So, I'm back in London.
OMFG! Got tickets to the sold-out show, "Much Ado About Nothing," with David Tennant and Katherine Tate and it was AMAZING! Hilarious!!!! Katherine Tate's character, Beatrice, was kinda chav and David Tennant was speaking I his Scottish brogue! I die!!!!! Awesome team!
Unfortunately, they left right after the show, so I didn't get them to sign my program (apparently, David and Katherine had a "previous engagement"). However, I did get the actor who played Claudio to sign my program. He is a hottie.
It was a slow day(?)....and by that I mean we weren't running around town trying to do everything. Chelsea and I met up with Alvaro and we went to the art museum at The Somerset House. It was pretty small museum but they had great stuff--a few Van Gogh, Monet, early Picasso, Rodin, Gaugin....afterwards, we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum but we got there at closing time and so we were only there for a few minutes. And then, it was show time. :)
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Showing posts with label theater. Show all posts
Showing posts with label theater. Show all posts
Saturday, August 20, 2011
London Day 2 and 3
5:05 AM August 15, 2011 Gatwick Airport on the way to Amsterdam
They've change Gatwick Airport! It's so much nicer! More shops and places to eat, clearly marked signs, nice lighting. It's so much better from what it was 3 years ago!
I love traveling, but it's rather difficult when you have to lug all your shit everywhere. How do they do it? I'm a horrible packer.
Anyway, London Day 2.
Changing of the Guards. That was awesome! I enjoyed all the pomp and circumstance of it all. What I did not enjoy are the people who don't follow directions as simple as "don't block the walkway," "keep moving" and "don't stop." Seriously, how hard is it to follow directions, especially from a police officer on a horse?!? But anyway, it was cool.
London Eye. Well worth the price. It was AWESOME!!! And that's saying something because I hate ferris wheels. You can barely feel it move and when you get to the top, the views are amazing, especially on a sunny day.
Tea Time at St Paul's Cathedral. It was alright. The scones were a bit dry. It's no Mock Turtle in Brighton.
St Paul's Cathedral. It was closing when we got there, but we got to go in for a bit. Very pretty. Very baroque, but in a British way.
Walked across the Millennium Bridge (a personal fave) over to the Tate Modern Museum. It was...umm very interesting. It was very modern...and some of it I did not understand, but some were really cool.
The Wizard of Oz The Musical. Andrew Lloyd Webber, you've done it again! Amazing, amazing show! It's still based on the original movie, but ALW added new songs and music to the score. It was fantastic! Michael Crawford (the original Phantom) played the Wizard. Got pictures and autographs from the cast! Yiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!
Day 3:
London Boat Tour. We got the combo deal with the London Eye. I love boat tours because it's a different view of the city. Plus it's a great way to see the city without walking hahaha
British Museum. Greek antiquities and Parthenon frieze and pediments, Egyptian mummies, Assyrian gates, Rosetta Stone, and the best part is that it's all FREE! I love British museums for this reason. But I do love British Museum. I love the "Enlightenment" section, which is basically a giant library with the world's knowledge and a bunch of cool Greek or Classical statues.
They've change Gatwick Airport! It's so much nicer! More shops and places to eat, clearly marked signs, nice lighting. It's so much better from what it was 3 years ago!
I love traveling, but it's rather difficult when you have to lug all your shit everywhere. How do they do it? I'm a horrible packer.
Anyway, London Day 2.
Changing of the Guards. That was awesome! I enjoyed all the pomp and circumstance of it all. What I did not enjoy are the people who don't follow directions as simple as "don't block the walkway," "keep moving" and "don't stop." Seriously, how hard is it to follow directions, especially from a police officer on a horse?!? But anyway, it was cool.
London Eye. Well worth the price. It was AWESOME!!! And that's saying something because I hate ferris wheels. You can barely feel it move and when you get to the top, the views are amazing, especially on a sunny day.
Tea Time at St Paul's Cathedral. It was alright. The scones were a bit dry. It's no Mock Turtle in Brighton.
St Paul's Cathedral. It was closing when we got there, but we got to go in for a bit. Very pretty. Very baroque, but in a British way.
Walked across the Millennium Bridge (a personal fave) over to the Tate Modern Museum. It was...umm very interesting. It was very modern...and some of it I did not understand, but some were really cool.
The Wizard of Oz The Musical. Andrew Lloyd Webber, you've done it again! Amazing, amazing show! It's still based on the original movie, but ALW added new songs and music to the score. It was fantastic! Michael Crawford (the original Phantom) played the Wizard. Got pictures and autographs from the cast! Yiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!
Day 3:
London Boat Tour. We got the combo deal with the London Eye. I love boat tours because it's a different view of the city. Plus it's a great way to see the city without walking hahaha
British Museum. Greek antiquities and Parthenon frieze and pediments, Egyptian mummies, Assyrian gates, Rosetta Stone, and the best part is that it's all FREE! I love British museums for this reason. But I do love British Museum. I love the "Enlightenment" section, which is basically a giant library with the world's knowledge and a bunch of cool Greek or Classical statues.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
New York Day 3
Quy and I made our practice trek to Flushing Meadows to watch the last open outdoor practice before the US Open tomorrow. It's pretty far...it's the 2nd to the last stop on the 7 subway to Queens. It's almost an hour from Times Square. ... long subway ride.
Anyway, so the US Tennis Center [now called the Billie Jean King Tennis Center] is right next to the Mets Stadium [idk what it's called...I dont watch baseball]. The stadium is really pretty. It's located in a park...lots of green...and ponds. It was a former World's Fair location. [The end of Men in Black 1 was based on that park...with the space ships and junk]. The event is free so that's pretty sweet. We saw Novak Djokovic, Jelena Jankovic and Dinara Safina practicing.
After that, we decided to go to the observation deck of Rockafeller Center [Top of the Rock]. It's at the 67th and 68th floor of the building. It's really nice up there...nice and breezy. Great views of the city. :]
We decided to kill time at Saks & Company [Saks 5th Ave...which is located on 5th Ave] looking at designer shoes. One day, I can afford to buy those shoes...mmmm Louboutin.
We finally got to watch Avenue Q!!! It's sooooooo gooooooooooooood!!! It's really funny, and raunchy! I love it! Gotmy program signed by the entire main cast...YAY!
After the show, Quy and I ate dinner at an Irish Pub called The Perfect Pint. Holy crap, it's like everyone who worked on the floor [servers and hosts] are from IRELAND! They all had Irish accents! I got a pint of cider and bangers and mash. It made me miss England sooooo much, but the food made up for it hahahahaha! Got a lil tipsy from the pint [that's what happens when you start drinking before your food gets to you].
I'm excited! US OPEN TOMORROW!!!
Anyway, so the US Tennis Center [now called the Billie Jean King Tennis Center] is right next to the Mets Stadium [idk what it's called...I dont watch baseball]. The stadium is really pretty. It's located in a park...lots of green...and ponds. It was a former World's Fair location. [The end of Men in Black 1 was based on that park...with the space ships and junk]. The event is free so that's pretty sweet. We saw Novak Djokovic, Jelena Jankovic and Dinara Safina practicing.
After that, we decided to go to the observation deck of Rockafeller Center [Top of the Rock]. It's at the 67th and 68th floor of the building. It's really nice up there...nice and breezy. Great views of the city. :]
We decided to kill time at Saks & Company [Saks 5th Ave...which is located on 5th Ave] looking at designer shoes. One day, I can afford to buy those shoes...mmmm Louboutin.
We finally got to watch Avenue Q!!! It's sooooooo gooooooooooooood!!! It's really funny, and raunchy! I love it! Gotmy program signed by the entire main cast...YAY!
After the show, Quy and I ate dinner at an Irish Pub called The Perfect Pint. Holy crap, it's like everyone who worked on the floor [servers and hosts] are from IRELAND! They all had Irish accents! I got a pint of cider and bangers and mash. It made me miss England sooooo much, but the food made up for it hahahahaha! Got a lil tipsy from the pint [that's what happens when you start drinking before your food gets to you].
I'm excited! US OPEN TOMORROW!!!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
New York Day 2
We slept in. Didn't wake up until noon. Didn't make it to the city until 2.
We didn't really do much today because of our late start.
We got in line at TKTS booth in Times Square to get discounted Broadway tickets for tonight's show. We wanted Avenue Q. The guy sold us Chicago. Avenue Q...Chicago...they don't sound alike.
We ended up exchanging the tickets for 9-5 The Musical [more on that].
After getting tickets, we headed off to Rockefeller Center for the NBC Studio Tour and to go up to the observation deck. Studio Tour was an hour...we didn't have enough time to go up :[
Studio was pretty cool. I've done it before so it's nothing new to me. It made me really really want to see Jimmy Fallon's show [which is also completely booked]. Saturday Night Live Studio changed up a bit. They now feature some of the costumes and plaster busts of the cast [costume: Mary Katherine Gallagher, Church Lady and Cone Heads; bust: Will Forte].
Anyway, 9-5 The Musical is based off of the Dolly Parton movie of the same name. Dolly Parton wrote the music and lyrics. Allison Janney is in the show. The show was really good...really upbeat songs. I feel like the soundtrack would be really good driving music. Some good wire work in the show too hahaha! The lady behind me was whistling really loud and made me want to throat-punch her! Gaaah! I also got myself a sippy-cup of alchy during intermission. I got to keep the cup :] Also, I got a free hat with my program. Yay free things! :]
After the show, we headed went to stage door hoping to get some autographs. I'm kinda sad that Allison Janney left early so I didn't get her signature. I did get signatures from other people from the main cast.
Tomorrow, we're off to free practice day at Billie Jean King Tennis Center. Let's hope for some Andy! :]
We didn't really do much today because of our late start.
We got in line at TKTS booth in Times Square to get discounted Broadway tickets for tonight's show. We wanted Avenue Q. The guy sold us Chicago. Avenue Q...Chicago...they don't sound alike.
We ended up exchanging the tickets for 9-5 The Musical [more on that].
After getting tickets, we headed off to Rockefeller Center for the NBC Studio Tour and to go up to the observation deck. Studio Tour was an hour...we didn't have enough time to go up :[
Studio was pretty cool. I've done it before so it's nothing new to me. It made me really really want to see Jimmy Fallon's show [which is also completely booked]. Saturday Night Live Studio changed up a bit. They now feature some of the costumes and plaster busts of the cast [costume: Mary Katherine Gallagher, Church Lady and Cone Heads; bust: Will Forte].
Anyway, 9-5 The Musical is based off of the Dolly Parton movie of the same name. Dolly Parton wrote the music and lyrics. Allison Janney is in the show. The show was really good...really upbeat songs. I feel like the soundtrack would be really good driving music. Some good wire work in the show too hahaha! The lady behind me was whistling really loud and made me want to throat-punch her! Gaaah! I also got myself a sippy-cup of alchy during intermission. I got to keep the cup :] Also, I got a free hat with my program. Yay free things! :]
After the show, we headed went to stage door hoping to get some autographs. I'm kinda sad that Allison Janney left early so I didn't get her signature. I did get signatures from other people from the main cast.
Tomorrow, we're off to free practice day at Billie Jean King Tennis Center. Let's hope for some Andy! :]
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
At The End of the Day There's Another One Dawning
one of my life goals is now complete: I have finally seen LES MISERABLES!!!
IT WAS ...omg...beyond AMAZING! The cast is really really good. I really like the actor playing Valjean...he sounds Colm Wilkinson, the actor who played Valjean in the original London and Broadway cast and Anniversary Concert,but with a bit of an Irish accent [but his last name doesnt seem Irish]...and OMG! The actor playing Marius is really good and HOT!!! hahaha He's not Michael Ball, but he has a really amazing voice. Enjolras is hot too!
Pretty much the actors playing the students are all hot! The lead actresses are really good as well...Fantine could have been a little been stronger, but she's still really good. I have high expectactions for Eponine and Fantine because of Lea Salonga...but I was not disappointed...YAY! The actress playing Eponine is cute hahaha.
Yes I did cry. OF COURSE I CRIED! hahahaha I started crying at "I Dreamed a Dream" and the water works were pretty much on and off the entire show haha. It's not the "tears running down my cheek" type of crying; it was more of a "tear drops falling" type of crying.
The set was really cool! The set rotates ...it's kinda hard to describe on a blog hahaha
It makes it seem like the actors are moving place to place with the rotating set, instead of pretending that they are moving from place to place.
I also liked how before explosions, jumping off bridges, etc. the actors movements are in slow motion...then goes into normal speed...it's REALLY COOOL!
The music is already amazing, but hearing it live is sooooo much better! I got shivers down my spine...especially when they sang "One Day More". I really loved Eponine's death scene...I didn't really know how to picture it in my head from listening to "A Little Fall of Rain" but now I can see it in my head and it makes it so much more sad. Fantine's death was just heart-breaking.
We sat in the very front row...literally [and only cost us 25 pounds each]. So we were right next to the orcestra pit [specifically, the drums]. The drummer was cute hahaha.
It was pretty cool being that close to the stage because you can see EVERYTHING! I know where the actors have their mics [it's on their heads, near the hair line and it's very small and blends with the make-up]...you can see them spit while they sing! It was great.
After the show, we [Ruhi, Margaret and I...I forgot to mention who I went with] went to the stage door to get autographs. Since it's a HUGE cast, we didnt get everyone, but we got the actors playing Eponine, Fantine, Cosette, Marius and Valjean [and those are ones I really wanted haha]. When we were getting autographs, I mentioned we were sitting in the very front, and the actor playing Marius asked me it I was the one singing along [YES I WAS!...well, lip syncing]
TEEHEEEHEEEE. He's really cute.
AHHH! SOOOOO HAPPPY!!!
IT WAS ...omg...beyond AMAZING! The cast is really really good. I really like the actor playing Valjean...he sounds Colm Wilkinson, the actor who played Valjean in the original London and Broadway cast and Anniversary Concert,but with a bit of an Irish accent [but his last name doesnt seem Irish]...and OMG! The actor playing Marius is really good and HOT!!! hahaha He's not Michael Ball, but he has a really amazing voice. Enjolras is hot too!
Pretty much the actors playing the students are all hot! The lead actresses are really good as well...Fantine could have been a little been stronger, but she's still really good. I have high expectactions for Eponine and Fantine because of Lea Salonga...but I was not disappointed...YAY! The actress playing Eponine is cute hahaha.
Yes I did cry. OF COURSE I CRIED! hahahaha I started crying at "I Dreamed a Dream" and the water works were pretty much on and off the entire show haha. It's not the "tears running down my cheek" type of crying; it was more of a "tear drops falling" type of crying.
The set was really cool! The set rotates ...it's kinda hard to describe on a blog hahaha
It makes it seem like the actors are moving place to place with the rotating set, instead of pretending that they are moving from place to place.
I also liked how before explosions, jumping off bridges, etc. the actors movements are in slow motion...then goes into normal speed...it's REALLY COOOL!
The music is already amazing, but hearing it live is sooooo much better! I got shivers down my spine...especially when they sang "One Day More". I really loved Eponine's death scene...I didn't really know how to picture it in my head from listening to "A Little Fall of Rain" but now I can see it in my head and it makes it so much more sad. Fantine's death was just heart-breaking.
We sat in the very front row...literally [and only cost us 25 pounds each]. So we were right next to the orcestra pit [specifically, the drums]. The drummer was cute hahaha.
It was pretty cool being that close to the stage because you can see EVERYTHING! I know where the actors have their mics [it's on their heads, near the hair line and it's very small and blends with the make-up]...you can see them spit while they sing! It was great.
After the show, we [Ruhi, Margaret and I...I forgot to mention who I went with] went to the stage door to get autographs. Since it's a HUGE cast, we didnt get everyone, but we got the actors playing Eponine, Fantine, Cosette, Marius and Valjean [and those are ones I really wanted haha]. When we were getting autographs, I mentioned we were sitting in the very front, and the actor playing Marius asked me it I was the one singing along [YES I WAS!...well, lip syncing]
TEEHEEEHEEEE. He's really cute.
AHHH! SOOOOO HAPPPY!!!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
NO ONE MOURNS THE WICKED AT THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
2 musicals in 2 days. BEST TWO DAYS EVER!!!
The Phantom of the Opera:
OMG it was BEAUTIFUL. I already love the music, but it's so much more powerful live! I cried twice! hahaha! First time was during "All I Ask of You" [favorite song!] and then I cried again at the last song "Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer"
We sat the last row of the balcony, literally! But even from there, we could see the stage [we did use the binoculars they offered to see the faces of the actors].
The set was amazing! The stage looked smaller from high above, but it looked really pretty. I really love what they did with the pyrotechnics and fog machines and the speakers making you think that the phantom is everywhere!
The actors did very well, especially the Phantom and Raoul. I liked the girls playing Christine and Meg, but there very shrill voices kind of annoyed me a little bit [but it didn't really take away from anything...I think I'm just used to the movie soundtrack]
After the show, we went to the stage door really fast to get autographs! I got the lead actors' autographs! YAY ME!!! The actor playing Raoul is really really cute! hahaha...this is his West End debut and he's only 25! The actor playing the Phantom is good looking, too. He smelled like sexy man [like acqua di gio by armani].
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA = LOVE.
Wicked:
I've never read the book, but I have listened to the original broadway cast soundtrack and it's really good. I didn't really know much coming into the show, but I did know that it's another take of the Wizard of Oz.
THE SHOW WAS FANTASTIC! The cast was really great! The set was ...WOW! I loved how they used lighting and the giant puppets like the dragon and the "wizard"of oz. The flying monkeys looked creapy.
Again, I cried twice. I cried sometime in the first half...I forgot when [I think it was during "Defying Gravity"] and then again in the 2nd act during "For Good".
I cannot stress how AMAZING this show is! I wanna watch it again!
The Phantom of the Opera:
OMG it was BEAUTIFUL. I already love the music, but it's so much more powerful live! I cried twice! hahaha! First time was during "All I Ask of You" [favorite song!] and then I cried again at the last song "Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer"
We sat the last row of the balcony, literally! But even from there, we could see the stage [we did use the binoculars they offered to see the faces of the actors].
The set was amazing! The stage looked smaller from high above, but it looked really pretty. I really love what they did with the pyrotechnics and fog machines and the speakers making you think that the phantom is everywhere!
The actors did very well, especially the Phantom and Raoul. I liked the girls playing Christine and Meg, but there very shrill voices kind of annoyed me a little bit [but it didn't really take away from anything...I think I'm just used to the movie soundtrack]
After the show, we went to the stage door really fast to get autographs! I got the lead actors' autographs! YAY ME!!! The actor playing Raoul is really really cute! hahaha...this is his West End debut and he's only 25! The actor playing the Phantom is good looking, too. He smelled like sexy man [like acqua di gio by armani].
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA = LOVE.
Wicked:
I've never read the book, but I have listened to the original broadway cast soundtrack and it's really good. I didn't really know much coming into the show, but I did know that it's another take of the Wizard of Oz.
THE SHOW WAS FANTASTIC! The cast was really great! The set was ...WOW! I loved how they used lighting and the giant puppets like the dragon and the "wizard"of oz. The flying monkeys looked creapy.
Again, I cried twice. I cried sometime in the first half...I forgot when [I think it was during "Defying Gravity"] and then again in the 2nd act during "For Good".
I cannot stress how AMAZING this show is! I wanna watch it again!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Hamlet at Stratford-Upon-Avon
I HAD THE MOST AMAZING ADVENTURE EVER!
Mary [not room mate mary], Jeany, Kathie and I went to Stratford-Upon-Avon to watch the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Hamlet starring Patrick Stewart and David Tennant. We were trying to get the 4 of the 10 stand-by tickets they had available.
I did not realize how far it was from Brighton...it's pretty much in the middle of the country [it's located Warwickshire]. So, it took 4 hours to get there by train.
Once we got there, we went straight to the hotel to nap because we were all pretty tired from the train ride.
We had dinner at The Dirty Duck pub. It's located vert close to the Courtyard Theater [where the RSC is holding their production]. I had the chicken breast smothered in goat cheese. REALLY REALLY GOOD. After dinner, we went to the grocery store to stock up on snacks and caffeinated drinks to help us stay up all night.
Once we got to the Courtyard theater, we talked to the ladies that were working at the box office to ask them what time they open, etc. We told them our plans and were either a). impressed, b). thought we insane or c). both. They also told us that the actors come out the stage door to sign autographs.
We got some brochures, flyers, etc. from the theater for the actors to sign. We got there pretty early before the show ended so were first in line. The first person to come out was PATRICK STEWART! He's a very sweet man. He signed autographs [couldn't get a picture with him because there was a lot of people who were in line for autographs as well] and went back in. Then, David Tennant came out [loud screams from girls] and he signed out stuff too!
DAVID TENNANT CONVERSATION:
me [i think it was me]: David, we came all the way from California to see you!
[someone else in our group, I can't remember who]: We're going to wait all night to get tickets for tomorrow.
David [in his Scottish accent]: Now why would you do that??
We also met another member of the cast, his name is David Ajala..he plays Raynaldo[he's also in The Dark Knight]. He's really cuuuuuuute! Really pretty eyes hahahaha. We told him about our plans of camping out to get tickets. He gave us a copy of the program, in which he signed "U GIRLS ROCK! I HOPE YOU GET YOUR TICKETS!"
While waiting outside the box offfice of the Courtyard Theater, we met 2 girls from London [who apparantly are big on youtube] and 2 girls from Ireland [I think...well one of them was Irish] and a guy, Tom, who was camping out like us. We all just hung out and talked until around 3 AM before the girls had to leave to catch their bus back to London.
Tom was very nice...he let Kathie and Mary borrow his clean socks to keep their feet warm, and he also let Kathie borrow his sweater hahaha. He's 23 and is getting his MASTERS IN CAMBRIDGE IN ENGINEERING and is writing his disertation on Bio-fuels. He's kinda cute too hahaha!
So, camping out without "camping" stuff is...an experience. It got really cold betwee 3-5 AM and I was in and out of sleep in those times. It was also kinda scary because the building lights were all off and the only lights we had were our cell phones and the street lights.
Bathroom = the woods.
Dont worry, we took toilet paper from the pub before we left and I had kleenex wipes with me.
People didn't really start showing up to the box office until 8:30, so we [Kathie, Jeany, Mary, Tom and I] were the first ones in line! Once the box office opened, the lines were split between the 10 16-25 year old stand-by tickets [5 pounds each] and the return tickets [that cost A WHOLE LOT MORE ...about 50-100 pounds].
After we got our tickets, the girls and I went back to the hotel and SLEPT!
After we woke up, we watched the original British versions of "Deal or No Deal" and "Don't Forget the Lyrics." They are soo much better than the American ones...the shows here had more heart.
Before the performance, we also met Canadian girls that were as excited as we were.
THE SHOW:
IT WAS AMAZING....FANTASTIC! David Tennant was a really great HAMLET! David and I made eye contact for 2 seconds! hahahahaha
I really really loved his performance! Especially the scenes where he was pretending to be crazy [or is Hamlet really crazy? hahahaha English essay question]...you can see the madness in his eyes...I loved how he used his entire body to capture your attention. I cried a little in the scene when they were burying Ophelia and he discovers that the dead person was Ophelia, and Hamlet's death scene.
and Patrick Stewart as Claudius and the ghost of Old Hamlet was astonishing! He was SO GOOOOD!!!
The entire cast was just FABULOUS! I can't even describe how freakin fantastic the show was! It just captures your attentions right from the beginning and does not let go! The most amazing Shakespeare experience of my life!!!!
IT WAS DEFINITELY WORTH THE WAITING IN THE COLD AND LACK OF SLEEP!!!
Intermission:
During intermission, we met Tom and his friend, David. David kinda looks like John Lennon.
One of the Canadian girls, Jessica, found us and dragged us to show us where Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes sat.
So when we got back to our seats before the 2nd half started, we just stared at Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes. She sat further away from us. She's so pretty in real life! I wanted to approach her after the show, but we wanted to get our programs signed by the actors.
After the show:
Got our programs signed by Patrick Stewart, David Tennant, David Ajala and the actor who played Horatio.
We got drinks at The Dirty Duck with the Canadian girls,Tom and David. We saw the actress who played Gertrude and the actor who played Horatio at the pub.
BEST WEEK-END EVER.
Mary [not room mate mary], Jeany, Kathie and I went to Stratford-Upon-Avon to watch the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Hamlet starring Patrick Stewart and David Tennant. We were trying to get the 4 of the 10 stand-by tickets they had available.
I did not realize how far it was from Brighton...it's pretty much in the middle of the country [it's located Warwickshire]. So, it took 4 hours to get there by train.
Once we got there, we went straight to the hotel to nap because we were all pretty tired from the train ride.
We had dinner at The Dirty Duck pub. It's located vert close to the Courtyard Theater [where the RSC is holding their production]. I had the chicken breast smothered in goat cheese. REALLY REALLY GOOD. After dinner, we went to the grocery store to stock up on snacks and caffeinated drinks to help us stay up all night.
Once we got to the Courtyard theater, we talked to the ladies that were working at the box office to ask them what time they open, etc. We told them our plans and were either a). impressed, b). thought we insane or c). both. They also told us that the actors come out the stage door to sign autographs.
We got some brochures, flyers, etc. from the theater for the actors to sign. We got there pretty early before the show ended so were first in line. The first person to come out was PATRICK STEWART! He's a very sweet man. He signed autographs [couldn't get a picture with him because there was a lot of people who were in line for autographs as well] and went back in. Then, David Tennant came out [loud screams from girls] and he signed out stuff too!
DAVID TENNANT CONVERSATION:
me [i think it was me]: David, we came all the way from California to see you!
[someone else in our group, I can't remember who]: We're going to wait all night to get tickets for tomorrow.
David [in his Scottish accent]: Now why would you do that??
We also met another member of the cast, his name is David Ajala..he plays Raynaldo[he's also in The Dark Knight]. He's really cuuuuuuute! Really pretty eyes hahahaha. We told him about our plans of camping out to get tickets. He gave us a copy of the program, in which he signed "U GIRLS ROCK! I HOPE YOU GET YOUR TICKETS!"
While waiting outside the box offfice of the Courtyard Theater, we met 2 girls from London [who apparantly are big on youtube] and 2 girls from Ireland [I think...well one of them was Irish] and a guy, Tom, who was camping out like us. We all just hung out and talked until around 3 AM before the girls had to leave to catch their bus back to London.
Tom was very nice...he let Kathie and Mary borrow his clean socks to keep their feet warm, and he also let Kathie borrow his sweater hahaha. He's 23 and is getting his MASTERS IN CAMBRIDGE IN ENGINEERING and is writing his disertation on Bio-fuels. He's kinda cute too hahaha!
So, camping out without "camping" stuff is...an experience. It got really cold betwee 3-5 AM and I was in and out of sleep in those times. It was also kinda scary because the building lights were all off and the only lights we had were our cell phones and the street lights.
Bathroom = the woods.
Dont worry, we took toilet paper from the pub before we left and I had kleenex wipes with me.
People didn't really start showing up to the box office until 8:30, so we [Kathie, Jeany, Mary, Tom and I] were the first ones in line! Once the box office opened, the lines were split between the 10 16-25 year old stand-by tickets [5 pounds each] and the return tickets [that cost A WHOLE LOT MORE ...about 50-100 pounds].
After we got our tickets, the girls and I went back to the hotel and SLEPT!
After we woke up, we watched the original British versions of "Deal or No Deal" and "Don't Forget the Lyrics." They are soo much better than the American ones...the shows here had more heart.
Before the performance, we also met Canadian girls that were as excited as we were.
THE SHOW:
IT WAS AMAZING....FANTASTIC! David Tennant was a really great HAMLET! David and I made eye contact for 2 seconds! hahahahaha
I really really loved his performance! Especially the scenes where he was pretending to be crazy [or is Hamlet really crazy? hahahaha English essay question]...you can see the madness in his eyes...I loved how he used his entire body to capture your attention. I cried a little in the scene when they were burying Ophelia and he discovers that the dead person was Ophelia, and Hamlet's death scene.
and Patrick Stewart as Claudius and the ghost of Old Hamlet was astonishing! He was SO GOOOOD!!!
The entire cast was just FABULOUS! I can't even describe how freakin fantastic the show was! It just captures your attentions right from the beginning and does not let go! The most amazing Shakespeare experience of my life!!!!
IT WAS DEFINITELY WORTH THE WAITING IN THE COLD AND LACK OF SLEEP!!!
Intermission:
During intermission, we met Tom and his friend, David. David kinda looks like John Lennon.
One of the Canadian girls, Jessica, found us and dragged us to show us where Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes sat.
So when we got back to our seats before the 2nd half started, we just stared at Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes. She sat further away from us. She's so pretty in real life! I wanted to approach her after the show, but we wanted to get our programs signed by the actors.
After the show:
Got our programs signed by Patrick Stewart, David Tennant, David Ajala and the actor who played Horatio.
We got drinks at The Dirty Duck with the Canadian girls,Tom and David. We saw the actress who played Gertrude and the actor who played Horatio at the pub.
BEST WEEK-END EVER.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Greetings from England! Day 17
I'm currently looking for a cheap hotel room in Paris. The cheaper ones are a further to the city center of Paris. That's ok, right? UGH. Whatever, it's giving me a headache.
GAH! RIP IN PANTS! DAMN IT!
Oxford and Cambridge:
I did my college week-end. I got myself a sweater and a decorative plate from each university. The 2 oldest universities in the English-speaking world [ I don't need to say how super prestigious these schools are]. 2 that I can never, ever get accepted to [I didn't even pass the criteria for EAP hahahaha]....even if I did get accepted, I don't think I can afford to go to these schools.
They're both kinda like the UC system...each college is independent of each other, but has a central governing system.
Architecturally speaking, they are very similar. One can definitely confuse one place to the next....
Anyway, I had a great time just being there. A lot of history happened in those collective 60+ colleges...
Oxford:
It took almost 3 hours to get to Oxford by train. First stop was Christ Church college. A lot of Hogwarts scenes from the Harry Potter movies were filmed here...I was very temped to scream SORTING HAT in the halls. We also saw the Dining Hall with portraits of famous [or historical] alumni of Christ Church...including John Locke, William Penn [the guy who founded Pennsylvania] and Charles Dodgson [Lewis Carroll]
Christ Church and Alice in Wonderland:
-Alice is based on a read person, Alice Liddell, the daughter of the Dean.
-The White Rabbit is based on Alice's father.
We also went to the Christ Church Cathedral...according to the pamphlet, it is one of the smallest Anglican cathedrals in England.
We also went to Alice's Store...it's the store where Alice Liddell used to buy her candy...it's now a store that sells all kinds of Alice in Wonderland/ Through the Looking Glass memorabilia. They also sell the candy that Alice used to buy...it didnt look good.
We walked outside and we ended up at Merton College where J.R.R. Tolkien taught.
DSHAKJSHKJFA!!! OMG TOLKIEN! yea....I had a freak out...I also saw one of the houses Tolkien lived at..it was on Merton Street...It was the last house he lived in before he died. Tolkien studied at Exeter College [it's too far from the main streets in Oxford] and he started teaching at Pembroke College...but he got offered a job at Merton and he stayed there. While grading a paper he wrote "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit," the opening to The Hobbit.
We also saw Magdalen College where C.S. Lewis taught. He's buddies with Tolkein. We also stopped by the Oxford Botanical Garden where the fountain was the inspiration for where Lyra meets [I forgot who] in The Golden Compass.
There are many sites in Oxford that inspired literature. [Warning: the stuff I will be talking about will be Tolkien]
Exeter College: Tolkien invented Quenya, which is based on Finnish. He also wrote part of The Silmarillion here.
The Eagle and Child Pub: named after Zeus, as an eagle, kidnaps Ganymede. It's where The Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia were first read aloud by the Inkling Society.
Le Eurobar used to be called The Welsh Pony: the inspiration for The Prancing Pony
Radcliffe Camera: the inspiration for Sauron's temple to Morgoth on Numenor.
HAD CHINESE FOOD! DUCK FRIED RICE AND HOME MADE NOODLES! We ate at a restaurant called Shanghai 30...the interior is very 1930s China...very Lust, Caution.
Cambridge:
Rainy day in Cambridge. The first thing we did was go Punting on the River Cam. The person who was punting looked like Peter Pan, except she is a girl...she's still in high school. Yea...she looks like Peter Pan.
It was a very relaxing ride...except when it started to rain...YAY FOR THE UMBRELLAS THAT CAME WITH THE PUNT!
Had waffles for lunch. I had one that was called Fitzwilliam [and yes, I only got it because Fitzwilliam is Mr. Darcy's first name]. The waffle is topped with lots of fresh fruit and whipped cream on the side. I also had another one called Trinity..it's pretty much like having really beefy spaghetti sauce on my waffle. Strange, but really good.
We had a walking tour of Cambridge by a very nice, old gentleman. We went inside King's College Chapel [which is more like a cathedral! it's sooo big!]. It took about 100 years to build. It was started by Henry VI and Henry VIII was the one who finished it. Inside the chapel, the initials of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn can be found on the organ. The stain-glass windows depict both old and new testament.
We also saw other colleges, such as Gonville and Caius [Stephen Hawking teaches there], St. John's [which they call Wedding Cake because it's so ornate], Queen's College, Corpus Christi and Trinity College [where Prince Charles went to college and where a certain Newton saw falling apples].
I satisfied my craving for ice cream! I got a double scoop from the ice cream man on Honeycomb Meringue and Raspberry swirl with a stick of flake [flakes of cadbury chocolate compressed into a stick].
Midsummer's Night Dream:
At 1 PM, I get a phone call from my friend, Karla, selling me her tickets to Midsummer's Night Dream at the Globe. Jeany bargained it down to 30 pounds....that was funny shit! Karla started screaming "fucking asian bargainers" on the phone! LOL
Anyway, I was really happy we got tickets because I really wanted to see Midsummer's Night Dream, but it's been sold out. The gods were smiling down upon me yesterday. The Globe theater is actually not as big as I imagined it to be. ...very open to the elements. Thank goodness we weren't groundlings because I didn't feel like watching the show in the rain! The guy who played Demetrius was "in disposed" and he did not have an understudy, so one of the guys who plays one of the fairies took his part. He was very good considering he only got that part that day. After intermission, he had the script with him on stage [but he didn't really read it...]
Had greek food for dinner...it was REALLY GOOD! It made me like egg-plant [in form of hummus]. Because of our lolly-gagging, we were the last people to get on the bus...it's OK coz we got pictures!
GAH! RIP IN PANTS! DAMN IT!
Oxford and Cambridge:
I did my college week-end. I got myself a sweater and a decorative plate from each university. The 2 oldest universities in the English-speaking world [ I don't need to say how super prestigious these schools are]. 2 that I can never, ever get accepted to [I didn't even pass the criteria for EAP hahahaha]....even if I did get accepted, I don't think I can afford to go to these schools.
They're both kinda like the UC system...each college is independent of each other, but has a central governing system.
Architecturally speaking, they are very similar. One can definitely confuse one place to the next....
Anyway, I had a great time just being there. A lot of history happened in those collective 60+ colleges...
Oxford:
It took almost 3 hours to get to Oxford by train. First stop was Christ Church college. A lot of Hogwarts scenes from the Harry Potter movies were filmed here...I was very temped to scream SORTING HAT in the halls. We also saw the Dining Hall with portraits of famous [or historical] alumni of Christ Church...including John Locke, William Penn [the guy who founded Pennsylvania] and Charles Dodgson [Lewis Carroll]
Christ Church and Alice in Wonderland:
-Alice is based on a read person, Alice Liddell, the daughter of the Dean.
-The White Rabbit is based on Alice's father.
We also went to the Christ Church Cathedral...according to the pamphlet, it is one of the smallest Anglican cathedrals in England.
We also went to Alice's Store...it's the store where Alice Liddell used to buy her candy...it's now a store that sells all kinds of Alice in Wonderland/ Through the Looking Glass memorabilia. They also sell the candy that Alice used to buy...it didnt look good.
We walked outside and we ended up at Merton College where J.R.R. Tolkien taught.
DSHAKJSHKJFA!!! OMG TOLKIEN! yea....I had a freak out...I also saw one of the houses Tolkien lived at..it was on Merton Street...It was the last house he lived in before he died. Tolkien studied at Exeter College [it's too far from the main streets in Oxford] and he started teaching at Pembroke College...but he got offered a job at Merton and he stayed there. While grading a paper he wrote "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit," the opening to The Hobbit.
We also saw Magdalen College where C.S. Lewis taught. He's buddies with Tolkein. We also stopped by the Oxford Botanical Garden where the fountain was the inspiration for where Lyra meets [I forgot who] in The Golden Compass.
There are many sites in Oxford that inspired literature. [Warning: the stuff I will be talking about will be Tolkien]
Exeter College: Tolkien invented Quenya, which is based on Finnish. He also wrote part of The Silmarillion here.
The Eagle and Child Pub: named after Zeus, as an eagle, kidnaps Ganymede. It's where The Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia were first read aloud by the Inkling Society.
Le Eurobar used to be called The Welsh Pony: the inspiration for The Prancing Pony
Radcliffe Camera: the inspiration for Sauron's temple to Morgoth on Numenor.
HAD CHINESE FOOD! DUCK FRIED RICE AND HOME MADE NOODLES! We ate at a restaurant called Shanghai 30...the interior is very 1930s China...very Lust, Caution.
Cambridge:
Rainy day in Cambridge. The first thing we did was go Punting on the River Cam. The person who was punting looked like Peter Pan, except she is a girl...she's still in high school. Yea...she looks like Peter Pan.
It was a very relaxing ride...except when it started to rain...YAY FOR THE UMBRELLAS THAT CAME WITH THE PUNT!
Had waffles for lunch. I had one that was called Fitzwilliam [and yes, I only got it because Fitzwilliam is Mr. Darcy's first name]. The waffle is topped with lots of fresh fruit and whipped cream on the side. I also had another one called Trinity..it's pretty much like having really beefy spaghetti sauce on my waffle. Strange, but really good.
We had a walking tour of Cambridge by a very nice, old gentleman. We went inside King's College Chapel [which is more like a cathedral! it's sooo big!]. It took about 100 years to build. It was started by Henry VI and Henry VIII was the one who finished it. Inside the chapel, the initials of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn can be found on the organ. The stain-glass windows depict both old and new testament.
We also saw other colleges, such as Gonville and Caius [Stephen Hawking teaches there], St. John's [which they call Wedding Cake because it's so ornate], Queen's College, Corpus Christi and Trinity College [where Prince Charles went to college and where a certain Newton saw falling apples].
I satisfied my craving for ice cream! I got a double scoop from the ice cream man on Honeycomb Meringue and Raspberry swirl with a stick of flake [flakes of cadbury chocolate compressed into a stick].
Midsummer's Night Dream:
At 1 PM, I get a phone call from my friend, Karla, selling me her tickets to Midsummer's Night Dream at the Globe. Jeany bargained it down to 30 pounds....that was funny shit! Karla started screaming "fucking asian bargainers" on the phone! LOL
Anyway, I was really happy we got tickets because I really wanted to see Midsummer's Night Dream, but it's been sold out. The gods were smiling down upon me yesterday. The Globe theater is actually not as big as I imagined it to be. ...very open to the elements. Thank goodness we weren't groundlings because I didn't feel like watching the show in the rain! The guy who played Demetrius was "in disposed" and he did not have an understudy, so one of the guys who plays one of the fairies took his part. He was very good considering he only got that part that day. After intermission, he had the script with him on stage [but he didn't really read it...]
Had greek food for dinner...it was REALLY GOOD! It made me like egg-plant [in form of hummus]. Because of our lolly-gagging, we were the last people to get on the bus...it's OK coz we got pictures!
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