Before I went to Barcelona, I saw two shows that I forgot to write about...

"One Man, Two Guvnors"

I saw this show in NYC last summer with James Corden who won the Tony Award for his performance. I never laugh out loud during shows, but this was something else. I adored this show. So I figured, since the ticket was 7.50, it would be fun to see it in London (it's original home) and compare. Honestly it was just as good. I still laughed even though I'd heard it all before and knew all the gags. The lead was no James Corden, but he held his own and I still enjoyed watching him perform!

"Don Giovanni"

I saw this at the English National Opera. It was opera for dummies. They tried to do something different and I didn't like it. The text was sung in English, which took away the beauty of the language. There were some beautiful arias and the singing was obviously wonderful, but the words just sound gross in English! Opera is clearly not supposed to be sung in English.

This show came at a rough time. It was Thursday. At 5:10 Amanda's debit card got eaten by an ATM and the bank had closed 10 minutes before. The opera started at 7 and we still had to get home and then leave by 6:15 to make it. Also we stupidly bought tickets for the night before we left at 3:30am to get to Gatwick and get on a plane to Barcelona. DUMB. We made it to the opera and had decent seats. We left at intermission. This was the first time I have EVER left a show at intermission. It was horrifying, but it had to be done. I still had to pack and prepare to leave the country for 3 days. Rough.

Also the show just wasn't all that great. For me, opera has to be over the top with amazing sets and costumes. This show was not grounded in a specific place or time and the sets were awful. It looked like a high school production. There were flats painted in fluorescent greens, pinks, oranges, and blues being wheeled around the stage! I understood that the director had a concept, but it did not come across well to the audience. Opera should never leave you feeling unsatisfied... this was bad. Also I fell asleep multiple times during the first 30 minutes (another thing I never do). Just a bad night.