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.