Monday, May 19, 2014
Well, Monday, glorious Monday. The temperatures reached into the low 80s today and I spent the day mostly catching up on random tasks and resting. With two of the four roommates gone for the long weekend, I decided to enjoy the final few hours of my “stay-cation” and relax with a nap and time to myself in my room. It was delightful.
The most productive thing I did was grocery shopping. I forgot my list so it was a bit of a walking aimlessly around Sainsbury’s to try to figure out exactly what I needed. I got the big things on my list that I hate to run out of like toothpaste and eggs, but somehow forgot ground beef for the taco things I bought. Shopping here, for the most part, has to be done twice a week. Everyone on the flat tries to stretch this out, but truly, because things are so quick to past their good-by date, you kind of have to accommodate with more than one huge trip to the grocery store. I know, a random thing, but one observation I have made I feel worth mentioning.
Later in the evening I went with flatmates Rylee, Megan, Jen, Mariah, and Heather to the play (or rather, play with music, but not really a musical) War Horse at the New London Theatre located in Covent Gardens. I remembered how captivated I was by this area of town on my first trip to London and it still has this unique and quaint charm for me. Although the shoppes and various cafes has a very up-to-date and modern vibe, the feeling of this area is very much of the past and simply lures me in.
War Horse was absolutely fantastic! I throughly enjoyed every aspect of this production. The puppetry was masterfully done, I consistently lost myself in the seeing a true depiction of a six to eight foot horse move so realistically and beautifully on stage. I felt the acting was solid and fresh (even for being on for a good length of time, I think four plus years). The script was delightful and held its own even comparing it to the movie (which I adore and want to watch again). And, lastly, the music added to the story and emotional intensity more than I ever expected, I felt like the music and folksongs were the voice of Joey (the leading horse). It was how these elements all came together that was most inspiring.
There are a few times I’ve seen great levels of artistry come together and work so seamlessly together that I have no other expression but “WOW.” War Horse was that for me. I feel like it told a story in so many different ways and capitalized on all the tools theatre actually possesses in its arsenal. Puppetry mixed with a great script and good acting, plus music, and great design (costume, lighting, sound), all came together here. Each element spoke to one another, collaborated with one another, and ultimately brought out the best in one another. I loved it and aspire to work on a production of this caliber within my theatrical career.
The way back home I remained in my cloud of amazement. Once back to the flat, everyone from their weekend journeys was home and bubbling with excitement to tell of their great weekend adventures. It was enjoyable to hear how great the weekend was for them, and to know I had a good weekend just being in London and content.
The most productive thing I did was grocery shopping. I forgot my list so it was a bit of a walking aimlessly around Sainsbury’s to try to figure out exactly what I needed. I got the big things on my list that I hate to run out of like toothpaste and eggs, but somehow forgot ground beef for the taco things I bought. Shopping here, for the most part, has to be done twice a week. Everyone on the flat tries to stretch this out, but truly, because things are so quick to past their good-by date, you kind of have to accommodate with more than one huge trip to the grocery store. I know, a random thing, but one observation I have made I feel worth mentioning.
Later in the evening I went with flatmates Rylee, Megan, Jen, Mariah, and Heather to the play (or rather, play with music, but not really a musical) War Horse at the New London Theatre located in Covent Gardens. I remembered how captivated I was by this area of town on my first trip to London and it still has this unique and quaint charm for me. Although the shoppes and various cafes has a very up-to-date and modern vibe, the feeling of this area is very much of the past and simply lures me in.
War Horse was absolutely fantastic! I throughly enjoyed every aspect of this production. The puppetry was masterfully done, I consistently lost myself in the seeing a true depiction of a six to eight foot horse move so realistically and beautifully on stage. I felt the acting was solid and fresh (even for being on for a good length of time, I think four plus years). The script was delightful and held its own even comparing it to the movie (which I adore and want to watch again). And, lastly, the music added to the story and emotional intensity more than I ever expected, I felt like the music and folksongs were the voice of Joey (the leading horse). It was how these elements all came together that was most inspiring.
There are a few times I’ve seen great levels of artistry come together and work so seamlessly together that I have no other expression but “WOW.” War Horse was that for me. I feel like it told a story in so many different ways and capitalized on all the tools theatre actually possesses in its arsenal. Puppetry mixed with a great script and good acting, plus music, and great design (costume, lighting, sound), all came together here. Each element spoke to one another, collaborated with one another, and ultimately brought out the best in one another. I loved it and aspire to work on a production of this caliber within my theatrical career.
The way back home I remained in my cloud of amazement. Once back to the flat, everyone from their weekend journeys was home and bubbling with excitement to tell of their great weekend adventures. It was enjoyable to hear how great the weekend was for them, and to know I had a good weekend just being in London and content.