If you recall, a week ago we met and spoke with Will Young at the Stage Door of the New Wimbledon Theatre when we were picking up flyers and posters for our show, Fuddy Meers. The theatre was able to get us great seats at a discount price in the Dress Circle for last Monday night. The show was fantastic! It is the newer version of Cabaret that has been touring the UK. This was different from the one I directed at Saint Mary's a number of years ago. More songs from the movie, different look, and some songs not included. We will be discussing it in class tomorrow. Will Young was great as the MC. Very emotional ending. The students did not know the show, and the show had a great impact on them!!!! It is so timely with all that is happening in the States.
On Tuesday night for the Page to Stage class we went back to the Globe Theatre to see a production of Boudica, a non-Shakespearean play about Queen Boudica, a warrior who tried to force the Romans out of Britain. We loved reading the script and really enjoyed the production. Brilliant as the Brits would say! We again lined up at 5 pm and were the first ones in line so we got to lean up against the stage. Great place to see the show! Tons of action all around us.
The new Globe was founded by an American actor, Sam Wanamaker, actress Zoe Wanamaker's father. He was outraged that London did not have a Globe Theatre so he set forth to recreate it! Unfortunately he passed away before it was completed.
The Gate from which the Groundlings (those of us who stand in the pit) enter has all the animals that are mentioned in Shakespeare's plays on it. Here are some of them below:
Comedy and Tragedy masks at the top!
St. Paul's Cathedral on the other side of the Thames River! Our view while waiting for two hours for the Gate to open.
The set for Boudica is below. Emma Rice has more stage lighting and colored lights than ever in this production. She has been booted as the Artistic Director because the Board did not like her choice to use sound and lighting in the productions once she took over. This is her way of telling them where to go with more sound and lighting than other productions!!!! Ha, ha. Was great! During some of the battle scenes the planks on the wall fell and were later hung at interval and used as trees in the forest. All the acting was also fantastic. Great feminist play.
Thanks to Jo McCarthy, who was in my production of Vanities at Tara Arts Theatre, we got house seats to 42nd Street at the Drury Lane Theatre. Jo works for The Really Useful Theatre Group (Andrew Lloyd Webber's Production Company) and was able to get tickets in Row F center Stalls (Orchestra Seats) for this production. Best seats in the house for 35 pounds!!!! Regular 160 pound seats! The production was awesome! Fantastic sets, costumes, and dancing. Not one tap was out of sync in the entire show! Wow, wow, wow comes to mind! Thank you JO!
We did not have any day trips this week. Bath was our last one; hence, this blog is a lot shorter than usual. On Thursday this week I met with Jim Casey, former design faculty and Production Manager at Saint Mary's who was in town for the NFL Football games at Wembley. He works for the company that develops new technology and provides all the headsets for the NFL games. We had dinner at the Green Man Pub after my rehearsal. He will be back in a couple of weeks for the Vikings Game. He was able to score me some tickets I got for a friend. I will be in Scotland for the game and can't go!
Stefan had family visit, and they took him out to High Afternoon Tea!!! He looks really happy!
While I was delivering flyers to an Educational Center in Russell Square I saw a number of pigeons (at least 8) taking a bath in a fountain. On my way back there were three still in the fountain. Who said pigeons are not clean!!!?
Stefan at M &M land!!!!!
THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!!
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