Me: Oh no! The rainbow is going away!
My mom: Well, rainbows don't last forever.
Me: Oh. Now I feel depressed and transitory.
My mom: Oh, dear...
There is a rainbow outside my window. Or at least there was. Now it is gone. But it was very pretty and part of a very cool, albeit weird, London skyscape this evening.
I know it's been a bit of a hiatus since I last wrote, and my previous post left a little to be desired. Thanks, though, to the friends who indulged my pity party and sent me get well messages. Then again, some of you just told me I should stop "holding hands" with French boys. (Thanks, Rachel's mom.)
I got back on Friday from my program's trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, and have been relatively unproductive since. The trip was so much fun, and I didn't even take as much advantage of the escape from London as my classmates did, feeling under the weather as I did.
We were able to see the RSC's production of Hamlet with David Tennant and Patrick Stewart. We were very lucky to get tickets, since the entire run sold out within a few days of tickets going on sale. (The posters for the production just say, "Returns only.") This may be a bit bewildering to my American readership (yeah, I'm calling you a readership - deal with it), but David Tennant is this huge star in Britain. He's Doctor Who in the television remake here, and was in the fourth Harry Potter film, etc. So he's a big heartthrob here and tickets for him playing Hamlet sold like hot cakes. All the British girls in the program were giddy to see him, except for Sylvia, who, in a memorable moment, looked at Nicole and said, "Really? You fancy him? He looks like a mad weasel!" This, of course, in the most proper RP accent.
I don't think she's quite doing him justice. He very much does look like he could play a mad scientist, but I'll give it to him that he does have a helluva lot of charisma. It was the best performance of Hamlet I've ever seen, on stage or on film. The cast was really strong, and the way the director used the space, I thought, was clever without being too over-the-top. The entire set was made of mirrors: the floor and giant movable wall/doors comprised the entire set. The beginning scene with the guards was done without any light except for flashlights held by the actors, but they pointed them at the ground so that the reflected light lit their faces, reflected off the walls, and lit the whole scene in an eerie, completely effective manner.
Patrick Stewart's a beast. That's all I have to say. He's just awesome and strangely attractive for a man in sixties. Am I sick? Possibly. Do I care? No.
The next night, we saw a production of The Taming of the Shrew which was a very daring interpretation of a play that most people my age seem to associate exclusively with 10 Things I Hate About You. This production took the approach that the entire story is about the systematic destruction of a woman through physical and psychological abuse, framed in a sinister comedy. But the ways in which this director incorporated farce with the stark realism of abuse and meshed Shakespearean language and costumes with an ever-encroaching modern view of domestic violence made for a powerful impact. A lot of people didn't like the production; two of the LAMDA directors left at intermission. But I really don't think they were giving this production a chance and weren't allowing themselves to see what the director was trying to communicate. Hamlet was brilliant for it's stellar cast and a faithfully and well-acted script, but it didn't try to send a new message or put a twist on the play (which was the right choice, since that play is so well known and people have such strong ideas about its interpretation). However, the director of Shrew made bold choices of interpretation and concept that clearly put a stamp on this as a unique production, which I think ought to be commended.
Ugh, I just got really serious and reviewer-y there. Sorry.
So more fun stuff about Stratford. It is one of the most touristy places I've ever been. The only thing this town does is Shakespeare. This makes for some pretty awesome tourist traps. Walking around, I realized that some of these stores and restaurants' signs were too priceless to forget, so I took pictures for posterity. Here are some of my favorites:
I know it's been a bit of a hiatus since I last wrote, and my previous post left a little to be desired. Thanks, though, to the friends who indulged my pity party and sent me get well messages. Then again, some of you just told me I should stop "holding hands" with French boys. (Thanks, Rachel's mom.)
I got back on Friday from my program's trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, and have been relatively unproductive since. The trip was so much fun, and I didn't even take as much advantage of the escape from London as my classmates did, feeling under the weather as I did.
We were able to see the RSC's production of Hamlet with David Tennant and Patrick Stewart. We were very lucky to get tickets, since the entire run sold out within a few days of tickets going on sale. (The posters for the production just say, "Returns only.") This may be a bit bewildering to my American readership (yeah, I'm calling you a readership - deal with it), but David Tennant is this huge star in Britain. He's Doctor Who in the television remake here, and was in the fourth Harry Potter film, etc. So he's a big heartthrob here and tickets for him playing Hamlet sold like hot cakes. All the British girls in the program were giddy to see him, except for Sylvia, who, in a memorable moment, looked at Nicole and said, "Really? You fancy him? He looks like a mad weasel!" This, of course, in the most proper RP accent.
I don't think she's quite doing him justice. He very much does look like he could play a mad scientist, but I'll give it to him that he does have a helluva lot of charisma. It was the best performance of Hamlet I've ever seen, on stage or on film. The cast was really strong, and the way the director used the space, I thought, was clever without being too over-the-top. The entire set was made of mirrors: the floor and giant movable wall/doors comprised the entire set. The beginning scene with the guards was done without any light except for flashlights held by the actors, but they pointed them at the ground so that the reflected light lit their faces, reflected off the walls, and lit the whole scene in an eerie, completely effective manner.
Patrick Stewart's a beast. That's all I have to say. He's just awesome and strangely attractive for a man in sixties. Am I sick? Possibly. Do I care? No.
The next night, we saw a production of The Taming of the Shrew which was a very daring interpretation of a play that most people my age seem to associate exclusively with 10 Things I Hate About You. This production took the approach that the entire story is about the systematic destruction of a woman through physical and psychological abuse, framed in a sinister comedy. But the ways in which this director incorporated farce with the stark realism of abuse and meshed Shakespearean language and costumes with an ever-encroaching modern view of domestic violence made for a powerful impact. A lot of people didn't like the production; two of the LAMDA directors left at intermission. But I really don't think they were giving this production a chance and weren't allowing themselves to see what the director was trying to communicate. Hamlet was brilliant for it's stellar cast and a faithfully and well-acted script, but it didn't try to send a new message or put a twist on the play (which was the right choice, since that play is so well known and people have such strong ideas about its interpretation). However, the director of Shrew made bold choices of interpretation and concept that clearly put a stamp on this as a unique production, which I think ought to be commended.
Ugh, I just got really serious and reviewer-y there. Sorry.
So more fun stuff about Stratford. It is one of the most touristy places I've ever been. The only thing this town does is Shakespeare. This makes for some pretty awesome tourist traps. Walking around, I realized that some of these stores and restaurants' signs were too priceless to forget, so I took pictures for posterity. Here are some of my favorites:
We also went to the Dirty Duck pub each night after the shows, which is the "official" pub of the RSC. The actors have their own private side of the pub that has its own access to its own side of the bar, etc. I want an HRDC-exclusive side of Borders, with free margaritas. I've decided.
Ugh so much more to write but if I make this post any longer you won't read all of it. So I'll leave it for another day.
;-)
Olivia
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