took the audio tour, and that combined with my gawking kept me there for a good two hours.  The keep is small, smaller than it looks on the outside.  I've been in houses that had more square feet.  So I scrambled around on the walls and all over and took plenty of pictures... = happy camper

2) Believe it or not, Rochester Cathedral was maybe even better than the castle.  The wall in the crypt was from the 11th century.  The abbey walls once held a monk who helped promote the English language through his book.  The cathedral was truly beautiful.  The weight of the place... as the audio tour said, people have been worshipping God there for 14 centuries.  Blows.  My.  mind.

3) The town itself is oh-so-cute, perfectly picturesque.  I had a Ploughman's lunch at a tea house, and they gave me SO MUCH cheese.  People really like cheese here.

Time for Ben to be online... and my computer is already overheating.  :-(

As You Like It

I got tickets to see As You Like It at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre.  I had no idea what to expect from the space, and it surprised me in every day.  The theatre was the 2nd floor of a restaurant and bar.  The tiny place made a large room at the top of a narrow staircase, and turned it into a black box.  I heard that the theatre's only been around for about a year, but I think it was a brilliant idea.  Maybe one day I can do something like that... although they had some problems, like where to store everyone before the show.  The seating was poor, since neither the audience nor the stage were angled.  Short people to the front!  Neither was the theatre handicapped accessible, which I think is a definite shortcoming.

The play was a bit darker than I'd considered it before.  The usurping Duke's violence toward Oliver was surprising, and made him a villain from the start.  I wasn't impressed by the performances of the actors playing Oliver and Adam (especially the fake "old" voice Adam used), although Oliver had a fairly good command of the language.  Orlando was more masculine than other Orlandos I'd seen, and his victory in wrestling Charles was quite believable.

I liked Touchstone's command of language, but I didn't like how crude he made his character in the second half of the play.  Jacques was curious and energetic, and while I'm not sure this choice was supported by the text, it was certainly interesting to watch.  I'd want to read more about melancholic behaviour before I disagree with his acting choice, however.  It worked.

I liked that they had the folks in the forest shivering, but they abandoned this behaviour after the first scene.  Consistency!  They also didn't have any cross-gender casting or audience contact.  :-(

For intermission, they sent us out of the theatre.  Me, being the rebel, perched on the steps, but most everyone went all the way downstairs for the full fifteen minutes of the interview.  During this time, the props department littered the stairwell with poetry, which I thought was a nice touch.

I liked this production, mostly.  I didn't knock my socks off, but it was creative for a small space and I liked that the actors were exploring possibilities in the text.

Day 15: Ravens

I don't remember when, but a gentleman warned me not to look a raven in the eye, that it was bad luck.  Although my bad luck started earlier that day, before I tried looking ravens in the eye, I still blame it on that.  I like ravens.  I don't want them to be bad luck.

First stop of the day: Parliament.  I wanted to take the Saturday tour, because it was more extensive than the M-F ones.  I was disappointed... it was cancelled, this Saturday and next, because of construction.  Of course, I found this out at the gate.  So, where to next?  I had so much time on my hands!

I went to the London Film Museum, which was a real treat.  They had Chaplin's cap and cane, Batman's suit from Batman Begins, Dr. Who's telephone booth from the original movies... I was a pretty happy camper.  I took lots of pictures.  And just in time, I left for Buckingham Palace, a 30 minute walk.  During the course of which I tried having a staring contest with a raven.  Of course, everyone else also went to the Palace for the Changing of the Guard.  So many people!  I realized, when I got there, that I wasn't going to have a chance at seeing anything, so I walked to Somerset house (30-40 minutes of walking).

Upon arrival at Somerset, I was told that the tour for the day was cancelled.  Again?  Really?  Thankfully, the House also had an exhibit hall, which I visited.  They were featuring the Sony photography awards.  There was some fantastic stuff in there.  I loved the work of the winner, Mitch Dobrowner.  Make a Google Images search on him, you'll see why I love his work.

Next stop: the Rose exhibition!  Except that... it's cancelled.  Two people out sick.  The Globe folks recommend I make a combo tour later on.  Which I will... but still.  Cancelled?  I stay around the Globe to see my show, Richard III, and have dinner at Nando's.  The review is already posted.  :-)

Then, to finish it off, I try to rush home to Skype Ben on time.  I get to the Tube station and realize that my Oyster card has been lifted from my back pocket.  Very frustrating!  I have to wait in line to get another one, since the machines here don't allow you to use cards that don't have a chip in them, so it has to be swiped.  I rush onto the train, and then at my transfer, it tells me that the direction I want to go in... the platform is flooded.  So I have to go the opposite direction to get the way I want to go.

I'm only 5 minutes late to Skype Ben, but five times frustrated.  Not the best day.

Richard III

Richard III: In Manderin

Ah, live theatre.

Apparently, the National Theatre of China sent their beautiful, ornate costumes in a box... that failed to make it to the Globe on time.  The Artistic Director of the Globe came out to apologize to the audience, and commend those folks at the Globe who managed to costume an entire play in less than 24 hours.  And I think they did a fairly fine job of it.  The costumes were mostly black, but certainly reflected the Chinese nature of the show.

I may be having a memory blank... but I don't think there are three witches in Richard III.  Somehow,  Macbeth's prophesying witches migrated to this other tragedy, again warning the main character of the fates.  Also, the National Theatre's Richard was not deformed in any way.  I'm curious if they removed the lines referring to his deformity intentionally and whether it carries different connotations in Chinese culture.  There was a fantastic moment where I thought they might have the witches deform his body, right after he killed the Princes in the Tower, but after they left, he resumed his healthy state.  I may need to steal this for my own production... the one I have, one day...

The movement was stylized in certain scenes, in the manner of Chinese opera.  It was especially evident in the movement of the mourning Lady Anne.  Her dead husband's body was not present in the scene, and I wished they had added it.  However, Margaret was as strong as ever, and her curses carried more power, as she resembled the witches in both movement and voice.

The murderers were a comic treat.  Carefully choreographed martial arts combined with ridiculous failure made them seem completely ineffectual.  Also, I missed the differentiation where in Shakespeare's R3, one murderer loses heart and tries to save Clarence, but too late.  These two were so bad at killing Clarence it made the scene funny... until the very end.

The audience, once again, loved this play.  They ate it up, and the applause at the end lasted as long as that for Twelfth Night.  I'm glad I got to see this play, even sans the right costume.  One of my favorite parts was the use of the sound system, and the deep gong when the new king was crowned, which resulted in Henry's crowning to have the same ominous air as the crowning of Richard's... promising more bloodshed to come.

Twelfth Night

My first play at the Globe was Twelfth Night, performed by the Company Theatre in Hindi.

I had no idea whether to expect subtitles or another form of translation.  I was hoping, but then no translation appeared, only a short 3-line summary of what was going on in the scene, on a screen the the left and right of the stage.  Nevertheless, I managed to follow what was going on fairly easily.  Bits of English thrown in here and there, as well as my own knowledge and the captions, helped me especially as the production was full of musical numbers.

The Company Theatre, with the help of Amitosh Nagpal's adaption skills, recreated Twelfth Night in the image of a Bollywood musical.  I loved the company's energy.  It was infectious, and I found myself laughing along with the other half of the audience that understood Hindi (from general perusal of the faces in the theatre).  The actors gestured more than I am generally used to, especially to the audience.  I found it amusing when they would attempt a moment of audience contact with someone who was less likely to know Hindi (the half of the audience that was white).

Viola and Sebastian were dressed the same, as is commonly found.  Poor Malvolio actually wore yellow stockings... tights... and then proceeded to do a musical number in them.  The audience roared.  Everyone was on stage the entire time, those "offstage" clustered to the back with the musicians, joining in for choral parts or other choreographed group dance numbers.

When all was said and done, the audience clapped so long and so loud my arms hurt.  Curtain call must have lasted a full five minutes, at least, since the audience refused to let them go backstage with their cheers and whistles.  It was really lovely, and I'd like to see more productions like this.  I felt like I had a little Bollywood dance going on in my heart for a while afterwards.

Our Brother David

Our Brother David is a new play written and directed by Ruari Murchison, performed at the Watford theatre.  The structure of the story was sound, but it pushed too hard on several points.

The set, lighting, and costumes were functional.  They didn't detract from the show, but neither did they add anything.  The problem I had with the show was that the Murchison created two-dimensional characters.  The main character, David, pushed his creepy nature too far too fast, resulting in a protagonist that I was no longer interested in.  I also had the ill luck to come on the actors' off day, as I was told.

I would give it two stars.  It wasn't horrible, it just lacked the zest and dimensions of a professional production.  For that ticket price, you can see another show, such as those going on at the Globe.  

Day 14: Lost

I spent most of Friday getting lost.  I got myself across the Thames no problem, but then I tried to find my way around... no easy feat.  So in between each of these events, add half an hour of me wandering.

First stop was the HMS Belfast, or rather, just looking at it and taking pictures.  It was closed... which I have found in the past two days to be the theme.  My next stop was the Southwark Cathedral, which I still cannot pronounce.  South-wark.  I loved how each part of the church was built in a different century.  The stones are so old... there's even a Roman road buried underneath it all.  Next, I went to the Golden Hinde recreation.  I felt bad for the folks who must have had to live there so long.  The ceilings were so low!  Even I had to duck, and the average height of an Elizabethan man is two inches taller than me.  So I'm the right height, but just in the wrong century...

It took me forever to find the Clink Prison Museum, and it was not as nice as I had hoped.  It's more of a tourist attraction rather than a historical exhibit.  Although they did go over a lot of the torture devices, and described some truly horrifying fates.  *shudder*.

Next was Twelfth Night, review upcoming.  The Globe tried to sell me seat cushions for a pound.  Really?  +1 for Blackfriars.  And Blackfriars folks, you are no longer allowed to complain.

After I got home, I talked to Ben for a little bit, then I wandered off to the National Gallery.  It didn't interest me that much either, mostly because I don't know painting.  There was, however, a Davinci, which was awesome.  The difference between his work and everyone else is so clear... the light works so much differently in his painting.  So lovely.  The Gallery didn't let me take any pictures, though, even without flash.  I'd have loved to take some pictures of the architecture of the building.  The high ceilings had arches & golden designs.  Paintings, in general, were quite large.  Impressive.  And they all seemed to be about religious subjects.  I'm a little confused why they were preoccupied with these.  I found three versions of Saint Michael, and two of them made him look effeminate.  The only one that was a little better had him in nice armor.

After the Gallery, I sat in Trafalger Square, geeking that I was in London.  And then a biker almost ran me over.  Then another.  Suddenly I was in a sea of bicyclists in pink reflective jackets with pink balloons tied to their bikes.  I was completely confused.  It was a like a flash mob of bicyclists!  And then I saw the sign: Happy 18th Critical Mass.  I grinned.  They adopted our tradition!

When I was done dodging, then I got myself a sammich and went home.  Long day it was, for me!

In Time

In Time

In Time takes the adage that time is money literally. The movie was fun, in a nice, diverting way. For a plane ride it made the two hours pass quickly. The characters were predictable, and the plot held no shockers. It was nice to see Cillian Murphy, although he was playing the bad guy yet again. I would give this movie two stars (out of five). It wasn't awful, just a run-of-the-mill Hollywood car chase & helpless woman production. The obvious moral, steal from the wealthy and give to the poor, is nothing new, and especially not surprising in our current state of affairs.

Day 13: Zoo & Wallace Museum

Day 13

This morning, feel much fresher than the day before, I was out the door by nine and walked through Regent's Park to the ZSL London Zoo. Regent's Park is quite lovely, and I hit it just at the right time of year. Tulips, my favorite flower, are blooming everywhere. The color and design of the gardens is superb. The zoo cost 19 pounds, which I was afraid might be overpriced, but I was impressed with the zoo, more than I thought.

The variety of creatures is lower than at the National Zoo or the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, but the design of the zoo itself is much better. I think the animals probably have the same amount of space to roam, but instead of the spread-out nature of the other zoos, this one is compact and precise. Key animals are exhibited. Instead of 3 tiger pens, they have one, with two tigers. Instead of 20 foot wide walkways that stretch for miles, they have 5-10 foot wide walkways that clearly guide you through the park. Instead of a deep concrete trench separating you from the tigers, it's a glass window in a concrete wall, and almost reminds of an aquarium. I was about 4 feet from a tiger, when it decided to sit and chill. I took a lot of pictures. Not only the tigers like sitting right up by the glass. The penguins and otters also like to crowd the glass. Otters are HARD to get pictures of.

The rest of the zoo, even though it was small and had a smaller selection, was a good experience. I would recommend it. There's a lot more trust that people won't be assholes and climb over things/annoy the animals. Of course, that also might be because you're on camera, all the time... say hello to CCTV!

Next, I went to Baker Street and the Sherlock Holmes Museum. I chose, at the last minute, not to enter the museum, and instead perused the gift shop. I'm not 6 pounds worth of a Holmes fan. Next stop was the Wallace Museum, a family's permanent collection they've opened to the public. Since it was mostly art, I only looked through the armories. They have a blade that belonged to Cosimo de Medici ^_^. After that, I went to All Souls Church, a 19^th century construction that is very pretty and round. I sat on the porch for a few minutes, looking around, deciding what to do next... geeking out that I am, indeed, in LONDON!!!!!

I guess I expected more variety in architecture when I got here, and more labeling. The English seem hell-bent on confusing strangers. Half of the roads are unlabeled. All the buildings are around 3-8 stories tall, and on the whole, tend to be indistinguishable. I'm afraid I'll get run over by a car, since I keep looking in the wrong direction, and I have trouble passing people in the street (they seem to think you walk on the LEFT... rubbish! I've heard a lot more than English accents... I've hard French, French accents, Spanish, Oriental languages (I won't presume to know which) and other European languages (I'm sorry I can tell the difference between Lithuanian and Russian). I've talked to folks from as far as New Zealand and Argentina and as close as London and the Isle of Wight. I've had Crotian roommates.

The shower was cold this morning... did not make for a happy camper.

...and I just, absent-mindedly, ate an entire 12” pineapple pizza. Well, except for the crusts. I need Ben to eat them... I miss him. :-(

Days 11 & 12: Jetlag

Day 11

My day fastforwarded from midnight to five AM. I lost most of my normal chance to sleep. I arrived at 7 in the morning at London Gatwick, full of a cup of coffee, slightly dazed and thrilled. The line at the British border was pretty short, and a painless process to get my on my way. Until I got my luggage back in my hands, I was dreading the worst. I was surprised that Customs didn't look in my bags, just waved everyone through. Not that I HAD anything to declare, it was just a surprising after US security. Done with the airport, I now had a single objective: get to my hostel.

I managed to find the easyBus in a timely manner, but traffic was awful and it took us about two hours to get to London Earl's Court. I got slightly lost, but walked down the road till I found an Tube station. I bought my Oyster card and hopped on, navigating the system successfully, using transfers and everything, until I got to the Great Portland Street exit. It took about 5-10 minutes for me to figure out which way was north, but once I did, I got to my hostel.

The hostel, YHA London Central, is nice. Better than I expected. Except my room's outlets don't work, so I have to recharge everything downstairs in the public area. My roommates have been mostly absent so far, and a few have been replaced already. I have a top bunk in the corner, much to my delight. I can perch. ^_^

So, now I had several more objectives, since my room wouldn't be ready until 2 and I had arrived at 11. First, I got directions to Barclay's and acquired some British pounds. I had been going completely cashless so far. Then, I asked for directions for the nearest grocery store/Walmart. They directed me to an Argos, a ways down Oxford Street. So, I trekked off again, this time with some powerful espresso. Note: at noon, I had been awake for 26 ½ hours (sans naps 1 & 2).

I got a cellphone, but the place they referred me to didn't have anything else I needed. I came, back, tried to figure out the phone, failed, 2pm came around, I went upstairs and settled in my room. I bought some internet time so I could tell everyone I was still alive, and ended up spending the rest of my 5 pounds of that money in internet and phone calls. I was really desperate to talk to Ben. I needed that. I skyped him when I got a hold of him via international call. Totally exhausted, we talked and I felt much better, so I went back to tackling my not-working phone. I found I had put in the SIM card wrong. Then I waited for it to charge more... apparently it tells me it has no signal instead of telling me it has no battery. So I fixed that. Next, I figured out how to load in the money I'd already purchased for it (it's a pay-as-you-go). Then I tried using Mobilecaller, but the password didn't work because, as I found out later, I had the wrong one... off by one number. *facepalm*

I wandered downstairs, now in a much better frame of mind. I managed to stay up until 7:30pm... which means I was awake for 34 HOURS. I should have taken a picture of my face... Ben said that I looked ready to fall over. Which was completely accurate.

Day 12

So I slept for 11 hours. Woke up roughly at 8am. I wandered down the street, in search of shampoo, and finally found a Sansbury's. I was a little surprised the razors were behind the counter, as I've seen in every other store subsequently. I wonder why. Of course, that's not the only difference here. Signs say “To Let” rather than “For Lease”, the street signs are different, everyone drives on the wrong side of the road, and the people talk with funny accents. Signs instructing people to do things are far more polite than American signs. Instead of “Keep Food and Drinks Off Counter” it says “Please Be Considerate and Refrain From Placing Food and Drink On This Counter”.

I dressed right for the weather... it rained all day. My new green coat kept me dry, and made me stick out like a sore thumb. Everyone, it seemed, was wearing such dull colors! Lots of umbrellas, few raincoats. My first stop were the London Silver Vaults, which I had believed was some sort of museum. I was wrong, they were shops. But the number of shops! So much silver in one place! So much money! Yeah, the Jew went to the silver first. :-P

I got a hold of Denise, once I figured out what that odd noise was. I had never heard my phone ring before. We met for lunch at a cute little vegetarian shop in Camden Town. I had a 2pm appointment for Skype with Ben, which was nice to do, especially since I was awake. On the other hand, the code for this wifi changed, and they made me buy more food before they would let me have more wifi. Bullshit, I say. It pissed me off. Next time (in 2 hours), it's going to be Starbucks. I'll buy something and nurse it. :-P They don't have a code.

We parted ways while I went to the Museum of the Order of Saint John, which completely blew my mind. The crypt that I saw was from the 12^th century. Unfortunately, I was hustled out the door an hour before close, because they decided to close early, which is kinda not cool. I may have to go back later with Mum. The second part of the museum, across the street, did not hustle me out, so I got to spend a minute there, where I learned that the Master of the Revels used to stay there. So Shakespeare would have taken his scripts there. Shakespeare. Went through that door. I had to stand outside for a few minutes. Of course, I feel I also need to mention they have a book of prayers that Elizabeth I owned... Mind. Officially. Blown.

Next stop: The Museum of London! This, too, was better than I expected. This wasn't only a museum IN London, it was a museum ABOUT London, and took my blown mind and did very bad things to it. Showing me remains of civilizations before even the Romans really made it clear to me how London is just piled on top of itself. There's history anywhere and everywhere. The city is the same no matter how much in changes. People have loved this city, lived in this city, for longer than my mind can comprehend. So many people, entirely unknown, except for a select few. It got me thinking more about the meaning of life. This trip is supposed to help me with life choices in the future, and somehow it's making me both more ambitious and more content. How is that possible?

We met up at Euston, and took the National Rail to Wayford Junction. On the train, an asshole started harassing a Muslim woman (verbally). The lady was immediately defended by a gentleman, who began a truly spectacular cussing match. The woman in front of us threatened to call the police, which stopped them from brawling. I couldn't keep my own mutterings to Denise very quiet, and she tried desperately to keep me and the woman who had threatened to call the cops originally under control, to keep the whole thing from starting it up again. I was saying how glad I was that Ben hadn't come along... or the cops WOULD have needed to be called ^_^. I was too far away to have punched the man in the face myself, but I cracked my knuckles.

Finally at our station, we hurried to take a taxi to catch the show, which started literally 30 seconds after we hustled into our seats. Denise was the assistant director for the show so she got me a comp ticket. Yay! Read more about it in the separate review I'm writing.

I got a little confused again about which was north when I got back into London, but I managed to get back to the hostel safe and sound.

Day 10: Flying

Day 10

Well, for now, let's take it from the morning before takeoff. I woke up at 4:30am, and managed to nap again from about 6:30-8:30. That is what I will call Nap One. I bopped around the house till Mom finally dropped me off at the airport, with plenty of time before my flight. Security was a breeze and hardly took any time at all, even for a Monday morning. I had 3 hours to wait before my flight at gate D24, and I did so, oh so patiently, texting Ben with updates every hour that I was indeed still waiting. Finally, they lined us up, warning us that they probably won't have enough room in Zone 5 for all our carry-ons. I was pretty pissed about that, and indeed, they made everyone in Zone 5 check their bags. And not merely just drop them off and pick them up at our gate, they checked it for our final destination. Since my cousin, Sarah, had her luggage disappear last time she was flying internationally, I was not fond of this idea at all. All of my clothes were in there. I grabbed my meds, just in case, and growling, got on the plane.

My mood got better as soon as we took off. I love take-off, so much... the acceleration makes me happy inside. Plus, the pilot was actually funny. He instructed us to “Turn off all blackberries, strawberries, and other kind of berries” among the usual precautions. It made me smile. The flight was a little more than an hour before we plopped down in Charlotte, where I had a 3 hour layover. Better too much time than not enough, I figure. So I read, and texted my goodbyes, and got on the 6:25 flight for London. Love takeoff.

This time, the plane was BIG, and fairly plush. Plenty of restrooms kept traffic out of the two lanes. We each had a little screen, placed in the back of the seat in front of me. I bought the headphones for $5, which were worth it. I watched In Time. It was flashy and entertaining and kept me distracted for two hours (review upcoming). I tried to nap, fairly unsuccessfully. I got about three hours total of napping in (Nap Two), and spent the rest of the time pressing the GPS button in my screen so it would show me where I was. The two hours of movie and three hours of nap and hour of twiddling my thumbs added up to sunrise! London is five hours ahead.

One thing I did notice was that sunsets and sunrises (even when unnaturally close together) are really lovely from up in the atmosphere. My camera really didn't capture it, but take my word for it. Gorgeous. The clouds were their own terrain, with their own mountains, hills, and valleys. In the last few hours of my slight, the clouds cleared for the most part, giving me a an aerial view of Ireland. So now I can say that I've seen it, though I've never been there! I also got an aerial view of Exeter and the southern coast before we landed.

Day 9: DC

Day 9:

A very short report for today.  The rain was persistent throughout the day, but the new coats that me and mum have (identical & hilarious) did their job of keeping all but our legs and feet dry.  We went to the National Geographic Museum for their Samurai exhibit, but stayed to look at the one on the Titanic as well.  I'm always impressed with the curators of this museum.  They provide enough information, in an interesting enough manner, to make me interested in things that I might otherwise ignore.  For example, the Titanic has never been something too interesting to me, but this exhibit got me to pause and look.  Detailed videos of how the ship came apart, large models of the ship before and after the wreck, and information on the discovery process made it enjoyable rather than boring.  The other exhibit, Samurai, I was of course delighted with.  There is nothing like a katana to make my day!

Afterwards, we went to the Folger Shakespeare Museum's celebration of Shakespeare's birth.  Mom and I listened to the Folger's director, Michael Whitmore, deliver a heartfelt speech about the five things that he learned in the past year in his new position.  After that, we trotted over to a demonstration of stage combat.  I already knew 90% of what the gentleman told us, but I loved the energy in that room, and wanted an excuse to go sit in the Folger theatre for free.

Trying to make the time pass so I can sleep so I can pack so I can go to the airport... squee!

Day 8: Warriors of the Rainbow

Day 8:

Goal of the day was to distract me from my pending flight.

First we went to the Library of Congress, and oohed and ahhed over the Gutenberg Bible. I love the architecture there... it's really doesn't get enough attention.  The ceiling is amazing... a true work of art.  After perusing the Early American exhibition, we toodled over to Gallery Place, to watch Warriors of the Rainbow, which was part of FilmFestDC.

Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale is about the aboriginal peoples, in particular the Me of Taiwan and their rebellion against colonizing Japanese forces.  I had never given much thought to the idea that Taiwan had had a native population, and I assumed (incorrectly) that it must resemble a Chinese or Japanese culture.  Boy, was I wrong.  This film, ten years in the making, originally ran at four and a half hours, but was cut down to two and a half for its screening here in DC.  Taiwan's most expensive film to date, it's both beautiful and terribly sad.

The film had too many battle scenes... I wonder how many were in the four and a half hour version!  The ending was somewhat ambiguous, and could have ended nicely a scene or two earlier.  The CGI was hit-and-miss (the CGI animals' movements were too fast and jerky to be natural).  The cinematography was wonderful, and the setting beautiful.  Taiwan is truly gorgeous.  The Tao culture reminded me of Australian aboriginal culture more than Chinese or Japanese.  Even the music echoed a didgeridoo, to my ears.  The soundtrack complemented the movie very well, and I think I may end up buying it.  I especially loved the vocal harmonies sung by the protagonist and his father.

The acting was totally believable.  Mouna Rudo, the focus of the film, was played by Lin Ching-Tai, himself a member of the native Tao culture.  He did wonderfully.  Moreover, I got to see him in person!  After the film, the audience was treated to a reception with an open bar.  Open bar=I liked the film even more.  Lin Ching-Tai did not speak any English, but with the help of a translator from George Washington University, he talked to us about making the movie.  I took lots of pictures, but my camera hates low light, and most of them didn't turn out.  Whatever the case, I saw a bona-fide movie star!

After the reception, I was feeling quite merry (with the help of two screwdrivers).  Mom and I went to a salad bar (Subway for salads) where I got to order a grilled asian salad "naked" (sans meat, per their menu).  I got to ask "Could I have a naked Asian?"  with a straight face.  I don't think I'll get a chance to do that again!

Days 6 & 7: Las Meninas

Day 6: Thursday

  I successfully managed to spend most of Thursday sleeping.  When mom got home from work, she and I went to see Hunger Games.  I'd seen it once, but it was fun, and I thought mom might enjoy it as well.  She did.

Day 7: Friday

  I successfully managed to absolutely nothing productive with my Saturday, until we went to go see Las Meninas at Howard Community College's Rep Stage.  Las Meninas, by Lynn Nottage, was directed by Eve Muson, halfway imported from Muson's KCACTF performance.  Some actors were from the original cast, others were professional actors brought in for this show, and still others were HCC students.

The play is about the relationship between an African dwarf, forced to be a jester in Louis XIV's court, and the wife of Louis XIV, Queen Marie-Therese.  It is narrated by their love child, sent to a nunnery where she has no choice but to take the veil.  Fatima Quander did a fantastic job as that daughter, Louise Marie-Therese, and Susan Rome provided solid, if somewhat extreme, versions of Mother Superior and the Queen Mother.

The set design was intriguing.  The floor had been painted to look like a ceiling in the style of Michaelangelo.  A mirror angled toward the stage gave us all a clear view from above, allowing the audience to look down at the actors at all times.  At specific times, such as flashbacks or actions happening technically offstage, the mirror became a transparent scrim.  It worked magically.

The costume design was a little questionable at times.  While I understood why making wigs out of ribbons might be cost efficient, I didn't understand why Louis' costume was so strange compared to everyone else's.  I'd need to do some research to confirm my feeling of his costume being out of place, but the rest was fine... except for the cups.  All the drinking and pouring was mimed.  It irritated me.  The "gold" cups, as well, were so obviously painted it also bothered me.  I wish the same attention was paid to the smaller details as it was the larger, such as Nabo's box, which transformed wonderfully as the play went on.

Katie Hileman, as Queen Marie-Therese, did a good job.  Her accent wandered from the Spanish it was intended to be, and her performance was weak in some more trivial scenes, but she nailed her performance with her energy and passion when it mattered.  KeiLyn Durrel Jones performed as Nabo Sensugali, the African Dwarf.  This may seem wrong of me, but I couldn't tell if he was African at all.  The references in the play, through song and dance, conjure an Africa not found on the Mediterranean, a tribal Africa full of drums and rich with myth.  I couldn't imagine that RepStage would have cast a white actor in an African role... I'm sure folks would be up in arms about it.  But it still jarred.  Moreover, KeiLyn is not a dwarf.  He played the role on his knees.  If people would be upset about a white actor taking a black role, why not a man of average height taking a role meant for a dwarf?  Whatever the case, he did phenomenal work.  His expressions and reactions made us care about Nabo and entranced us with his words.

I would go and see this play, but not for the prices that they are charging.  Student rate, yes, but not regular rate.

Day 5: NYC to Columbia

Day 5:

Ben's folks woke us up nice and early, which was very well since check out was at 10am.  We toodled back from Fishkill, stopping in West Chester, PA.  West Chester is a very tidy little town, with delicious Indian and Thai food.  We had a tasty buffet for lunch downtown.  After letting Ben loose in the game store for a little bit, we met up with my friend Brandon, who I missed terribly, not having seen him since January when he came to visit with his girlfriend Tia for a week.  We spent a little time there at his house, then got back on the road so we could be in at a reasonable hour.  We finished up the evening watching Cold Comfort Farm (love that movie!) and then plopped.

This morning, mum left before I gained full consciousness.  Ben and I watched Game of Thrones, then made sad faces for a while until he had to head out.  I won't see him again until May 16th.  :-(

Today is sort of just up in the air.  I'm taking the time to slow down and do what I want.  I'll see if I can visit April later today, and maybe do a little shopping.

Days 3 & 4: Columbia to NYC

What a whirlwind! I've finally found the time to sit down and blog.

Day 3:

The drive took a lot longer than expected. Google Maps tells me the drive from Columbia (MD) to New York City is 3 hours 55 minutes. Lies. It took 6 hours 30 minutes to get to our hotel in Fishkill (Google Maps: 5 hours 20 minutes). So we were a little peeved about that. Ben's phone overheated, and the GPS on mine refused to locate us. We finally got in around 2pm, checked in with Ben's folks and started to relax. Ben and I thought that maybe we could pop in to NYC and see some of the sights before Tuesday, but when we found out the train cost over 25 bucks a pop, we rejected that idea. Instead, we went to Cold Springs, NY, with the folks, and had a lovely dinner by the tracks, then wandered the quaint little town.  We stopped by the Hudson for a while.  I always forget how large major rivers are.  The wind was great, and some parachuters were drifting about in the distance.

Back at the hotel, we learned that Plan A to spend the rest of the night (go see a movie) was not happening, since the theatre didn't have any shows after 7. 7!!! So, we came up with Plan B: Go to Walmart, buy alcohol, and come up with a drinking game: Drinking with Archer. This game has two levels. Level one: Drink when someone in the show takes a drink. Level two: Drink when Archer lies. We had a lot of fun. It's really amazing how much he lies!

Day 4:

Although we missed the 9:25 train (by a hair!), we caught the 10:08 train.  I was a little dehydrated and sleepy, which made me a cranky person at the start of the day, but it wore off as time went on.  My phone was dead and I was afraid my camera didn't have much juice in it, but it had just the right amount to last the day.  It was on the train that I started to have random thoughts that I jotted down in my notebook.  Like, what does it mean to be "American"?  As I'm looking at the commuters on the train, seeing the same habits and attire as small-town Virginia (for the most part), I'm wondering what it is that defines us.  I'll be able to think about this more once I've been in England, I'm sure.  What is it that makes us like each other?

We arrived at Grand Central Station and I started taking pictures like a crazy lady.  We met up with Bevin, Ben's stepdad's daughter, who was at the moment sans children.  From there, we wandered to the New York Public Library where I saw an exhibit on Mary Shelley.  I went mostly because I wanted to tell my friend MJ about it, since she's a fan.  They had drafts from her work on Frankenstein, with words crossed out and such.  I thought it was great... I love to see a writer's work in progress.

From the library and the lions, we went via the subway (which is really easy to navigate) to Union Square to meet up with Bevin's husband and kids.  After a delicious lunch, Ben and I parted from the gang and beelined for the Met.  I was glad to find, when I arrived, that the Met had a "recommended", not required, entrance fee, so I paid about half what they were asking.

The Met was awesome, of course.  Ben and I pretty much only stuck around the armor court and Medieval art.  They had Henry VIII's field armor, which blew my mind, and got me thinking about how museums connect us to the past.  In the past few years, I've stopped getting as excited about how old something is and getting excited about who or what meaning the particular object has.  In the case of Henry's armor, I loved how seeing it made it automatically a shared experience between me and a dead English king.  He saw this armor, must have had an opinion about it... did he think it was funny because they had to make it big enough to accommodate his girth?  What did he think of the artistry?  Whatever the case, he saw that armor, had a response, just as I saw that armor and had a response.  It connect us to the past, in a very awesome way.  He probably would have been confused why we put everything behind glass, however.  In an early modern museum, you were expected to experience objects through all of your senses, even taste.

Another thought I had was just on the pure amount of time spent on pieces of art.  Manufacturing has ruined us.  We need people to value the work again, not just the object.  It seems like a great tragedy.  People of the past created such wonders, and these days, who will pay for someone to do the same?  I also love the attention to stories, how characters are always depicted in motion in medieval art.  Their story is a part of who they are and may even be said to define them.  Again, this is not something we see in modern art anymore.  Where are the stories of the past?  Are we only interested in our own self-expression?  The work of one man, an Ovid, inspired generations on generations of poets and artists.  Where is room for a modern Ovid now?  Can one man's work find that level of respect?

After the museum (my mind now turned to ecstatic goo), we went down Madison Ave to window shop, on our way to the Empire State Building.  That's over 50 blocks.  We had a grand time of it, too.  We stopped for little meals here and there... one chocolate bite cost $2.50, but it was totally worth it.  Butter cream and dark chocolate dusted with cocoa butter.  Om nom.  I certainly burned it off walking!  We had our main course at Pax, a fast food joint that allows you to create your own pasta dish.  We need one in Staunton!

The Empire State Building was both overpriced and worth it.  I loved the view, and it's the only way I would see all of NY in one day.  By the time we got there, dark had fallen, and the city was lit up like a Christmas tree.  I stuck my head out of the grid/fence to look at the ground... teehee.  I love heights.  Ben was not as enthusiastic about the height but I think he still enjoyed it.

Our ride home on the train was full of drunk Yankees fans, and from their shouts and cheering, I'm guessing the Yankees won the game.  It was fairly entertaining to watch them.  The train ride was over an hour, and we were exhausted by the time we got home at 11:30.  I passed out immediately/

Days 1 & 2: Staunton to Columbia

I've had a lovely two days thus far.

Saturday I woke up early, did all my errands, went to work and felt sad that it was my last day there. I left a note telling everyone how much I would miss them, since I was closing. I left right after work, at 4, and drove straight to my mom's place in Columbia, Maryland. DC traffic is insane... I kinda like it. We watched Ocean's 11 until I fell asleep.

Sunday, me and mom went to the Great Sage for brunch. Delicious vegan and vegetarian food! We had mocha pancakes and I had chai tea made with soy. Really tasty, and actually filled me up. Thanks mum for getting the bill! After that we went to the Arundel Mills mall... Oh, civilization! It's a giant, one-story mall full of outlet stores. I checked in on Foursquare and they told me to go to Guest Services and pick up a coupon book, which gave me free fudge from Bass Pro Shops. I wasn't sure whether to get the Mint Chocolate or the Irish Cream, but I knew Ben would like the mint so I went with that. I had a delicious pineapple smoothie that had chunks of pineapple in it (no artificial pineapple), and went into giant shoe stores (oh, so many shoes!). Sadly, the current fashion is peep-toe, which hurts my feet. So every pretty shoe was pain on a stiletto. :-(

My mom also discovered I had a hole in my pants. So I had to buy new pants. Oh the sorrow...

Ben finally got in around midnight. Traffic in 3 different cities conspired against him.

Well, here's the start of Day 3... about to get in the car and go to NYC!!!!!!!

The Winter's Tale

Apparently I can blog-out myself. I've seen a lot of plays in the past week, trying to rev up my reviewing muscles, but found that they kind of hurt. Each review has been shorter than the last... I'm sure this one will be the shortest.

This time I sat one row behind the Lord's Chairs, so still very good seating. The house was full, but not packed. The audience was receptive but not overbearing, like at the Midsummer performance.

The play had average moments and great moments. I was confused why Leontes switches from suspicion to shame and back again so quickly in the first act. I would have preferred a Leontes who let his own self-doubt show a bit more. This portrayal made his subjects look as if they were merely trying to survive a tyrant's wrath, and Leontes look like an asshole... which is certainly textually supported. I want to like the main character of the first act more, I want him to be like he is in the 2nd act... which is sort of the point.

I liked how the Blackfriars' staging made the theatre the court, that each party plead their case to the audience. This enhanced the public nature of these scenes. Hermione's costume was disturbing for the courtroom scene... an excellent choice.

Another good choice made possible by the Blackfriars' conditions was the exit of Antigonus followed by the immediate entrance of the old man. As Antigonus' dying scream faded, the old man was already joking. The complete change of mood was jarring, and also interesting. I think it is a good metaphor for the play as a whole, the connection between comedy and tragedy.

I feel like most of the second half surpassed the first, except for the length of the singing and dancing. It could have been cut in half without any damage to the plot, and stopped the strained feeling as they pushed out the last song.

A few thoughts I had about the play:
1. Would Paulina have showed the statue if Perdita hadn't arrived?
2. Did Camillo recognize Perdita, having spent so much time with her mother?
3. Is Paulina happy to marry Camillo?
4. Why don't we get to see the reunion of father and daughter? (I have my suspicions on this one though).

This play doesn't give us a clean ending. Emotion, instead of explanation, takes center stage. The final scene with Hermione's resurrection brought tears to my eyes, but I wasn't sure if it was joy or sadness. Like the rest of the play, The Winter's Tale is happy to leave us wondering... and we find that no answer is needed.

Well, that wasn't quite as short as I feared it was going to be. In other news, I'm about to leave for Columbia, Maryland, to see my mother. Hurrah!

Tis Pity She's A Whore

"That was like watching someone kill a puppy!" My friend commented from beside me at intermission.

Tis Pity She's a Whore is a dark, disturbing drama about incest between siblings, revenge, love, and blood. I don't want to give anything away, because it is not often that you approach a play without any foreknowledge. Tis Pity is by John Ford, one of Shakespeare's successors, and it's quite a ride. I'd seen it once before, but I was happy to see it again. As I learned at the talkback with the actors afterwards, they have not had many opportunities to perform it. They estimate they have done 80 Midsummers while on tour, and 8 Tis Pity's.

This time I got a seat in the Lord's Chairs, right on top of the action. It was a nice change of pace, but I was disappointed that the house was not nearly as full as for Midsummer... again, I do not know if people were just scared away by the topic or kept away because it wasn't "Shakespeare".

The entire troupe did a really lovely job, from the choice of a modern/steampunk costume, to the character choices. Stephanie Holliday Earl no longer dropped the volume on her lines (which makes me wonder if she was only sick yesterday), and Patrick Earl and Denice Mahler made a sickeningly believable couple. Eugene Douglas gave Vasquez a touch of almost Iago-like calm and manipulation, making a servant character much more interesting than might otherwise be.

I would highly recommend this show, not only because you will likely never have the opportunity to see it performed again in your lifetime, but because these actors perform with passion and vigor, making for a captivating two hours traffic of the stage.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

I attended the April 11th performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the ASC at their Pay What You Will show. The house was almost full... the first floor was full and the balcony was filling. The audience seemed to have a lot of young folk in it, and they brought a LOT of energy with them. Throughout the show, they participated in the show in a great way, even calling out advice to the actors occasionally (when Puck looked like he was going to cure Demetrius's eyes of the love potion, the audience clamored at him to stop).

The director's note in the program described their approach to the show as "ridiculous". It certainly was... but a bit too much for my taste. The events themselves were ridiculous, without the actors becoming more like clownish charactures than characters.

I liked the choice for the relationship between Theseus and Hippolyta. Hippolyta tackles him in the first scene, demonstrating a dynamic that makes their marriage happy, rather than uncomfortable. I'm glad to see something other than the "unwilling bride" the text lends itself to. I was a little surprised, however, not to see the typical double casting of Theseus/Oberon, although they did double Hippolyta/Titania.

Denice and Jake Mahler played Hermia and Lysander, a beautiful coupling. They did a lovely job, and personally knowing they were married made their love for each other that much sweeter. Helena took some time to settle into her character. She had some trouble with projection and dropping her voice at the end of her lines, and the large, loud audience did not do her any favors in that respect. However, by the time Act Three rolled around, she was a believable and likeable Helena.

Me, and the audience, adored Rick Blunt as Bottom. His complete lack of inhibition was perfect for the role, although I wished the director had pulled him back a bit. This also goes for the rest of the mechanicals (minus Snout, who had been cut from the script). They seemed like clowns, or children. I liked the imagination and energy of the actors, but again, I would have liked them to make their acting "smaller". Bottom's "ass" voice was annoying, and I would have preferred a lighter hand.

The costume design for the fairies was strictly Indian clothing. I agree with this choice... mostly. I think it's a good way of clarify references to India that Titania makes. However, this also runs the risk of "exoticising" the East, which is a careful balance. Other references to the Indian culture included their forms of dance. The songs that occurred throughout the show, set to the lyrics in the script, were surprisingly beautiful. Puck, played by Michael Amendola, was very dynamic, and rarely pushed his character to far. He took a visible glee in the mischief he caused, and was just a joy to watch.

In conclusion, I felt like this Midsummer was more a farce than a comedy. My own personal taste is much more for the witty comedy, rather than clownish behavior, but I recognize that is my own bias. The audience seemed to love it, but for my own part, I would wish for more controlled performances. I would still recommend seeing this play, simply because of the imaginative choices of the actors, their dynamic energy, and wholehearted abandon in performing this play. No matter how many times I see this play, simple lines will still make me laugh... like "I kiss the wall's hole, not your lips at all!"

Dido, Queen of Carthage

This time, I did stay for the whole play, especially since I hadn't seen Dido before.

Unfortunately, John Harrell, who played a number of small roles in the play, was ill, so much so that Jeremy West stood in for him. West used a surprisingly small number of index cards for his lines and delivered them with confidence. It didn't hurt the performance as a whole, however.

Allison Glenzer started the play off at a fast pace, so fast I occasionally had trouble understanding her lines. However, in about fifteen minutes she settled into a more comfortable rate that she sustained for the rest of the play. Rene Thornton Jr. did a lovely job as Aeneas. His physicality and deep, lyrical voice were appropriate for the role, and especially wowed in his retelling of the siege of Troy, a long monologue that may have lost the audience if performed by a lesser actor.

Sarah Fallon, in the title role, was much more suited to this role than in Philaster. She brought equal parts vulnerability and royalty to Dido, a nice combination that made for a believably love-struck queen.

The ensemble performance on this closing night of Dido was truly moving, and her death by fire was both artistic, safe, and clear. The music was appropriate and contributed to the show without overpowering. If the show was still going on, I would encourage you to see it, but too late.

The only issue I had with the show was not the script, which was clear and efficient (and made me want to watch more of Marlowe's work) but the story it is based on. I have always loved the tale of the Aeneid, but this time, I was irritated by Dido. Why didn't she just go with him? The only answers are that she didn't think of it in time (which makes her rather stupid) or that she loved her city too much... in which case, it seems more unlikely she would kill herself. I also didn't like how Aeneas kept breaking his promises to go, and then to stay... it makes him more of a dick than a hero. I guess I'll just have to blame Virgil.

Philaster, or Love Lies a-Bleeding

I took the opportunity last night to see Philaster, or Love Lies a-Bleeding at the American Shakespeare Center. However, I had the very poor luck of learning that my beloved childhood dog, Peanuts, had passed away. I left at the intermission of the play to prepare the passover seder and cry. But during that first half of the play, it successfully distracted me from what would otherwise be a distressing evening. Before I get into the specifics of the play, however, there are several things you need to know in case you've never seen a show at the Blackfriars Playhouse

1. Original Practices

As the Blackfriars Playhouse is indeed the world's only operating replica of Shakespeare's indoor performance space (the one in London isn't finished yet), it is dedicated to doing things "the way it was done back then". More often then not, it leads to some great moments that would otherwise be impossible for a regular theatre. While some things would be impossible to replicate without serious repercussions (such as taking away our seat cushions or using candles instead of electricity), the Blackfriars does its best. Some of these things include universal lighting (so the actors can see the audience, the audience can see the actors AND each other), cross gender casting (more often women playing men than men playing women). Blackfriars uses only acoustic instruments from the period, although the songs they play may be modern, as the early modern English heard songs of their time, not Olde Englishe songs. These are just some of the most notable original practices, here is a full list.

2. Pretty Pretty Playhouse

The space itself is incredible. While the seats at the American Shakespeare Center are notoriously uncomfortable, the glow of the lights, the solid wood construction, and the lovely acoustics are well work it. A tip: if you see a show, sit in row H, K, or the Lord's Chairs. The back support here is better... and this is from someone who has had to sit in this playhouse for 8 hours in one day. Don't get a gallant seat unless you've A) seen the show before and know what the actors might do to you and B) are completely confident you will not suffer a sneezing or coughing fit. The gallant seats are on stage and any behavior (e.g., leaving to go to the bathroom) will draw quite a bit of attention.

I'd rather not describe the details of the stage, but imagine this with cushions on the seats and the arch around the discovery space (middle entrance) to be painted to look like marble.

3. Actor's Renaissance Season

The current season at the Blackfriars Playhouse is the Actors Renaissance Season, where they take original practices to a whole new level. Actors have the choice of using sides (scripts with only their lines and their cues), there is no director (although the actors often help each other), and they are free to choose their own costumes. Most of all, all the plays are staged in only 3-11 days of rehearsal. During early performances, do not be surprised to find that they have an intern on book sitting in the corner, ready for the call of "prithee" instead of "line".

Philaster, or Love Lies a-Bleeding

I'd seen a performance of Philaster about a month ago, and enjoyed it thoroughly. It's hard for Blackfriars to mess up a play, so keep this in mind when I criticize them. I've been spoiled, so I tend to nitpick. I'll try to keep all my comments, however, to only the first act I saw last night.

A little plot. Philaster, the son of the usurped king and beloved by the people, falls in love with the usurper's daughter, Princess Arethusa. Philaster himself, played by Gregory Jon Phelps, seemed stereotypical, which I think is just the nature of the script. Young, fiery prince, ruled by his passions, in love with a princess. His mastery of the language, however, is excellent. I understood everything he said. Sarah Fallon seemed a little too old for the role of Arethusa, probably because the last thing I saw her perform was the old Queen Margaret from Richard III. While she was an amazing Margaret, I would have liked to see Brandi Rhome play Arethusa, although Rhome does an excellent job as the honorable Galatea.

Pharamond is the Spanish prince who Arethusa's father intends to marry her off to. I am not sure if Pharamond's think Spanish-like accent was in the script, and if it was, then I have no quarrel with it. If it wasn't, I would have liked to see Aiden O'Reilly, as Pharamond, use a less over-the-top version. While appropriate, it also often made him unintelligible. O'Reilly, in other roles, occasionally has a problem with diction, and giving himself an accent did him no favors. While his performance choice made what might be an obnoxious character quite funny, I was disappointed because the large black wig he wore sometimes obscured his face.

Bellario, Philaster's servant, was played by the VERY pregnant Miriam Donald. Donald, commonly cast as boys because of her slight stature and high voice, nailed the role, although I would like to have seen more emotion from her in certain scenes. However, the belly, I will admit, was distracting. I worried about the tiny woman with a belly half again her size prancing around on a stage where other actors held swords. While her devotion to her craft is inspiring, I'm not sure, as a director, I would have gambled my season on the idea that Donald would not go into premature labor, become sick, need best rest, etc. But if babies can hear what's going on outside the womb, this is going to be one eloquent kid. If he or she becomes the next Andrew Gurr, I will laugh my ass off.

The script says that Bellario is a "little boy". It also says that he is "about 18". This makes me question when the early modern English thought a boy became a man. To call an 18-year old these days a "little boy" might make him a bit peeved, to say the least. SPOILER ALERT: Bellario is actually a woman is disguise. The nature of cross-gender casting, and the nature of the pregnant female form, troubles the sense of male-female and our assumptions about theatre and this playhouse. Would a newcomer to the playhouse think that Bellario might be a girl before me, a seasoned theatregoer? Are we supposed to ignore the belly when we learn Bellario is female, or is she in disguise as "nonpregnant" in the same way that we accept her as a "boy", even though both her pregnant and female nature are blatantly obvious? It's a thought.

In the play, Arethusa pleads on behalf of the boy, who, unbeknownst to her, has been rumored to be sleeping with her. When the king commands her to send him away, she expresses her grief about in a way that reminded me very much of Desdemona pleading for Othello to accept Cassio in his good graces. In both cases the innocent woman is distraught, perhaps too much so, over the fate of a man who she has been suspected of sleeping with. Pleading-Suspicion scenes might make a good paper or thesis. Hmmm...

The inventiveness of this cast is really something to watch. Their mastery of early modern language and performance choices are a result of (for most of them) years of working together as a cast. If you ever get the chance to come down to Staunton, you must visit the Blackfriars. You will not regret it.

I'm seeing Dido, Queen of Carthage, tonight. I'll post tomorrow.

Maiden Voyage of the Blog

Why hello, reader!

Thanks for coming!

I'm Jessi, I'm here to make you jealous about my fantastic journey. I'm kidding! What I'd really like to do here is talk about Shakespeare and any other theatre I manage to come across, as well as a little bit of what I'm doing between shows.

Some questions you might have:

1. Why are you so interested in Shakespeare?

I've loved Shakespeare since I was in middle school. Something about it... the beauty of the language, the depth of the characters, the infinite number of choices to play with as an actor... it gets me on a level I can't quite describe. It gets me a little high. Shakespeare is easier than you might think. I think of it as "yodaspeak".

2. How are you affording the trip?

I was saving to go to my graduate school for a third year to pick up another degree, but since that wasn't going to happen, I decided to take those funds and fly away.

3. When are you going?

I will be flying out April 23rd and returning May 16th.

4. Are you going by yourself?

Yes and no. I have one friend in London who I'm sure I'll see a few times, and my mom is going to fly out and join me for almost two weeks as well. :-D

I'll be seeing Dido, Queen of Carthage, at the American Shakespeare Center's Blackfriars Playhouse on Saturday, so I'll post then to warm up my reviewing fingers. Until then!