I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was
I AM RETURNED.
Ok, technically, I've been back since Tuesday evening, but as I was back at work Wednesday morning while fighting off jetlag and trying desperately to catch up on sleep, I've been a little lax in reconnecting with normal life.
The short recap of my trip: Seven glorious plays in five days and lots of rain but also lots of fun with arcadiaego and lazy_daze and Jamie Parker gave me a high five and MARK RYLANCE but also SAM BARNETT and PROPELLER PROPELLER PROPELLER and YEAH.
The longer version below the cut!
So I took Wednesday off from work in order to pack and be ready to leave at 5PM for my flight, scheduled to take off at 9:30PM. I spent the day pretty well, I think- I went to the gym, I treated myself to lunch and a new book, I packed and managed to not forget ANYTHING (a record!), and I was ready for the shuttle when it arrived. I had a whole PLAN to wear myself out during the day, then drug myself up as soon as I stepped on the plane so that I could sleep. Sleep was necessary, as I had tickets to two plays the day I landed.
And then I did NOT SLEEP. Well, I slept a little, but not nearly as much as I had wished for. Luckily, it was enough to successfully get me through the day but jeezy creezy, I was exhausted. Throughout the whole trip, I never ever got enough sleep, try as I might each night. As much as I do genuinely enjoy my hostel (I've used them before, so I knew exactly what I was getting into), the combination of a narrow bed with a not-great mattress and lots of other people sleep close by (and their amusing collection of snores) made sleep consistently tricky.
In any case, Thursday brought me into London and I was able to successfully navigate customs (Q: What brings you to the United Kingdom? A: To see a HEAP OF SHAKESPEARE!! :D :D Q:... Okay.) and drop off my bags at my hostel. As I was pinning up my hair in the unisex toilets, I ran into a friendly Irish 20something who was on some sort of a Rolling Stones pilgrimage. When he asked what I was there for (THEEEEEATAH!!!!), he nodded enthusiastically and said he wanted to see something while he was in, maybe Phantom of the Opera? (Oh honey. Bless). He wished me luck, I wished it back at him, and I kept cracking up for the next half hour about hostel living.
Then it was off to find the Donmar! I had cleverly packed a little printout map of the immediate area surrounding the Donmar, but not my A-Z with the actually HELPFUL maps. Thus began my Not Very Useful Navigation Technique for the week of picking a general direction and WANDERING til I saw something I recognized or a bus map. It really didn't help that the Donmar is tucked away in a narrow street off of another narrow street, but at least I'd been there once before (albeit almost ten years ago). I have no idea how I managed it, but I actually made it to the theatre in time to see the matinee of 'The Physicists' that I had a ticket for.
'The Physicists' is a strange little play. I'd seen a student production on the day I visited my future grad school, and was intrigued enough by certain moments to suspect that better skilled actors might really be able to make something of it. And BY GOD, is John Heffernan skilled enough. He was utterly devastating and heartbreaking and thrilling to watch and just so, so GOOD as Möbius. If this man doesn't become a huge name in British theatre, there is no justice. NONE. It's still a strange little play that succeeds largely because of a good cast- take that away and you rob the play of its heart, I think (judging by my memory of the student production).
Outside of the Donmar, I was able to poach a little wifi for my iPod. This became my habit- anytime I stopped for more than a few minutes, I pulled it out and tried to see if there was wifi I could use to check my email and tweet at friends. The real savior of the week was the cloud of wifi that hangs RIGHT OVER the groundling queue at the Globe- you can't get it from inside the Globe or down the street, but it's perfectly placed for before and after show squee.
Of course, this being an English summer, this is when the rain began. It wouldn't stop til the next day- it didn't let up ONCE for the entire three hours of 'Henry V' at the Globe. I stood shivering in a puddle for three hours in front of the SL pillar and it was still AMAZING. Like the Globe 'Henry IVs' with Jamie as Hal, they've rebuilt the scaffolding above the center doors (though very underused here) and made a little platform to extend the stage. As miserable as standing in the rain can be, when Henry is willing to step out and let the rain pour down on him as WELL as he addresses his troops- that's a pretty powerful moment of live theatre. Jamie's King Hal is a perfect extension of his Prince Hal- not as nasty as I like best, but with such a powerful sense of emotional continuity. And really, that's what I need in a good H5- I need to feel my heart break when Bardolph is sentenced, or when Pistol tells Harry Leroy "The king's a bawcock, and a heart of gold". Take that away, and you lose a lot of my emotional investment in this play; luckily, this version had this in SPADES. It also had one of the most exciting Harfleurs I've ever seen, and you better BELIEVE we all cried out into the deluge 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'. I may not have fully dried out for 24 hours or more, but it was WORTH IT.
Friday morning, I went on a tour of the National Theatre, BECAUSE I LIKE IT, OK? I totally became That Girl when I knew too much about the theatres already enough that the tour guide teased me about it. I JUST LIKE THE NT A LOT, OKAY?? I think their theatrical seasons are amazing and by GOD their supplementary programming is TO DIE FOR. I trucked it from Bankside up to Leicester Square to meet arcadiaego for gelato and ADVENTURE. We had only planned the gelato portion of our ADVENTURE, but managed pretty well by winging it. I dragged E to the V&A's theatre galleries (in an attempt to just EMBRACE THE THEME of the trip), where we tried on costumes and read a few placards. Then, because we were already so close, we tripped over to the Natural History museum for a late lunch and DINOSAURS!! We got incredibly confused by the layout of the museum, but ah well. DINOSAURS!! By that point in the afternoon, it was time for me to head back over to the Globe for round Two of my King Hal-a-thon.
We ran inside the visitor's center so that I could buy a mac and a coffee and a sandwich before queuing in the rain again. Now, please bear in mind that I was TIRED and the sandwich selection was PRETTY POOR, but I had a LOT of trouble picking anything out. E tried to help ('Close your eyes and picture your perfect sandwich!!'), but while I was doing this, Jamie Parker was wondering around RIGHT BEHIND ME. I only realized he was there as he walked away. I gibbered briefly and then caught a quick flash of a wild Sam Barnett taking a peek at the rain before I had to run away and drown my sorrows at the missed encounter in my coffee. As I was finishing up and ready to head outside, Jamie REAPPEARED. I screwed my courage to the sticking point and got his attention. I tried to explain that I was sadcypress on Twitter and had sent him the Richard II files many moons ago- for a long, terrible moment, he totally had Polite Nonrecognition Face on, until he went OH MY GOD YES and perked up. He gave me a high five and thanked me for sending the files. We chatted for a few moments about Mark and Henry V and my crazed theatre plans for the trip before he had to run and get ready for the show. He was LOVELY and I was so pleased that I got to speak with him at all, however briefly. :D
It was great to be able to see the show again the very next night- I got to stand at a different point in the yard and thus got a different angle on the staging, and it also means that I remember the show a lot better than I might otherwise. If anyone has specific questions, I'm happy to answer in the comments. :)
Saturday began notably because of the TOE CARNAGE that took place in my shower. Just before I turned on my shower that morning, I had the thought that I couldn't remember if I'd turned off my iPod's alarm when I'd woken up early. I pulled open the door to the shower stall and it crashed RIGHT into my right big toe and tore my toenail right down the middle. I will spare the goriest of the details, but there was blood and SADNESS galore- and I had NO BANDAIDS. NONE. I had actually had the thought while packing, Hmm, should I pack some of these? JUST IN CASE??? and then had REFRAINED. BIG MISTAKE, PAST EMILY. I managed to stop the bleeding long enough hobble upstairs, paper towels stuffed classily into my shoe, and beg a plaster off the front desk. It was enough to get me to a nearby Superdrug where I learned SO MUCH about the options available to me in English first aid. *headdesk* I made at least three trips to various Boots shops over the next few days as I tried to refine my bandage attempts and hope like hell my foot wasn't going to be fall prey to gangrene with all the rain.
In any case, I went down to the British Library and went through the Writing Britain exhibition, which I really enjoyed! I spent the most time in the very first section of the exhibit, centered on the ways in which British myth, legend, and folklife appear in writing- partly because this fascinates me in general (and always makes me angry that our own native traditions in America are drenched in genocide and colonialism), and partly because they had a live recording of Mark Rylance in 'Jerusalem' doing the amazing invocation/curse in at the end of Act II. I might have listened to that THREE TIMES. MAYBE. Unfortunately, I soon discovered that exhaustion + spending five hours standing in the rain for two nights in a row + a TERRIBLE TOE = Not a Good Combination for Museuming, no matter how interested I was in the subject matter. I made a valiant effort, but I missed most of the final section on London. Ah well.
I sat in the cafe and drank coffee and ate a fruit pot and recovered until I felt well enough to venture out. I had oodles of time still to kill before my matinee of 'The Winter's Tale' and suddenly realized that I was just a few blocks away from a CERTAIN SPEEDY'S CAFE. I had written down the address (AND ALSO I HAD MY A-Z THIS TIME) and walked over and inside and had the WORST HAMBURGER OF MY LIFE but pretty decent chips and WHO CARES IT WAS SPEEDY'S. They were pretty busy- unsurprisingly, their business has boomed in the last two years- and the walls were covered in 'Sherlock.' Pictures of the filming, pictures of the cast and crew AT Speedy's, and even some fanart, which was awfully nice. I sat at a little table in the corner, reading 'Timon of Athens' and trying to look Cool. :D
Then it was back to my hostel, conveniently located just five minutes' walk from the Hampstead Theatre. This was to be my double dose of Propeller Theatre day- a matinee of 'The Winter's Tale' and an evening show of 'Henry V,' because WHAT ELSE, AMIRITE? WT was very interesting, in that I had seen the original production when it toured to the Kennedy Center back in 2006. Most of those actors are no longer with the company (to its loss, really), so it was fascinating to see what time and different players can do to change a production. Tony Bell made Autolycus a lot more like Ozzy Osborne than I remembered this time round, and Richard Dempsey didn't hit quite the same notes in the final scene as Hermione as Simon Scardifield had. Ben Allen was a lot more buff a Mamilius than Tam Williams was, which really gives an interesting feel to the character (Tam was prettier and naturally looked more frail in the part). The amazing final moment, however, works just as well as it ever did, and there was silence for a long, drawn-out moment after the final blackout.
After the show, I bummed around for a bit and got dinner, before heading back in for 'Henry V.' Propeller really amps up the masculinity of this one, costuming the cast in combat boots and fatigues for the whole show. Here, the emphasis really fell on the ensemble, right from the opening chorus that was shared among them. Dugald Bruce-Lockart is, sadly, not a terribly charismatic king as Henry, and the production does a lot to cut the ties with 'Henry IV' that I love so much- there was no death of Falstaff, barely any time spent in the tavern world before we moved on to the war. Having JUST seen the Globe's H5, all these textual changes were HUGELY apparent to me, and just about every cut was visible to me. I think one of my favorite things about the production was the way it navigating transitions in and out of the play. The show began with the entire ensemble out in the lobby, and had them march in singing an army song that I didn't recognize, but had the elderly gentleman sitting to my right actually singing along and tapping his knee in time. They brought out the set pieces and launched into the Chorus's part, sharing the lines between them. During the interval, half the cast was out in the lobby playing music and collecting for charity as they often do- when they finished the set, they headed back into the theatre. I followed a minute or so behind them and took my seat in the front row- just in front of Nick Asbury (who was on as Pistol that night- so it's almost like I saw the RSC history extravaganza, right???) and Tony Bell, who were idly playing 'La Vie en Rose', sitting on the edge of the stage. They were joined by Gunnar Cauthery on the accordion and they all just CHATTED with us, chatted about the matinee that day, joked about other French songs they might play instead... They kept it going right up until everyone was set for Act II, when they heaved a sigh of relief and shuffled upstage and the play started up again with the Katherine/Alice scene.
By that night, I was really thinking about the nature of this trip. I had no pressure on my to Do London- I've BEEN to London, hell, I've LIVED in London. The last few times I've been, I'd indulged my nostalgia and revisiting my student haunts so even that wasn't something I HAD to do. I was there for theatre, so why the hell not just take it easy and focus on the theatre and doing the sort of things I never get the chance to otherwise in THAT realm?
With that in mind, I bought tickets that evening for a special event at the Globe. Their Read Not Dead series is dedicated to doing semi-staged readings of every extant early modern play, and that weekend, 'Sir John Oldcastle' was up. Considering my Hal-centric journey, it seemed like FATE. So I had an easy morning and headed down to the Globe at noon for the pre-show lecture. I had many Emotions associated with this decision- it was kind of amazing to get a whiff of academia after 2 years away and to be in a room full of people who could laugh about Henslowe with the same wry chuckle I use. I got to go into the Education department, to see parts of the Globe center that I'd never been to before. It's not that the places I was in were PARTICULARLY special, but they're the sort of thing a tourist doesn't see, the sort of events that I would be going to ALL THE TIME if I didn't live an ocean away, so it felt terribly meaningful for me to be there that day. I didn't get to see the entirety of 'Sir John Oldcastle' when it was time for the performance itself, but I did see the first half and OH MY GOD SO FUN, and ended up with a great spot in the queue for 'Richard III.' Luckily, it was sunny and lovely that day and I actually got to sit for the first 45 minutes of queuing and it was GLORIOUS.
I was actually just behind a group of friends that I wound up with a massive friend crush on. They made funny jokes about the history plays and Shakespeare in general and OH MY GOD at one point, one of the girls said 'What if Mark Rylance played Mr Mistofelees in CATS?' and everything was ruined from that point onward. I hadn't been paying close enough attention to hear the context for that but I'm pretty sure it was ENTIRELY superfluous to the amazingness of the idea. Once the queue had relocated to inside the gates, I did have to lean over and tell them that I blamed them ENTIRELY for getting the damn song stuck in my head for the rest of the evening (it really, really was).
'Richard III' was pretty damn awesome itself. This was only the second preview, so I expect that some things will tighten up (the pace dragged in a few places), but what was good was djfldjfljfksdjfkdjfklfjijlcjeajfkcmAMAZINGLY GOOD. I mean, Mark Rylance, people. MARK MOTHERFLIPPING RYLANCE BACK AT THE GLOBE. No one has quite the mastery over subtle playing with the audience that he does. His Richard is very affable and cheerful, but is most chilling when he plays cruel scenes at this same level. Like, ok, Act IV, scene 2. Y'all, Anne is PRESENT. She's there the entire time, standing at Richard's throne, totally silent, witness to EVERYTHING, including her own oncoming ruin. He STROKES HER CHEEK as he says 'Rumour it abroad/ That Anne, my wife, is sick and like to die.' SKFOSJFOEWJFOCMIDNFIOHFUBCKDNFOEHFCDNIRHGIOHFOSLKFDIVBEWJRH WHAT WHAT WHAT ARE YOU DOING, RICHARD. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR, YOU TWISTED FUCK. Johnny Flynn is a little awkward as a woman- his voice work is still a little too affected and doesn't sound natural- but OH MY GOD in this scene he is RIVETING.
Sam Barnett is just amazing as Elizabeth. His register is naturally better suited to a woman's part than Johnny Flynn's is, and while his physicality might still need a tweak or two (he hasn't quite got the GLIDE going that I've seen other OP actors achieve), my GOD he's just phenomenal going head to head with Mark in Act IV, scene 4. It was one of those moments where I always knew Sam was good, but to see him playing against Mark Rylance and rising to every challenge- damn, boy. :D :D :D At the curtain calls, Mark finally came out for his own bow and knelt down and kissed the stage of the Globe and there were FEELINGS.
Again, with any luck, this performance will eventually be filmed so I don't want to ruin it for anyone more than I already have but OH MY GOD THE BATTLE SCENE. BRILLIANT BRILLIANT BRILLIANT. It's one of those choices that have undoubtedly been done before but a) makes so much theatrical sense and b) is done SO WELL that it FEELS like a revelation. I came out of the Globe just TEEMING with excitement and desperate to share it with someone. I ended up on Twitter until 1AM, gossipping about the history plays and listening to people snore in my dorm. WORTH IT! I'm very pleased that Sam saw my tweet extolling his Mad Ackting Skillz that night, because I know he was how nervous he was about this role. I want him to get HEAPS of good reviews and work FOREVER (or as long as he likes) so that I can watch him kicking ass for many years to come. :D
Monday morning, I again exercised my right not to feel any pressure to go out and DO THINGS I didn't want to do, and instead just lazed around the hostel until it was time to head out to Euston station and meet up with lazy_daze. I had gotten to the station almost 45 minutes early, so there was time to sit and people watch before Sam arrived. Now, the funny bit was that as I people watched, I neglected to pay ANY attention whatsoever to the station announcements.
BIG MISTAKE.
It turned out that someone had been hit by a train and ALL departures out of Euston Station were stopped. Sam braved the teeming crowds at the Information Desk to find out that the only way to get where we were going that day was via the Overground, and the journey would take TWICE as long as we planned for because of it.
Somehow, the gods of fangirls smiled upon us, because we made it to scenic Watford in time.
In time for what, you ask?
THE HARRY POTTER STUDIO TOUR, THAT'S WHAT.
aFLJOIDFKVNLDHFIHFJVPOREFROIHFLJV;EAFPJVNKFLDHESHJLCMOIAHEFN!!!!!!!
Sam and I were TOTALLY unprepared, which is basically the best way to go, I think. We expected an overpriced collection of props in display cases, basically, but it was SO MUCH BETTER. Turning a corner and suddenly finding yourself face to face with a beloved set preserved in FULL is just... AMAZING. I'm sorry, I use that word a LOT but UGHHHHHHHHHHH IT WAS SO GOOD and Sam and I just went into FANGIRL GEEK OUT MODE THE WHOLE TIME and it was all SO MUCH BETTER for having her to share it with. :D :D :D :D :D
Even though the trains were still a clusterfuck, we got me back in time to swing by the Globe for souvenir buying (HELLO SEASON T-SHIRT I LOVE YOU) (also I think I saw Sophie Thompson in the lobby??) and then I TRUCKED IT along the South Bank to get to the National Theatre in time to make a quick swing through the bookshop (I'd scouted out purchases Friday morning) before collecting my ticket for 'Timon of Athens.' I was kind of a sweat mess, I admit, with more than a little of the crazy eye going when I walked up to the will call line. There was a terrible moment when they didn't seem to have my ticket (and of course, this was the first time that I hadn't brought my confirmation printout with me to the theatre all week), but all was well. Actually, the associate working at the next spot over from will call had been my tour guide and recognized me. She called out a friendly greeting and I think I grunted something at her?? I was very sweaty and stressed. IT WAS SAD. SHE WAS NICE. D:
But then I had a GLORIOUSLY RUMPLED Simon Russell BEEEEEALE in Timon and all was well. I know this will be broadcast on NTLive later this year, so I won't spoil it, but Simon is fabulous and there are some good choices being made in general, so it's well worth seeing. :D Just... y'all weren't kidding when you told me that Timon was a weird play, huh??
I headed back to the hostel and the next morning, it was off to Heathrow, the worst Wagamama in the HISTORY of noodle bars, lots of last minute chocolate buying (seriously, I have NEVER REGRETTED a last minute chocolate purchase. I always wind up stranded somewhere and starving before the day's end and then I have CHOCOLATE and everything is better) and back home for me.
That was TREMENDOUSLY LONG, y'all. I actually started this entry 4.5 hours ago when I came in to the box office and my five hour shift is ALMOST OVER. PHEW. Basically, I feel INCREDIBLY privileged to have been able to take this trip. Rent will be hard to meet next week, but really, it's so worth a return to living off pasta for a few weeks. I spend so much time moping over amazing theatre I'll never get to see that taking the chance to just throw caution to the wind and GO for once is incredible. :)
Ok, technically, I've been back since Tuesday evening, but as I was back at work Wednesday morning while fighting off jetlag and trying desperately to catch up on sleep, I've been a little lax in reconnecting with normal life.
The short recap of my trip: Seven glorious plays in five days and lots of rain but also lots of fun with arcadiaego and lazy_daze and Jamie Parker gave me a high five and MARK RYLANCE but also SAM BARNETT and PROPELLER PROPELLER PROPELLER and YEAH.
The longer version below the cut!
So I took Wednesday off from work in order to pack and be ready to leave at 5PM for my flight, scheduled to take off at 9:30PM. I spent the day pretty well, I think- I went to the gym, I treated myself to lunch and a new book, I packed and managed to not forget ANYTHING (a record!), and I was ready for the shuttle when it arrived. I had a whole PLAN to wear myself out during the day, then drug myself up as soon as I stepped on the plane so that I could sleep. Sleep was necessary, as I had tickets to two plays the day I landed.
And then I did NOT SLEEP. Well, I slept a little, but not nearly as much as I had wished for. Luckily, it was enough to successfully get me through the day but jeezy creezy, I was exhausted. Throughout the whole trip, I never ever got enough sleep, try as I might each night. As much as I do genuinely enjoy my hostel (I've used them before, so I knew exactly what I was getting into), the combination of a narrow bed with a not-great mattress and lots of other people sleep close by (and their amusing collection of snores) made sleep consistently tricky.
In any case, Thursday brought me into London and I was able to successfully navigate customs (Q: What brings you to the United Kingdom? A: To see a HEAP OF SHAKESPEARE!! :D :D Q:... Okay.) and drop off my bags at my hostel. As I was pinning up my hair in the unisex toilets, I ran into a friendly Irish 20something who was on some sort of a Rolling Stones pilgrimage. When he asked what I was there for (THEEEEEATAH!!!!), he nodded enthusiastically and said he wanted to see something while he was in, maybe Phantom of the Opera? (Oh honey. Bless). He wished me luck, I wished it back at him, and I kept cracking up for the next half hour about hostel living.
Then it was off to find the Donmar! I had cleverly packed a little printout map of the immediate area surrounding the Donmar, but not my A-Z with the actually HELPFUL maps. Thus began my Not Very Useful Navigation Technique for the week of picking a general direction and WANDERING til I saw something I recognized or a bus map. It really didn't help that the Donmar is tucked away in a narrow street off of another narrow street, but at least I'd been there once before (albeit almost ten years ago). I have no idea how I managed it, but I actually made it to the theatre in time to see the matinee of 'The Physicists' that I had a ticket for.
'The Physicists' is a strange little play. I'd seen a student production on the day I visited my future grad school, and was intrigued enough by certain moments to suspect that better skilled actors might really be able to make something of it. And BY GOD, is John Heffernan skilled enough. He was utterly devastating and heartbreaking and thrilling to watch and just so, so GOOD as Möbius. If this man doesn't become a huge name in British theatre, there is no justice. NONE. It's still a strange little play that succeeds largely because of a good cast- take that away and you rob the play of its heart, I think (judging by my memory of the student production).
Outside of the Donmar, I was able to poach a little wifi for my iPod. This became my habit- anytime I stopped for more than a few minutes, I pulled it out and tried to see if there was wifi I could use to check my email and tweet at friends. The real savior of the week was the cloud of wifi that hangs RIGHT OVER the groundling queue at the Globe- you can't get it from inside the Globe or down the street, but it's perfectly placed for before and after show squee.
Of course, this being an English summer, this is when the rain began. It wouldn't stop til the next day- it didn't let up ONCE for the entire three hours of 'Henry V' at the Globe. I stood shivering in a puddle for three hours in front of the SL pillar and it was still AMAZING. Like the Globe 'Henry IVs' with Jamie as Hal, they've rebuilt the scaffolding above the center doors (though very underused here) and made a little platform to extend the stage. As miserable as standing in the rain can be, when Henry is willing to step out and let the rain pour down on him as WELL as he addresses his troops- that's a pretty powerful moment of live theatre. Jamie's King Hal is a perfect extension of his Prince Hal- not as nasty as I like best, but with such a powerful sense of emotional continuity. And really, that's what I need in a good H5- I need to feel my heart break when Bardolph is sentenced, or when Pistol tells Harry Leroy "The king's a bawcock, and a heart of gold". Take that away, and you lose a lot of my emotional investment in this play; luckily, this version had this in SPADES. It also had one of the most exciting Harfleurs I've ever seen, and you better BELIEVE we all cried out into the deluge 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'. I may not have fully dried out for 24 hours or more, but it was WORTH IT.
Friday morning, I went on a tour of the National Theatre, BECAUSE I LIKE IT, OK? I totally became That Girl when I knew too much about the theatres already enough that the tour guide teased me about it. I JUST LIKE THE NT A LOT, OKAY?? I think their theatrical seasons are amazing and by GOD their supplementary programming is TO DIE FOR. I trucked it from Bankside up to Leicester Square to meet arcadiaego for gelato and ADVENTURE. We had only planned the gelato portion of our ADVENTURE, but managed pretty well by winging it. I dragged E to the V&A's theatre galleries (in an attempt to just EMBRACE THE THEME of the trip), where we tried on costumes and read a few placards. Then, because we were already so close, we tripped over to the Natural History museum for a late lunch and DINOSAURS!! We got incredibly confused by the layout of the museum, but ah well. DINOSAURS!! By that point in the afternoon, it was time for me to head back over to the Globe for round Two of my King Hal-a-thon.
We ran inside the visitor's center so that I could buy a mac and a coffee and a sandwich before queuing in the rain again. Now, please bear in mind that I was TIRED and the sandwich selection was PRETTY POOR, but I had a LOT of trouble picking anything out. E tried to help ('Close your eyes and picture your perfect sandwich!!'), but while I was doing this, Jamie Parker was wondering around RIGHT BEHIND ME. I only realized he was there as he walked away. I gibbered briefly and then caught a quick flash of a wild Sam Barnett taking a peek at the rain before I had to run away and drown my sorrows at the missed encounter in my coffee. As I was finishing up and ready to head outside, Jamie REAPPEARED. I screwed my courage to the sticking point and got his attention. I tried to explain that I was sadcypress on Twitter and had sent him the Richard II files many moons ago- for a long, terrible moment, he totally had Polite Nonrecognition Face on, until he went OH MY GOD YES and perked up. He gave me a high five and thanked me for sending the files. We chatted for a few moments about Mark and Henry V and my crazed theatre plans for the trip before he had to run and get ready for the show. He was LOVELY and I was so pleased that I got to speak with him at all, however briefly. :D
It was great to be able to see the show again the very next night- I got to stand at a different point in the yard and thus got a different angle on the staging, and it also means that I remember the show a lot better than I might otherwise. If anyone has specific questions, I'm happy to answer in the comments. :)
Saturday began notably because of the TOE CARNAGE that took place in my shower. Just before I turned on my shower that morning, I had the thought that I couldn't remember if I'd turned off my iPod's alarm when I'd woken up early. I pulled open the door to the shower stall and it crashed RIGHT into my right big toe and tore my toenail right down the middle. I will spare the goriest of the details, but there was blood and SADNESS galore- and I had NO BANDAIDS. NONE. I had actually had the thought while packing, Hmm, should I pack some of these? JUST IN CASE??? and then had REFRAINED. BIG MISTAKE, PAST EMILY. I managed to stop the bleeding long enough hobble upstairs, paper towels stuffed classily into my shoe, and beg a plaster off the front desk. It was enough to get me to a nearby Superdrug where I learned SO MUCH about the options available to me in English first aid. *headdesk* I made at least three trips to various Boots shops over the next few days as I tried to refine my bandage attempts and hope like hell my foot wasn't going to be fall prey to gangrene with all the rain.
In any case, I went down to the British Library and went through the Writing Britain exhibition, which I really enjoyed! I spent the most time in the very first section of the exhibit, centered on the ways in which British myth, legend, and folklife appear in writing- partly because this fascinates me in general (and always makes me angry that our own native traditions in America are drenched in genocide and colonialism), and partly because they had a live recording of Mark Rylance in 'Jerusalem' doing the amazing invocation/curse in at the end of Act II. I might have listened to that THREE TIMES. MAYBE. Unfortunately, I soon discovered that exhaustion + spending five hours standing in the rain for two nights in a row + a TERRIBLE TOE = Not a Good Combination for Museuming, no matter how interested I was in the subject matter. I made a valiant effort, but I missed most of the final section on London. Ah well.
I sat in the cafe and drank coffee and ate a fruit pot and recovered until I felt well enough to venture out. I had oodles of time still to kill before my matinee of 'The Winter's Tale' and suddenly realized that I was just a few blocks away from a CERTAIN SPEEDY'S CAFE. I had written down the address (AND ALSO I HAD MY A-Z THIS TIME) and walked over and inside and had the WORST HAMBURGER OF MY LIFE but pretty decent chips and WHO CARES IT WAS SPEEDY'S. They were pretty busy- unsurprisingly, their business has boomed in the last two years- and the walls were covered in 'Sherlock.' Pictures of the filming, pictures of the cast and crew AT Speedy's, and even some fanart, which was awfully nice. I sat at a little table in the corner, reading 'Timon of Athens' and trying to look Cool. :D
Then it was back to my hostel, conveniently located just five minutes' walk from the Hampstead Theatre. This was to be my double dose of Propeller Theatre day- a matinee of 'The Winter's Tale' and an evening show of 'Henry V,' because WHAT ELSE, AMIRITE? WT was very interesting, in that I had seen the original production when it toured to the Kennedy Center back in 2006. Most of those actors are no longer with the company (to its loss, really), so it was fascinating to see what time and different players can do to change a production. Tony Bell made Autolycus a lot more like Ozzy Osborne than I remembered this time round, and Richard Dempsey didn't hit quite the same notes in the final scene as Hermione as Simon Scardifield had. Ben Allen was a lot more buff a Mamilius than Tam Williams was, which really gives an interesting feel to the character (Tam was prettier and naturally looked more frail in the part). The amazing final moment, however, works just as well as it ever did, and there was silence for a long, drawn-out moment after the final blackout.
After the show, I bummed around for a bit and got dinner, before heading back in for 'Henry V.' Propeller really amps up the masculinity of this one, costuming the cast in combat boots and fatigues for the whole show. Here, the emphasis really fell on the ensemble, right from the opening chorus that was shared among them. Dugald Bruce-Lockart is, sadly, not a terribly charismatic king as Henry, and the production does a lot to cut the ties with 'Henry IV' that I love so much- there was no death of Falstaff, barely any time spent in the tavern world before we moved on to the war. Having JUST seen the Globe's H5, all these textual changes were HUGELY apparent to me, and just about every cut was visible to me. I think one of my favorite things about the production was the way it navigating transitions in and out of the play. The show began with the entire ensemble out in the lobby, and had them march in singing an army song that I didn't recognize, but had the elderly gentleman sitting to my right actually singing along and tapping his knee in time. They brought out the set pieces and launched into the Chorus's part, sharing the lines between them. During the interval, half the cast was out in the lobby playing music and collecting for charity as they often do- when they finished the set, they headed back into the theatre. I followed a minute or so behind them and took my seat in the front row- just in front of Nick Asbury (who was on as Pistol that night- so it's almost like I saw the RSC history extravaganza, right???) and Tony Bell, who were idly playing 'La Vie en Rose', sitting on the edge of the stage. They were joined by Gunnar Cauthery on the accordion and they all just CHATTED with us, chatted about the matinee that day, joked about other French songs they might play instead... They kept it going right up until everyone was set for Act II, when they heaved a sigh of relief and shuffled upstage and the play started up again with the Katherine/Alice scene.
By that night, I was really thinking about the nature of this trip. I had no pressure on my to Do London- I've BEEN to London, hell, I've LIVED in London. The last few times I've been, I'd indulged my nostalgia and revisiting my student haunts so even that wasn't something I HAD to do. I was there for theatre, so why the hell not just take it easy and focus on the theatre and doing the sort of things I never get the chance to otherwise in THAT realm?
With that in mind, I bought tickets that evening for a special event at the Globe. Their Read Not Dead series is dedicated to doing semi-staged readings of every extant early modern play, and that weekend, 'Sir John Oldcastle' was up. Considering my Hal-centric journey, it seemed like FATE. So I had an easy morning and headed down to the Globe at noon for the pre-show lecture. I had many Emotions associated with this decision- it was kind of amazing to get a whiff of academia after 2 years away and to be in a room full of people who could laugh about Henslowe with the same wry chuckle I use. I got to go into the Education department, to see parts of the Globe center that I'd never been to before. It's not that the places I was in were PARTICULARLY special, but they're the sort of thing a tourist doesn't see, the sort of events that I would be going to ALL THE TIME if I didn't live an ocean away, so it felt terribly meaningful for me to be there that day. I didn't get to see the entirety of 'Sir John Oldcastle' when it was time for the performance itself, but I did see the first half and OH MY GOD SO FUN, and ended up with a great spot in the queue for 'Richard III.' Luckily, it was sunny and lovely that day and I actually got to sit for the first 45 minutes of queuing and it was GLORIOUS.
I was actually just behind a group of friends that I wound up with a massive friend crush on. They made funny jokes about the history plays and Shakespeare in general and OH MY GOD at one point, one of the girls said 'What if Mark Rylance played Mr Mistofelees in CATS?' and everything was ruined from that point onward. I hadn't been paying close enough attention to hear the context for that but I'm pretty sure it was ENTIRELY superfluous to the amazingness of the idea. Once the queue had relocated to inside the gates, I did have to lean over and tell them that I blamed them ENTIRELY for getting the damn song stuck in my head for the rest of the evening (it really, really was).
'Richard III' was pretty damn awesome itself. This was only the second preview, so I expect that some things will tighten up (the pace dragged in a few places), but what was good was djfldjfljfksdjfkdjfklfjijlcjeajfkcmAMAZINGLY GOOD. I mean, Mark Rylance, people. MARK MOTHERFLIPPING RYLANCE BACK AT THE GLOBE. No one has quite the mastery over subtle playing with the audience that he does. His Richard is very affable and cheerful, but is most chilling when he plays cruel scenes at this same level. Like, ok, Act IV, scene 2. Y'all, Anne is PRESENT. She's there the entire time, standing at Richard's throne, totally silent, witness to EVERYTHING, including her own oncoming ruin. He STROKES HER CHEEK as he says 'Rumour it abroad/ That Anne, my wife, is sick and like to die.' SKFOSJFOEWJFOCMIDNFIOHFUBCKDNFOEHFCDNIRHGIOHFOSLKFDIVBEWJRH WHAT WHAT WHAT ARE YOU DOING, RICHARD. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR, YOU TWISTED FUCK. Johnny Flynn is a little awkward as a woman- his voice work is still a little too affected and doesn't sound natural- but OH MY GOD in this scene he is RIVETING.
Sam Barnett is just amazing as Elizabeth. His register is naturally better suited to a woman's part than Johnny Flynn's is, and while his physicality might still need a tweak or two (he hasn't quite got the GLIDE going that I've seen other OP actors achieve), my GOD he's just phenomenal going head to head with Mark in Act IV, scene 4. It was one of those moments where I always knew Sam was good, but to see him playing against Mark Rylance and rising to every challenge- damn, boy. :D :D :D At the curtain calls, Mark finally came out for his own bow and knelt down and kissed the stage of the Globe and there were FEELINGS.
Again, with any luck, this performance will eventually be filmed so I don't want to ruin it for anyone more than I already have but OH MY GOD THE BATTLE SCENE. BRILLIANT BRILLIANT BRILLIANT. It's one of those choices that have undoubtedly been done before but a) makes so much theatrical sense and b) is done SO WELL that it FEELS like a revelation. I came out of the Globe just TEEMING with excitement and desperate to share it with someone. I ended up on Twitter until 1AM, gossipping about the history plays and listening to people snore in my dorm. WORTH IT! I'm very pleased that Sam saw my tweet extolling his Mad Ackting Skillz that night, because I know he was how nervous he was about this role. I want him to get HEAPS of good reviews and work FOREVER (or as long as he likes) so that I can watch him kicking ass for many years to come. :D
Monday morning, I again exercised my right not to feel any pressure to go out and DO THINGS I didn't want to do, and instead just lazed around the hostel until it was time to head out to Euston station and meet up with lazy_daze. I had gotten to the station almost 45 minutes early, so there was time to sit and people watch before Sam arrived. Now, the funny bit was that as I people watched, I neglected to pay ANY attention whatsoever to the station announcements.
BIG MISTAKE.
It turned out that someone had been hit by a train and ALL departures out of Euston Station were stopped. Sam braved the teeming crowds at the Information Desk to find out that the only way to get where we were going that day was via the Overground, and the journey would take TWICE as long as we planned for because of it.
Somehow, the gods of fangirls smiled upon us, because we made it to scenic Watford in time.
In time for what, you ask?
THE HARRY POTTER STUDIO TOUR, THAT'S WHAT.
aFLJOIDFKVNLDHFIHFJVPOREFROIHFLJV;EAFPJVNKFLDHESHJLCMOIAHEFN!!!!!!!
Sam and I were TOTALLY unprepared, which is basically the best way to go, I think. We expected an overpriced collection of props in display cases, basically, but it was SO MUCH BETTER. Turning a corner and suddenly finding yourself face to face with a beloved set preserved in FULL is just... AMAZING. I'm sorry, I use that word a LOT but UGHHHHHHHHHHH IT WAS SO GOOD and Sam and I just went into FANGIRL GEEK OUT MODE THE WHOLE TIME and it was all SO MUCH BETTER for having her to share it with. :D :D :D :D :D
Even though the trains were still a clusterfuck, we got me back in time to swing by the Globe for souvenir buying (HELLO SEASON T-SHIRT I LOVE YOU) (also I think I saw Sophie Thompson in the lobby??) and then I TRUCKED IT along the South Bank to get to the National Theatre in time to make a quick swing through the bookshop (I'd scouted out purchases Friday morning) before collecting my ticket for 'Timon of Athens.' I was kind of a sweat mess, I admit, with more than a little of the crazy eye going when I walked up to the will call line. There was a terrible moment when they didn't seem to have my ticket (and of course, this was the first time that I hadn't brought my confirmation printout with me to the theatre all week), but all was well. Actually, the associate working at the next spot over from will call had been my tour guide and recognized me. She called out a friendly greeting and I think I grunted something at her?? I was very sweaty and stressed. IT WAS SAD. SHE WAS NICE. D:
But then I had a GLORIOUSLY RUMPLED Simon Russell BEEEEEALE in Timon and all was well. I know this will be broadcast on NTLive later this year, so I won't spoil it, but Simon is fabulous and there are some good choices being made in general, so it's well worth seeing. :D Just... y'all weren't kidding when you told me that Timon was a weird play, huh??
I headed back to the hostel and the next morning, it was off to Heathrow, the worst Wagamama in the HISTORY of noodle bars, lots of last minute chocolate buying (seriously, I have NEVER REGRETTED a last minute chocolate purchase. I always wind up stranded somewhere and starving before the day's end and then I have CHOCOLATE and everything is better) and back home for me.
That was TREMENDOUSLY LONG, y'all. I actually started this entry 4.5 hours ago when I came in to the box office and my five hour shift is ALMOST OVER. PHEW. Basically, I feel INCREDIBLY privileged to have been able to take this trip. Rent will be hard to meet next week, but really, it's so worth a return to living off pasta for a few weeks. I spend so much time moping over amazing theatre I'll never get to see that taking the chance to just throw caution to the wind and GO for once is incredible. :)