I thought about writing one giant overview and review of every show that I end up seeing at the end of my time here, but that would be extremely long and I don't think anyone would read it. Instead, I decided to write about the plays in groups of five. Now that I have reached five, as of today, it's time for an update!
Let's begin!
The 39 Steps (West End)
This was my first London play and an excellent one to start off with! For one thing, TCU bought the tickets, which is just kind of awesome. Free theatre! The 39 Steps is a farcical comedy, meaning there was absolutely nothing serious about this play at all. It was complete hilarity from start to finish. The play is based on a novel by the same title, which was then made into an Alfred Hitchcock movie and the script is actually taken directly from the novel, but made to be a comedy, instead of a drama. The play was full of Hitchcock references which were wonderful, despite the fact that I didn't get most of them. Except for the North by Northwest references. The cast consisted of only four actors, three men and one woman. The woman plays three different roles and two of the men play at least 15 roles each. True talent, right there. I have no idea how they keep up with which character they're playing throughout the play. It was quite impressive. Basically, this show was a riot and very enjoyable.
Blood and Gifts (The National Theatre)
Before coming to London, I was told by two of my theatre professors at TCU to see every single show at the National. Every. Single. Show. I have heard that this theatre can do no wrong. The reason for this is probably because it is funded by the English government. That's right, funded by the government. As in, the government pays for everything! Therefore, they have a large budget for set, costumes, sound, etc. They can also afford to bring in big name actors and directors and as a result of all these factors, the plays are really stinkin' good. Needless to say, I was stoked to see this play.
The plot is about an American working for the government during the 1980s, trying to get information about Russia from Afghanistan. In exchange for information, Afghanistan demanded weapons. The play spanned over a length of about 20 years and involved numerous characters, American, Afghani and Russian alike. I must admit that for part of the play, I was a bit confused, mostly because I know so little about this time in history. However, the play was excellent. Very well acted, with an amazing set and light design. The only complaint I had was that the second act could've been cut about 15 or 20 minutes shorter. I will definitely be going back to the National.
Les Miserables (West End)
I already wrote a lot about this show in a previous post, so I won't say much here. My expectations for this show were extremely high, given all the hype that I have heard about it, provided by both the media and my friends. Every expectation was met. I was in the very last row, in the highest balcony and I did not care one bit. If you ever see a show with me and see me lean forward in my chair, it is a sure sign that I am really into whatever is happening on stage. I spent the entirety of Les Mis nearly on top of the people in front of me. I had only ever seen a student production of this show, which was both edited and shortened, so I'd never had the complete Les Mis experience. It is truly an amazing show. I'm going to go out on a limb here and claim that the set was the best I have EVER seen. I can't even describe it in writing. The songs are beautiful and the voices singing them were mind-blowing. Wow, wow, WOW. I could gush about this show forever, but I'll stop now.
The Big Fellah (Lyric Theatre)
I'm taking a class called "London Theatre in Performance" which requires me to see about ten different shows at varying theatres. This show was the first. I knew absolutely nothing about this play before seeing it, which I kind of enjoy. Without any knowledge, I have no expectations, which is a good thing. The plot of this play was about several Irish-Americans who are part of the IRA, attempting to do whatever the IRA did years ago. This was another case of Laura being slightly lost during the show because Laura knows nothing about Ireland. However, when the actors mentioned "Bloody Sunday," I perked up. Bloody Sunday! U2! That, I know! Sort of. Anyway, throughout the plot, the FBI was somehow being informed of the goings-on in the IRA and the majority of the play involves the characters attempting to lie low in both their jobs and their personal lives. The show was very good, apart from one actress, who had the worst American accent I had ever heard. I think, emphasis on the word think, that she was attempting a New York accent. Nevertheless, it was very distracting and I didn't care for her acting either. I also didn't care for the nudity in one scene. Completely unnecessary to the scene and very uncomfortable, especially because I was sitting in the first row. Hello, actors!
Henry IV, Part One (The Globe Theatre)
This was another play that I was very excited to see. Mostly because I was seeing it at THE GLOBE. The replica of the theatre at which all of Shakespeare's works were performed. Yay! The theatre alone is beautiful. If you've ever seen the movie "Shakespeare in Love," you can picture where I was. In terms of seating, one could either pay 5 pounds and stand in the yard (the area in front of the stage) for three hours, or pay 15 pounds and sit on a hard bench for three hours. I weighed my options. Choosing the yard meant standing, with the possibility of not being able to see very well because I am so short, for three hours. The yard is also open air. And this is London, so I could very well be standing, with a poor view of the stage, IN THE RAIN, for three hours. I chose the hard bench for 15 pounds. It turned out to be a good choice, especially because I was in the back row of the first gallery, so I was able to lean up against the wall.
The play was Henry IV, which is not my favorite Shakespeare play, but who cares? It's the Globe. What I really enjoyed about seeing this play was the complete absence of any modern technology. No mics, no lights, no fancy machinery, no speakers...nothing. Just actors on stage, in costume, with a very minor set. Just like it was performed hundreds of years ago. And it was so very enjoyable! The actor playing Falstaff was incredibly funny and had the audience in hysterics! Most of the other scenes actually involving King Henry were not as enjoyable, simply because they just aren't as entertaining, but it was still quite good. La, la, la, la, la, hip hooray for Shakespeare! Ten bucks to whoever can tell me what musical that line is from.
Thus concludes my first London theatre review.
No comments:
Post a Comment