Lazy Weekend Update

It was bound to happen; even God rested on the seventh day. So on the third weekend of my tour of London I rested.  That's not to say I didn't do anything--I just took it easy rather than the 140% it feels like I've been going the past few weeks.

I went to a birthday celebration for a friend that I made while over here!  Met some lovely people and had a wonderful time.  This friend lived farther east in the city than I had been before, and it was nice to see a legitimate residential area rather than just the city.  You can see the Greenwich Mean Time laser from the apartment's roof terrace!

During my weekend wanderings I found a nice little bookshop with great prices and scouted out the best deals on souvenirs!  But I also discovered this cool little saxophone shop.

It was two whole floors of nothing but saxophones and saxophone paraphernalia. Really great to see as a saxophonist.  Unfortunately I wasn't brave enough to ask to try out a horn...especially since I haven't practiced in the near-month that I've been gone!

And now we come to tonight, where I saw the West End production of Once. It was such a great show, well-acted and well-performed.  It's unique in the fact that all the music is produced live and onstage by the actors, who all played with great chemistry and enthusiasm. Now I'll say I've really been enjoying London and sign off with a silly selfie.  Cheers!

The Confusion of Left or Right

 Londoners drive on the left side of the road--everyone knows that.  It hearkens back to jousting and armed fighting or such (leaving the right hand open to wield a weapon).  So what side of the stairs do you walk on?  What about the sidewalk?  As evidenced by signs in the Underground, London is very divided.



   
They've also got some interesting ad campaigns to encourage a more active lifestyle.  The Henry VIII one is my favorite.

So I've seen four plays since I last blogged; way too many to review like I have before.  They were:

• A Small Family Business.  Great acting, even better set design.  Interesting social and political commentary by a classic British playwright Alan Ayckbourn.
• Bakersfield Mist.  Starring Kathleen Turner and Ian McDiarmid (of Star Wars fame!)  Also well-performed, and the cast of two came out to meet fans/sign autographs afterwards, pictured below.

 

• Titus Andronicus.  At The Globe!  A super-close replica of the place where Shakespeare and company actually performed.  The theatre was uncovered and there was open space where "groundlings" could stand for cheaper tickets (the catch: three hours standing).  The production was very bloody, but I just couldn't handle the second half.  After the interval, the focus was entirely on Titus's madness and all seriousness was lost until the final scene.

 

• A Midsummer Night's Dream.  This show was in Brighton, a quaint little seaside town with lots of shopping and a pretty pebble beach.  This production was incredible.  The all-male cast spoke in the rhythmic style that I love and incorporated a live musical score.  Almost every actor played dual roles and the characterizations were solid.  Pictures of Brighton follow!

I've done some other cool stuff since my last post, like touring Hampton Palace and Gardens, going to the Philharmonia Orchestra (again!!!), and seeing the tourist version of Platform 9 3/4 from the Harry Potter franchise.

Hampton Palace and Gardens

This swan looks nice but he actually attacked me

King Henry VIII had a big kitchen with lots of wine

A Royal Potty!

 Here's a selfie at Hampton inside a leafy tunnel, also featuring guy with a fancy camera.

 I didn't know what busking was, so I took a pic.  Apparently it's street performing for money or something like that.  Who knew?

Also returned to Westminster Abbey for an Evensong service.  Absolutely gorgeous music.

Philharmonia again!  This time I could see the massive organ (although it wasn't used).

No Whistling Allowed

When last we parted I had finished a tour of Kensington Palace and raved about the production of King Lear that I thought to be the best show yet.  A View From the Bridge, which we saw Friday, June 6, might have taken Lear's place.  More on that...first the British Museum!

As one of the most famous museums in Britain, the British Museum is bound to have some interesting exhibits for everyone: mummies, statues, ancient artifacts, etc, etc.  It's also extremely close to our lodgings.  Unfortunately, nearly everything is in glass cases, making good pictures difficult.  Here are a few.

Communist-themed dinnerware

Modern Art?

Ancient chess

Dolla bills, ya'll (from an interesting exhibit on the evolution of money)

           

Museum exterior

After the museum I took a walk to Oxford and Regent Streets--massive tourist shopping centers.  Here's a picture from an enormous toy store called Hamley's of a nearly life-sized Lego clone trooper:

Now we get to A View From the Bridge.  The production had its flaws, but I think Arthur Miller's work was able to shine through and adequately touch several topics, including immigration, growing up, homosexuality, and honor.  The lead was Mark Strong, famous for roles in tons of Hollywood blockbusters, and he gave the strongest performance by far.  The setting of the stage was most unique; props were absent, as was any visual depiction of locale.  A bare, white rectangle was the only space in which the actors (excepting the chorus-like projection) had to play.  Ledges on the exterior, maybe a foot or so high, became chairs and walls, and the actors were keen on using space between themselves on the brightly-lit floor to create tension.  Most distracting were the accents, or lack of unity thereof, as some players didn't even attempt to give their voice an Italian sheen.

The next day was a rainy Saturday morning and perfect for exploring the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill museum.  The former was simply a series of rooms left or restored to as they were when Winston Churchill took up the underground space during World War II thanks to German bombing.  The latter I found much more interesting, and held several interactive media exhibits chronicling the leader's life.

One of Churchill's quirks--he hated unnecessary noise.

(Another sign said we didn't actually have to turn off the switch)

Found a quaint place called Neal's Yard thanks to another student on the trip!

Aaaaaand here's Chinatown!

Yesterday I explored Camden market.  There's this crazy store called Cyberdog... nothing much to buy, but fun to look at.  Also some great views of a little part of the Thames (I think...)

This is Primrose Hill.  You can't really tell from the picture, but it has a fantastic view of all of London.  Sunday was the nicest day in a while so everyone was out soaking up the sun while they could.

Regent's Park