I think I owe you a post...

This was a 6 show week. I'm tired.

Monday: "Mademoiselle Julie" at the Barbican Theatre. This was the famous "Miss Julie" translated into French and Julie was played by Juliette Binoche (the female lead in the Johnny Depp film "Chocolat").

Ask to read my journal to hear about this one. Way too much to explain/tell here...

Mademoiselle Julie 

Wednesday: "Thom Paine" at the Print Room.

One man show. Didn't change my life, but I enjoyed myself. Lots of audience interaction and I felt so uncomfortable sitting in the front row.

Thom Paine

Thursday: "Oh The Humanity" at the SoHo Theatre.

Very interesting show. First show I've seen in London where the actors were using American accents. They were pretty bad and very inconsistent. Yikes, do we really sound like that? I liked the space, really hip and cool. It's so awesome that going to the theater is a hip thing to do in this city. I wish it was that way in the US.

Oh The Humanity

Friday: "Fireface" at the Young Vic.

My favorite show I've seen in London so far. It was first night of previews and we weren't let into the theater for 20 minutes because of a technical difficulty. We got free tickets so we weren't sure if the show was legit, but it was. It was so good. So hard to watch (lots of incest)... but all the acting was phenomenal. If any of you have ever seen the first cast of Skins, the lead girl in "Fireface" was Sketch (who was obsessed with Maxxie). I would go back and see this show again and pay.

Fireface

Saturday: "Three Sisters" at the Young Vic and "Les Miserables" at the Queen's Theatre.

"Three Sisters" was my first time seeing Chekhov onstage. It was basically Chekhov for hipsters. Having read the play a few weeks ago for class I was super excited to see the show. Never go into a show with high expectations... I was thoroughly disappointed. It wasn't bad... it just didn't blow me away. The blonde woman (see the program below) played Masha and she was a great actress, really taking that character to a level I never thought about while reading the play. The other two sisters were not as good. The men were uneven, some of the acting was amazing and some was just okay. The set was very dynamic and moved around a lot, but it was so so so distracting. One of the stagehands who was moving scenery around was super attractive and I found myself wishing I could watch him move the set around for 3 hours instead of a cast of whiny people complaining about how they'll never get to Moscow. Just get on a plane.

And of course "Les Mis" was absolute perfection. No complaints there. I sat in the first row of the balcony this time instead of the last row. That's twice in 2.5 weeks... wonder how many times I can see it in 3 months!!

Three Sisters

Les Miserables

Good morning... well at least for me... you guys are probably all asleep.

Since the last time we spoke I have seen two shows. Last Thursday night I went to see Sarah Kane's play "4:48 Psychosis" and last night I saw "Morning" by Simon Stephens.

The first show was upstairs from a pub so you had to walk through the pub to get to the studio space. It was one of those "truly British experiences" because that's what pub theater is. So that was super fun even if the show left a lot to be desired. The play ("4:48") is kind of an inner monologue told by this woman who ends up committing suicide at the end. But the first thing she says in the show is something like "At 4:48 I kill myself." So the whole time I'm sitting there thinking "get on with it already" because I knew what was going to happen. Also they took a one woman show and stretched it out with 6 people. I feel like that could've worked if there was the right group of people. I wasn't completely blown away by any of the acting. Still, it was an experience.

Program for "4:48 Psychosis"

And oh boy "Morning" was an experience too. It was at the Lyric Theater which closely resembled the Goodspeed Opera House (for all you Connecticut peeps) on the inside but the outside was a concrete building. Interesting. The first thing that happened was Amanda and I got on the wrong tube... no idea how that happened because I NEVER GET ON THE WRONG TUBE. So we got off and then were going to go back and start again but decided to walk. We had a 40 minute walk and 30 minutes to get to the theater in time. Stress. Once we couldn't even figure out if we were walking the right way (street names are hard to find here), we flagged down a cab. The cab driver got us there in 10 minutes. Huzzah. Okay so the show. Whoa. It's so weird -- there's like no words to describe this show. I loved the concept and the lighting and sound. It had a bit of an "American Idiot" feel with strobe lights (not a musical though) and loud music. But the show was a psychological thriller... the lead girl and her best friend, who is leaving for college, go out into the woods with the lead girl's boyfriend and try to have a threesome but then they tie him up and the lead girl kills him... like WHAT?! Honestly so weird. There were funny moments and moments where I felt physically ill. The show ended and no one knew whether or not to start clapping. It was definitely an interesting night at the theater. The program includes the whole script which is nice because I can go back and reread to see if I missed anything. So weird.

Program and ticket for "Morning"

This week I have 3 shows lined up but there could be more.

The Evening Standard is the paper that is passed out as you're coming into/walking out of the tube station. Yesterday everyone in London was walking around with, what I believe, is some pretty intense advertising. How could you not be fascinated by that??? THE MORMONS ARE COMING! I mean c'mon, it's awesome. And I'm not just saying this because I'm extremely biased (#Jujamcyn). The show had 3 pages of this paper dedicated to making people aware that they're opening in the West End next year (on my birthday might I add). 

THE MORMONS ARE COMING

Last night I saw Les Miserables. If you really want to know my detailed thoughts on the show, ask to read my theater journal someday because I took notes. I really don't have much to saw other than that the show was amazing. OUT OF THIS WORLD. I was blown away. 

Les Mis is one of those shows that I go away from for a while and then I am exposed to it and suddenly it's like Jesus appeared out of the sky and the musical theater Gods were summoned. I will be honest with you, Les Mis is a classic. There is nothing like it. The show is a gift and I am utterly smitten with every aspect of it. I love love love love love it. 

We saw the understudy for Jean Valjean but he was just awesome. Eponine's "On My Own" was heartbreaking. Marius' "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" made me want to run onstage and hug him. "One Day More" killed me. Geez, there's nothing to say except that I enjoyed every second of the show. If you haven't seen this show live, fly to London and see it... because it's worth every second of the three hours you'll spend at the theater.

I paid 20 pounds to sit in the last row in the balcony/upper circle. The last row in the entire theater, but I had a perfect view. When I saw the show for the first time on Broadway I sat in the front row in the orchestra. It was interesting to experience the show from far away, but it was just as wonderful. 

View from the last row.

This one is going to be a doozy. LOTS to talk about.

Friday was uneventful... I don't have classes so I literally sat in my living room all day watching the UK version of "My Super Sweet 16" -- or in some cases 13. Scary, I know.

Today (Saturday) was epic.

I woke up early and got to the Adelphi Theatre where "Sweeney Todd" is playing at exactly 10:00 when the box office opened. There was a whole group of us because it closes this week so we had to make sure we saw it! We got tickets and then Amanda and I went with a few other people to get coffee... or in my case this AMAZING hot chocolate which was literally just melted chocolate in a cup. So good. Then I went to Top Shop and bought a sweater and a pair of shoes. Winning.

My melted chocolate in a cup.

Then the four of us ended up hitting a lot of the touristy spots, basically by accident. We hadn't planned on it, but most of those buildings were in the area. We started at Trafalgar Square and from there walked down Whitehall towards Westminster Abbey. We didn't go inside because you have to pay but it's impressive from the outside. Then we kept walking and found a nice park right on the river behind Parliament so we sat there for a while. After a rest we grabbed lunch and ate in Trafalgar Square. With only a little while before the show, we popped into the National Gallery. Then we went to the theater.

Me in Trafalgar Square.

Westminster Abbey

Big Ben.

I will admit right now that "Sweeney Todd" is not one of my favorite shows. Until today I had never actually seen it onstage, just the movie. After seeing the show today I felt like I rediscovered a great liking for the show. Michael Ball (Sweeney Todd) and Imedla Staunton (Mrs. Lovett) were amazing. Absolutely awesome. Ball blew me away. His voice was impeccable and I thought he made for a fascinating Sweeney. Staunton was just awesome. She was funny and cute but at the same time you knew she was evil... The last scene when Sweeney finds out that she knew Lucy was chilling and her death sent shivers down my spine. I was not impressed with Pirelli or Toby. The guy playing Toby missed some notes in his big song ("Not While I'm Around") and that just bugged me. Anthony's voice was a little thin at times and he didn't get as intense in his big song ("Johanna") as I wanted him to. The set was amazing and the lighting was OUT OF THIS WORLD. The only other time I've ever been so blown away by lighting was "American Idiot" and that was for completely different reasons. The show was great. I'm beyond glad that I got to see it.

After "Sweeney Todd" Amanda and I walked across the Waterloo Bridge to the area near Royal Festival Hall where I was last weekend with the amazing ravioli. We got churros and chocolate and then walked towards the next theater, the Meiner Chocolate Factory, where we were seeing Anthony Rapp's one man show, "Without You." We got our tickets and then found a place to eat around the corner.

Churros and chocolate.

Anthony Rapp originated the role of Mark in "Rent" if you didn't know. He wrote a memoir a few years ago and has since taken certain parts of the book and created a show. He takes us through the journey of the beginning of "Rent" and losing Jonathan Larson and his mother in a short time span. I remember reading the book and being extremely moved. He held nothing back about his life and the hardships he faced and the people he lost along the way. When I saw him in "Rent" on Broadway a few years back, I had him sign my copy of the book at the stage door. Tonight after the show he signed my program and Amanda and I got a picture with him. ALSO, I had a sharpie on me and he didn't have a pen... so in typical Emily-at-the-stage-door fashion I handed him the pen and told him to keep it. Actually I said something along the lines of, "I'm in the habit of giving actors sharpies at stage doors." That was kind of a creepy thing to say, but whatever. He was pleased.

So basically today was amazing. I was both a tourist, a musical theater fan, and a Renthead.

Last night we went to see Shakespeare's "As You Like It" at the Globe Theatre. It was nothing short of wonderful. Honestly I've never seen a production of Shakespeare and actually enjoyed myself... so this production was life changing because I had an absolute blast. I thought the show was flawless -- everything from the acting to the music to the set changes. I guess ultimately the whole point of my being on this program is to develop a better understanding of Shakespeare and it's pretty epic that I was able to experience such an unbelievable production so early on in my time here. 

Sad thing: You have to buy the program. They don't just hand out playbills. I'll never take being handed a free playbill for granted again.

This city is insanely expensive... but only when you think about the conversion rate, so I just try not to think about it at all. Like I just spend 28 pounds at the grocery store, which doesn't seem like a lot because I bought tons of stuff, but when you consider that it's $40 it's scary.

Brits are so much nicer than Americans, but they're just more serious about everything (which I love). It's definitely a slower culture, even in a capitol city. I still can't figure out which side of the sidewalk to stay on or why the crosswalks are in the middle of the street instead of at the corner. 

My ticket!

London Bridge

The Globe Theatre

My view of the stage. I was standing right up against it.

A beautiful evening.

The stage and some randos.

Behind me.

It's a tall stage.

Greetings. I figured it was time I shared a little bit about what I've been up to!

Yesterday we had orientation at BADA where we spent the day learning about what our semester will look like and met all the important people. It was like the first day of pre-orientation... awksauce. After orientation I went down to the river (Thames, obviously) and spent some time at the Mayor's Festival. There was amazing food and we just walked across the bridge and looked around. It was beautiful. First sighting of the London Eye as well as the National Theatre and Waterloo Station.

Today was the first day of classes, and it literally felt like the first day of kindergarten. I only had one class and it wasn't until 2:00, but I walked over to BADA early with a group of people just to ensure that I knew exactly where I was going. School is about a 40 minute walk from where we live and we get to walk through Regent's Park, which there are pictures of below. BADA has a lounge area where with computers and couches so I spent the morning reading one of the plays I have to read by Wednesday. Around 12 I met up with some people who had just gotten out of class and we went into Camden Town (down the road from BADA) to Whole Foods for lunch. We walked around Camden Town and it was adorable. There are tons of coffee shops and little places to sit and do work.

Then I had my first class which was Shakespeare's Tragedies. I'm excited because I'm taking a class on the tragedies, but then I'm also taking an entire class on the comedies and histories, so I will get a little bit of everything!

Tomorrow we are seeing "As You Like It" at the Globe Theatre. If you don't know what the Globe is, shame on you/Google it.

Regent's Park

Regen's Park

The Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park

Apparently John Lennon lived here at one point.

It's insane how clean the public transportation is.

AMAZING homemade pasta from a stand at a festival.

The one thing I refuse to do while I'm here is ride that...

In case anyone is interested in what I'm actually studying while I'm here, I have put my schedule below. Click on the picture to make it bigger! 

Today I explored Regent's Park and then took the tube for the first time to another area of the city (no idea what is considered "downtown"/"uptown" type of thing yet) to see a bizarre production of Shakespeare's "Troilus and Cressida" -- and when I bizarre I mean BIZARRE. That show was at Riverside Studios.

Weirdest part of the show for me was watching the staff seat latecomers. The theater was arena style where there are seats on 3 sides of the stage and actors came in from the sides. Latecomers were seated at a moment when actors were right in the way... as a house manager i was horrified. Just saying. One lady climbed over an actor to get up the stairs. Like actually CLIMBED over him.

I don't know who told me that navigating the tube system was easier than the subway in NYC, but that person was wrong. I have NO idea how it works or how to where I want to be. It's actually really frustrating because I never know where I am... and I just don't like that.

Also the weather has been beautiful. Not at all what I was expecting in a good way!

I'm here!
I'm tired. VERY tired, but trying not to go to sleep until normal time so I don't wake up at a ridiculously early time.

I can't figure out how to use the outlets (except with the charger for the phone I bought here). The first thing I did after unpacking was buy a phone. 

The internet is very limited (depressing but I'll get used to it). 

London is obviously beautiful.

I promised pictures...

my bedroom (my bed is on the left)

the kitchen

the bathroom. the water pressure is INSANE.
 

closet.

the view from a room on the 12th floor.

this one's for you, dad... an entire restaurant devoted to your favorite food.

first meal!

One day to go. I leave from Logan Airport at 10:30(ish) tomorrow night.

Today I had a mild scare when I thought I could only have one checked bag. My mother, who has been my savior in this entire situation, called the airline and found out that I can indeed have an extra bag... so that saved some repacking. Of course we are taking a spare carry-on with us just in case I have to do a quick repack.

As horrifying as this entire experience of packing and preparing to leave is, I am beginning to get excited. I mean I'm going to be in London... seeing theater all day 'er day.

There will be lots of pictures. I plan on taking pictures of EVERYTHING that I see. 

Greetings!

I leave for London on September 6th and will arrive the next morning. As of now I am pretty much packed, which is shocking considering I've been putting it off.

So in just a few days I will arrive in the land of the smiling lady in the picture below.

I'm pretty sure this blog will end up just like NYC -- filled with reviews of shows. I can't promise it won't be boring, but I can promise that there will be a lot of pictures!