Yet again, I know I haven’t posted on my blog in what feels like years! I felt like I never had free time to write while we were in London and then once we got to Norwich, things have been quite overwhelming! So, first I will catch up on what I did for the last couple of weeks in London.
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| In front of Big Ben |
Journey’s End: This was a great play that I saw in the West End. I was supposed to see it a couple of years ago in New York (with Hugh Dancy…) but it closed before we could get up there so I was excited to see it! I had heard good things about the production and it lived up to the hype! It was extremely well done and I loved the production!
Fela!: This was one of the first shows that we saw in London and I wasn’t that big of a fan. The National Theatre brought the production from New York and then moved it to the Sadler Wells Theatre. Personally, I just thought that the production was trying to do too much and lost the plot line.
Hampton Court: A short train ride from central London is Hampton Court, which was built for Cardinal Wolsey and later given to Henry VIII. It was a beautiful palace that was restored to its original state. The palace was filled with beautiful furniture, paintings, etc…
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| The whole group in front of Hampton Court |
Much Ado About Nothing (Globe): This was the second production of
Much Ado About Nothing that I saw in London and was surprisingly just as good as the West End Production! With the Eve Best as Beatrice, the production had so much energy while keeping to the simple production!
Holst’s Planets (BBC Proms): This was the second time I went to the proms and it was such a classic London experience. When I went before we “prom-ed” and stood at the bottom for only 5 pounds! However, this time we went on a class trip and they paid for us to sit! We sat in the choir section, which was amazing since you could see the entire orchestra and conductor. Not to mention, the acoustics were amazing!
Kensington Palace: This was one of the best things that I did in London! The palace is currently undergoing renovations so they brought in a design team to “transform” the palace into a wonderland. It was an interactive experience as the guests were asked to “find” the seven princesses that were trapped in the palace. Reminded me a little of my favorite show, Sleep No More!
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| Queen Victoria's Bedroom |
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| Queen Victoria's "Playroom" |
Tower of London: Pretty much the only reason why I went to the Tower of London was to see the Crown Jewels. I did tour the entire Tower but the highlight was defiantly the Crown Jewels! The funniest part was viewing the exhibit on a moving sidewalk so it keeps the crowds moving! I can’t even begin to describe the gift shop…
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| Bedroom in the Tower of London |
Doctor Faustus: This was the 6
th show I had seen at the Globe Theatre and one of my favorites! The staging was incredible while keeping with the dark content. It was also amazing to see Arthur Darvill (Rory in the current
Doctor Who) in a play was fantastic. We even got to meet him afterwards at the Swan Bar!
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| Arthur Darvill (Rory) |
Anna Christie: One morning I woke up at 7:30 to get to Donmar Warehouse by 8:00 to stand in line for day tickets for
Anna Christie. Due to Jude Law, the production has been sold out for months! However, it was worth the wait! The production was amazing and Jude Law was fantastic! One of the best productions I saw in London!
BBC Tour: Not far from our hotel is the BBC Broadcasting House and a couple of us decided to take a tour of the facilities! It was an extremely interesting tour especially since BBC radio is still so popular in the UK while radio has somewhat died out in the States. We were able to see the “Radio Theatre” and a studio where they record Radio Shows. The tour ended on the roof of the Broadcasting House with a beautiful view of Regent Street!
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| View of Regent Street from the top of the BBC Broadcasting House |
Last Night of the Proms in Hyde Park: As I've mentioned before, the Proms are a big deal in London! Therefore, it's tradition to have a party or go to a big event on the last night of the Proms. Our group was able to get tickets to the celebration in Hyde Park. It was a huge event! I don't think I've ever stood in such a long queue! Once we got inside we set up our blankets, food, and drinks! By the end of the night everyone was waving Union Jacks and singing the national anthem!
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| The "Pimm's Guy" walking around screaming "PIMM'S!" |
Harold Pinter's Grave: On one of the group's walking tours, we visited a famous graveyard in Northern London, Kensel Green! The highlight of my day, SEEING HAROLD PINTER'S GRAVE! I had to "pause" for a picture...
Cheers!
