If you've known me for a longish length of time, it's probably not unknown to you that I appreciate the theatrical arts very much. That is one of the reasons that I'm so grateful that AHA weaves so much theatre into the curriculum. Thanks to them I've experienced opera, fringe, and Shakespeare on numerous occasions.
And of course, when it comes to theatre in London, the options are endless! Just go to the West End, spin around, and pick one! At least that's what I'd do if I had saved money before I came instead of blowing it on my weekly NPCC tea habit. But happily, this weekend my roommate and were able to find some sweet entertainment deals, and while the seats were cheap, the experiences most certainly were not!
And of course, when it comes to theatre in London, the options are endless! Just go to the West End, spin around, and pick one! At least that's what I'd do if I had saved money before I came instead of blowing it on my weekly NPCC tea habit. But happily, this weekend my roommate and were able to find some sweet entertainment deals, and while the seats were cheap, the experiences most certainly were not!
On Friday a group of us gathered our hopeful hearts and entered the Queen's Theatre box office to see if we could nab any reasonably priced tickets for Les Miserables. Five minutes later we left with those blessed slips of paper burning a hole in our pockets. And they were only £12.50! True, they were standing tickets, and we were all the way at the back of the balcony, but we could still see just fine! I was really thankful to be able to go and see this show again. The show itself was fantastic, of course. The strength of the ensemble, the colors, the Thenardiers, the mercy, Les Mis definitely played my heartstrings like Keri Russell's character in August Rush played the cello. But something that was particularly cool for me was how seeing the show showed me something about my own life. I went and saw this show three years ago with family friends when I came to London with them. Getting it organized seemed so adult and complicated to me at the time, but this weekend I discovered that I was capable of doing it all myself! It was a nice feeling. So yes. It was a very good experience!
I guess that Megan and I caught the theatre bug because at 6:30 the next morning we were up to queue for £5 tickets to Matilda. It was a long and cold two hours, but with good company and good croissants it was more than bearable. And we got the tickets!
Truthfully, I didn't expect too much from the show. I thought that it would be a mild adaptation of a beloved childhood tale. And really, how could you reproduce the magic of the detestable perfection that is the Trunchbull, among other things?
Truthfully, I didn't expect too much from the show. I thought that it would be a mild adaptation of a beloved childhood tale. And really, how could you reproduce the magic of the detestable perfection that is the Trunchbull, among other things?
But I was happily mistaken! Matilda was so good! And mild it was not. There was a grit to this performance, kind of an eerie sharpness to it. But at the same time, it was altogether heartwarming and delightful. The entire cast was supremely talented--especially those kids. People were busting a move left and right! By curtain call I was jumping out of my seat clapping, hooting, wanting to cry from my surprised delight. The production of Matilda was good for the soul.
And that's what added to my excitement. I spoke of
it a bit in my post about "Once", but I am truly inspired to start pursuing
theatre. The people of these shows get to work their booties off for
months, perform their hearts out on stage, touch people in the
audience who come from all over the world, and then do it again for the evening show! What a life. I am thankful to see the possibilities again! Who knows where they'll lead?
And that's what added to my excitement. I spoke of
it a bit in my post about "Once", but I am truly inspired to start pursuing
theatre. The people of these shows get to work their booties off for
months, perform their hearts out on stage, touch people in the
audience who come from all over the world, and then do it again for the evening show! What a life. I am thankful to see the possibilities again! Who knows where they'll lead?
Also, as a side note, speaking of theatre, this is me at the Globe! Our Shakespeare class fittingly got to take a tour of it and then do a theatre workshop. So far we've seen a couple of Shakespeare plays in other locations. But come May, we will be groundlings for the season opener, Titus Andronicus. Oh my good golly gosh. Feel free to look up the plot summary if you'd like, I'll not spoil it for you. Sufice it to say that this one's going to be a bumpy ride. Apparently the Globe staff take bets on how many audience members faint. Can't wait to tell you about it! If I haven't blocked out the memories, that is.
As I've said before, I am so glad to be able to experience theatre in a deeper way than ever before. Hopefully this the start of something more!
As I've said before, I am so glad to be able to experience theatre in a deeper way than ever before. Hopefully this the start of something more!