Saturday morning was quite, quite lazy. I stayed in bed for a while, reading and enjoying the opportunity to relax for a bit. Finally I got out of bed and headed to meet Hannah and Clara at the Jubilee Market in Covent Garden. Being a Saturday and being a fairly touristy area of the city, it was packed with people. Getting of the Tube at the Covent Garden station is like getting on and off a ride at Disneyland, except without the fun part in the middle. The market was nice though, lots of stalls of knick knacks and interesting trinkets. We wandered around the market for a bit, paused to watch a street performer for 5 seconds, and then went to Ben’s Cookies. Ben should really call his cookies muff-ookies because they’re somewhere between the size of a muffin and a cookie. The cookies were absolutely delicious and I shall definitely be returning for more before the trip is over.
There wasn’t much else to see in Covent Garden so we wandered across the river to the South Bank. Just across the bridge and under it was the South Bank Book Market. All I could think the whole time we were browsing was that this is what Emily’s heaven must look like. Rows and rows of every genre of book imaginable. Emily, you’ll have to come visit this place someday.
Just next to this is the National Theatre so we stopped in to find out some information about their student ticket prices and to browse their book store. I’ve never seen so many plays in one place before! It was wonderful. Plus, everyone we encountered who works at the National Theatre was friendly, helpful, and excited for us to be studying in London. I will certainly be back to visit again soon.
Earlier in the day, we had decided to meet up with some other friends around 5:30 to see 12 Years a Slave back in Covent Garden. Before heading back to the cinema, though, the three of us wanted to grab a snack. We stopped in at Las Iguanas on the South Bank for some chips and guacamole. Thank god we got inside when we did because about 15 minutes later the biggest rain storm I’ve seen yet came pelting down. There was thunder, lightning, and enough wind to blow the chairs on the deck all over the place, not to mention the rain that was coming down in sheets. We happily ate our chips and guacamole until the storm had passed, then headed to the cinema.
12 Years a Slave… one of the most beautifully made movies I think I’ve ever seen. It was horrifically graphic, stunning, and amazingly moving. The cinematography was breathtaking, the acting was out of this world, and the writing was brilliant. There were a couple scenes where the lead actor was simply staring into the camera and taking in his surroundings that moved me to tears. The last 10-15 minutes of the film had me shaking I was crying so hard. Once the movie was over, it was about another hour before I could form coherent thoughts. It was breathtaking and I highly recommend everyone goes to see this film. If it doesn’t sweep the Academy Awards this year then the Oscars mean nothing. Two of the actors in the film (including the lead) are LAMDA graduates and in particularly intense moments when I needed to extract myself from the mood of the film I pictured them on set, joking about their LAMDA days.
We all needed some sustenance after the film and someone suggested Shake Shack. A delicious burger didn’t sound half bad so we all wandered over there, grabbed a bite to eat, and I headed home for some Netflix, laundry, and sleep.
I slept in again this morning (a theme I think I will repeat frequently on the weekends). I did some homework and then got ready to go see The Duchess of Malfi, stopping on the way to get some food and work on my monologue (in the middle of Pret a Manger, I was the crazy girl talking to herself, reciting a monologue.) Anyway… the play. The Duchess of Malfi premiered at Blackfriars Theatre, before a small, private audience. Then, in 1613-1614, it opened more publicly at the Globe Theatre. I saw this play steps from where it was first performed 400 years ago. For a nerd like me, that might have been enough to make me love the show but the play held its own and was quite well done. Being more or less unfamiliar with the text, it was nice to go in with no expectations. The theatre itself is spectacularly beautiful. There were no photographs allowed inside but I snagged this one off Google Images:
The space is entirely lit by candlelight giving it a romantic, yet sometimes eery, mood. The chandeliers you can see in this photo were raised and lowered throughout the performance, helping to denote scene changes and throw the light in different ways. All the gold accents on the set sparkled when the candlelight flickered. As all theatre, dance, opera would have been performed by candlelight until the invention of the electric light, it was truly magical to see this play in its original state. The costumes were all true to the period, as well, and were of elegant and lovely design. The text itself was lovely. A line that caught my ear (it doesn’t really require context) went as follows:
“We are merely the stars’ tennis balls, struck and banded/Which way please them.”
I love that imagery and the play was filled with a lot of it as well as some enchanting extended metaphors. I quite enjoyed the direction, too; it took full advantage of the actors and the space. Each actor was talented but my favorite (by far) was the actor who played Ferdinand, the Duchess’ brother. The character has a psychotic break towards the end, on a Lady Macbeth scale. Before that, he is a slimy, manipulative, cocky duke. David Dawson played both aspects of the character brilliantly. His performance was dynamic, grounded, and very engaging. Overall, I really enjoyed the production and absolutely love this brand-new theatre.
Now I’m back in my room, preparing for classes tomorrow. I have a few scenes to look over and two monologues. Such is the life of a theatre student and you won’t hear me complaining!
Until next time!
Cheers!