Summer Cabaret is over :-( We had an amazing 5 performances and I'm so glad I was a part of it. I'm already missing the insanity that was "Both Reached for the Gun", the nostalgia of "Sit Down Your Rockin' The Boat" and the epic finale that was "One Day More". Everyone in the cast and crew was so nice and welcoming - not to mention insanely talented. I'll miss MTS so much. It truly made my experience here at Royal Holloway. I know they'll be putting on more great shows next year and in years to come.
On Monday, Mike, Jessica, Amy and I tried to go to Thorpe Park, but it was closed so... we went to Legoland instead! We knew going in that it is a kid's park, but we made the best of it. I've got some great memories of serious laser tag faces, water squirting rats, Zac Efron look-alikes, kid's meals, boat traffic, and dangerous encounters on the dragon coaster. Luckily I don't have a single photo from this embarrassingly delightful day.
Today, Eloise, Jessica and Candace and I headed into London to cross more things off the bucket list. We tried to get tickets to 'Macbeth' at the Globe, but it was sold out. Instead, we got lunch and left with a devil's share of chocolate ganache cake. The lady working there just kept giving us huge slices. It was a pretty incredible turn around from a disappointing morning.
We then went to Regent's park to check out the open air theatre (we might see 'The Crucible' there next week!) I had never been to the park and it was absolutely gorgeous. I could have stayed there all day. We then went to the new Yuforia to get some discount fro yo at their new store opening. After some Matilda-sized chocolate cake, it was a surprisingly satisfying pallet cleanser.
After we bid Eloise off, we headed to the Barbican Center to see the National Theatre of Scotland's production of 'Peter Pan'. Words cannot describe how magical it was. The scenic design, lighting, illusion, and music created an irresistible mythology. David Greig's and John Tiffany's interpretation was far more serious and disturbing than other versions I've seen, but it was balanced out beautifully by the whimsical art direction. The actors playing Wendy and Peter (Kirsty Mackay and Kevin Guthrie) also had great - shall we say - tragic chemistry?
So glad I saw it.
Now I've still got to figure out how the rest of my stay in England will pan out (no pun intended). Hopefully I'll see a production at the Globe and be able to hit up all the museums on the list. At the same time, I want to spend every day with the friends I've made here. It will be hard to say goodbye, but I'm trying not to let it bog me down yet.
It's spring! The sun is finally out and we have a chance to enjoy the best weather England has to offer. Jess and Candace and I went into London on Wednesday to start crossing things off of our list. We started with a visit to the Tate Modern (but I still only saw one floor! Must go back). Then Candace got her ear pierced at Camden which was pretty exciting (don't worry, it was a very clean place). We had some Yuforia at Covent Garden and then made it to King's Cross Station to take a dorky picture at Platform 9 3/4. Lame, but totally worth it :-)
Then Candace and I met up with some of the Arcadia group for a send-off tea party. It was at a nice place in St. Pancras Station. We were spoiled with trays of food and deelish Darjeeling tea.
We had some time to kill so we walked from Russell Square to the theatre where Jessica and I had tickets to see "ENRON". We had heard good things about it and were especially interested in seeing it, knowing how quickly it closed on Broadway. I think its premature closing had something to do with Ben Brantley's review, but also the content maybe just didn't settle well with American audiences. I can see how it is such a hit here though. I personally thought it was brilliant. It was just the right balance of spectacle and deliberate content. I appreciated many moments, including the blind mice opening and a beautiful choreographed trading floor hand signal sequence. I do admit, however, there were a few unsettling moments in the second act that may have gone a bit over the top. All in all, I think it is a very important piece - a good representation of what political satire can be today.
Thursday and Friday were taken up by Summer Cabaret Rehearsals in preparation for a grueling 5 performances. Yesterday we had an all day rehearsal and then an evening performance. It doesn't seem as prepared as some other shows I've been in, but there's something very exciting about throwing it all together doing the best we can do. I think it's turned out to be a pretty great show after all. Now we've got 2 performances today, and then Monday and Tuesday as well. I'll keep posting about Summer Cabaret as we go along.
I am a rising senior at Sarah Lawrence College.
This blog is about my yearlong study abroad experience. I traveled to Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, France, England, Scotland, and The Netherlands. I studied at Accademia dell'Arte and Royal Holloway University of London.
