where ever you go, there you are - 2006 UK Tour

Clearly...

2007-10-10T03:04:00.000+01:00

...this blog isn't being updated any time soon.

Check out my scenic design sketchbook blog until it is!

http://www.sketchbook.charlesmurdocklucas.com/

Merry Christmas Everyone.

2006-12-26T03:34:00.000Z

Merry Christmas Everyone.
Or Hannukah.
Or Kwanzaa.
Or just Dec. 25th.
Be Happy.

Books...

2006-12-19T15:05:00.000Z

Well, I've been back about two weeks now, and here is my first post since then.

I'm going to continue to post regarding my trip, at least until I figure out what to do next with this (see previous post)

I thought I'd write a bit about some books that relate to the trip. The first is the Lonely Planet Guide to Great Britain.

I know this sounds like a commercial, so I'll explain a bit. Before I left the country, one of my dear friends surprised me with a going away present- this guide. It was totally unexpected and very wonderful of her. I would never have thought to have purchased a guide book before the trip, not in any serious sense, and I'm not sure which one I would have picked anyway. So it was great to get one as a gift.

It only became more valuable to me as we traveled throughout the UK, as it had helpful maps, information, entertainment suggestions, and other stuff that the Professors didn't know about. It was one of the most useful gifts I've ever received.

I liked it so much that I purchased the Lonely Planet Guide to Ireland myself later on in the trip, and it was extremely useful for planning my independent travel period.

Why write about this stuff now? Well, I've just got another gift from the same friend, a book called Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks. It's a great little travelogue about an English guy who made a bet (while drunk, of course) that he could hitchhike the circumference of Ireland with a fridge. Interested yet? Sure you are. I'm about half-way through it, and I'm really enjoying it too. And not just because I have an unhealthy interest in Ireland.

I've not really been one for travel books before, but that seems to be changing. So, if your in a quandary over what to get a friend, you might try these.

Oh, and when you get a chance, check out my friend Ian's new blog www.dabbling-in-the-arts.blogspot.com/ the photos he posts are really quite nice (I particularly like Cloudburst), and he'd probably appreciate some feedback. He's a good shit. Give his stuff a look.

Where am I?

2006-12-05T22:23:00.000Z

home.

on my way home...

2006-12-03T08:21:00.000Z

that's right.

Indy Travel Pictures!

2006-11-29T09:26:00.000Z

Ok! Here are some long overdue pictures!

Randomly, here's Ned and I in front of my favorite Chinese restaurant in London...

Now the Indy Travel Pics...

Here's Hayley on the Train to Stratford...

And me, looking zoned out, on the Train..

And Chandler and Kristen making a perfect picture on the train.

Later, when Hayley and I arrived in Cork, we decided to spruce up out room with a lovely carpet scrap we picked up at a store near the hostel...

Comfy...

Cork had a "Vision Center" that was to show the future of Cork City. They had a scale model which I rampaged through and destroyed. They were terrified of me, and gave me all the butter in Cork to stop destroying their city. True story.

This is the lovely inside of St. Finbarre's Cathedral in Cork.

And its haunting Neo-French-Gothic Exterior. Scary.

And here is the inside of St. Francis church. Not especially historical, but pretty!

That's all for now. Maybe some new ones later!

In Glasgow... and thinking about the future.

2006-11-28T22:27:00.000Z

So here I am in the lobby of the Eurohostel in Glasgow using free wifi. Very nice.

I said goodbye to Ireland for a very long time today, and didn't have a pleasant goodbye (read: I hate Ryanair)- but I won't go into that. It was wonderful in Dublin and I'm glad I went there again.

I am very excited to be coming home soon, however. Only 5 days. I love it here, and have had a wonderful time, but stability is something I'm missing. I also feel the coming onslaught of academics and preparing for the work world.

I'm also soon going to be in a curious position with this blog. I started it expressly for this study abroad trip, and that is now coming to a close. What now? I refuse to deviate from my original standards, i suppose you'd call them, for this blog. As you may remember:

I hate (and I mean hate) really boring online journal junk about how nikki broke up with jimmy and is screwing around on timmy who is so good at Diablo 6 it blows my mind.

But I love blogging technology. And I love my family, friends, and hangers on (not so much the Creepy Online Peeping Toms). And I want to keep up with all you great people while I'm abroad, and show you what I'm doing, and tell you all about it. And I don't want to harrass all you guys with e-mails you won't really read.

So, my solution[was] this.

A blog.

Now the trip will be over soon. I've enjoyed keeping this up, and some of you have told me you liked reading it. The time will come soon where I won't get to write about Europe, but instead perhaps about the Graphic Design, Scenic Design, Theatre, Marketing and whatever work I'm up to.

I do promise that I'll try my best avoid being "emo" or rambling about boring personal dramas- if I keep this blog going.

But beyond that, I'm not sure what will happen. Thoughts?

I do still have plenty to say/write/show you about my trip. But I'll also back in the USA soon, so that will have less immediate appeal :) So, drop me a line. I'm looking forward to seeing everybody again. Keep an eye on this website, and/or tell me what you think.

Dublin

2006-11-26T11:50:00.000Z

This is a quick post to let anybody who needs to know that I'm in Dublin (have been since friday!) and I'm having a wonderful time. On the advice of a dear friend (you know who you are) I saw the play Festen yesterday and was blown away. More about that later. Weather here in Dublin is lovely. Tuesday, I depart lovely Ireland for the final time and arrive in Glasgow, Scotland. More posting as time and funds permit.

[edit]
Oh yeah, and check out my friend's new blog

Travel madness...

2006-11-22T18:33:00.000Z

I'm writing this post at 11.00pm on the 21rst, but I'm not sure when I will get to post it. Here goes:

What a day! Today was the most involved, i think is the best way to put it, travel day I've had yet on this trip- perhaps in my whole life.

I awoke early this morning at 6.00 to pack and prepare for the day. After a quick but delicious breakfast and a farewell to Sue of Quilt and Croissants, Hayley and I went to the Stratford-upon-Avon train station to catch out 7.45 train (having picked up the ticket on the day we first arrived there). Train Number 1 caught, we walked through Birmingham to the next station, which was some ways away (when you are schlepping heavy bags) and then onto Train Number 2, after struggling with lines/confusion to get Ticket Number 2. Train Number 2 finished taking us to London. Next stage.

We arrive at the London Euston Train Station/Tube Stop, and catch the Northern Line going south to King's Cross St. Pancras, then switch to the Piccadilly line heading North to Caledonian station. I leave Hayley with the bags while I make yet another sojourn to pick up my (FINALLY) repaired (COMPLETLY) laptop. Then, a brisk walk both ways (each past the Pentonville Prison...) and we are back on the Piccadilly Line south to Greene Park. Switch to Victoria Line at Greene Park, and take that to Victoria Station.

Now, we catch the Gatwick Express train (ticket purchased en route to London) to the Airport, go and check in, check our bags in, pick up our tickets and get lunch in the airport while waiting to leave.

The plane leaves on schedule at 2.45 and arrives about an hour later. We are in Ireland! Cork is beautiful, if overcast (typically Irish). Then, we get our bags, go through customs, and go wait to catch another bus.

This bus takes us to the central station in Cork. After all this, we are exhausted, and it's only 6.30.

We could technically walk to the hostel we are staying, but we are so exhausted we hire a cab for the short drive. The cabbie is a character. My oh my. Crazy about Soccer. Hates Dublin, loves Cork. Thinks the States are of no account. The other cabbies are all jealous of him (or so he says) because he just put out his own book on soccer (which he has!). Talks about how friendly the Irish in Cork are, but spends most of his time bad-mouthing the Dubliners and people who demean Soccer. Wow.

The hostel itself, is quite serviceable. I'll post about that later though, and the rest of the night's events. And perhaps even on the previous night's events of note. I'm going to bed!

Arrived Safely...

2006-11-19T14:27:00.000Z

I arrived safely in Stratford-Upon-Avon yesterday from London via train. It was a lovely trip- the leaves have finally started to change in England and the air is distinctly cold and crisp. I'm in Stratford for the next few days, then off to Cork. Travelling to Cork will be quite hairy- two trains, the London Underground, a bus and a plane! Oy vey.

I saw Richard II performed by the Berliner Ensemble last night at the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford (38!). Very nice production. It was my first experience seeing a play in another language (German, of course) but I still enjoyed it. The setting was a white room made up of squares that opened, closed, moved ect. to fit the changing scenes. It was a dynamic design that fit the overall monochrome feel of the play. The The sound design was interesting too- lots of on stage sound; a scene in particular has RII being bombarded with clods of dirt/feces and the impact of the clods on the white walls make an interesting visual as well as audio contrast. The sound design also included the sounds of a steadily growing swarm of bees or hornets that blends with the sounds of hordes of armed men calling out. Very Nice. There was a nice moment too when two clown characters (gardeners) had a bit of schtick involving a hosepipe on stage, and some slapstick that worked quite well. They also had a nice stage convention (?) of props that worked like darts: gloves thrown down in a duelling challenge that stuck, like knives, straight into the floor, flower bouquets with a sharp knife at the base that stuck in the ground when thrown from above, and more. The acting was good- as far as I could tell- it's harder when it's not your language they are acting in! RII, Bolingbroke, York, and the clowns did particularly well. (Link to the production here.)

It's beautiful here and it reminds me of home. That's all for now.

Pericles Monday night (39!) Link to the production here.

Indy travel!

2006-11-17T19:41:00.000Z

Tomorrow morning I leave for independent travel to Stratford-upon-Avon, Cork, Dublin, Glasgow and parts betwixt! I'll try to stay in touch as best I can but things will be hairy.

Done with classes (as of yesterday) for SIX weeks. You know that feels good.

Oh, play total topped 37 yesterday when I saw Stones in His Pockets. :)

More to come!

Plays, Scripts, Sites and Pictures

2006-11-13T11:14:00.000Z

Well.

My laptop isn't fixed yet. I do have it back, though. I'm currently working around the problem and hope still to have it fixed before I leave London the final time. It will be much easier to have it fixed here still than start the whole process again back in the US.

Now I've added two more (Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? And Avenue Q) to the thirty-two shows I've seen, and I've got a ticket to one more. That will put the total at thirty-five. The new musical adaptation of Porgy and Bess is my next show, tonight at the Royal National Theatre. Its getting rave reviews.

I'm still trying to find the time and tickets to A Voyage Round My Father,The Mousetrap,Stones in His Pockets, and Summer and Smoke. We'll see if I can get those in.

I've also got tickets to go see the RSC's production of Pericles, and the Berliner Ensemble perform Richard II in Stratford-upon-Avon, I'm very excited about seeing those.

But, aside from theatre- I'm having a great time in London. I've been to the Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tower of London, Museum of London, the British Museum (six plus times), the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, Natural History Museum, Highgate Cemetery, the Design Museum, the Royal Observatory (saw the ball drop for the hour!), the Queen's House, the Inns of Court, Eton, Westminster Abbey, the Old Operating Theatre Museum, the Millennium Dome (from a distance), Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace (those from the outside only), and much more. Listing only goes a tiny bit of the way in describing the total impact of everything I've experienced. It can't even scratch the surface of the stuff I've seen, done, and internalized here in London.

But since listing is one way we grok experiences, where do I have left to go? Well, loads of places of course. Specifically, I want to go the Theatre Museum, Sir John Soan's Home, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Maritime Museum, the Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park, the Hunterium Museum, the Science Museum, the Cutty Sark and loads still undiscovered.

Since there is still more stuff to do, I'm probably going to work more time in London into my schedule for independent travel. There's way too much to do here to ever say that you've seen everything- but I can try :)

What else?

I'm anxious to come home, in a way, as well. And I keep buying postcards to mail to people and never end up writing them. Totally my fault. I will at least bring home blank postcards for people, even if I can't get my act together for that.

Oh yeah, and the Royal Court Theatre has a bookshop with a huge selection of scripts and a special section of scripts that are only 2 pounds. I bought a lot of those. Some of which are very hard to find at home.

I purchased:

Portia Coughlin by Marina Carr
Dublin Carol by Conor McPherson
The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonaugh
Woman and Scarecrow by Marina Carr
On Raftery's Hill by Marina Carr
Scenes from the Back of Beyond by Meredith Oakes (which I saw at the RCT)
Drunk Enough to Say I Love You by Caryl Churchill (which I saw at the RCT)
Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks (which I can get at home, but not for the equivalent of 2 US dollars, and I have seen this at the Warehouse Theatre in Greenville)

Those were all two pounds, except for Portia Coughlin. Amazing! I'm a reading fool now.

I've got some pictures (finally) for those who like pictures:

This is a shot of a class performing a movement workshop at the New Globe Theatre in London.

This is the ball that drops at the top of the Royal observatory in Greenwhich to set the time worldwide.

This is me standing at the Prime Meridian. How cool is that?

A lovely view of Greenwhich/the Docklands of London.

The Cutty Sark.

That's all for now! Stay tuned.

Addendum
Oh yeah, I thought this was funny.
Check out the Beard Theorum

32 and 23.

2006-11-10T12:45:00.000Z

Current count of plays I have seen? 32. Thirty-two. That's two times sixteen. And I have tickets for 3 more in London alone. And I'm planning on more. This is wonderful.

Current of days till I get home? Twenty three days.

I may be going to pick up a repaired laptop today. Be happy for me.

Quick Note

2006-11-01T18:22:00.000Z

Hey all!
I'm pressed for time, (going to see The Seafarer tonight!) just wanted to let all of you know I'm still alive. My laptop will be out of comission AT LEAST 10 more days. Argh. More updates when I can. Take care!

Still in the shop...

2006-10-22T21:54:00.000+01:00

Hey all!
As my post title implys, my laptop is still in the shop which is really cramping my style as far as blog updates. I know that makes all of you sad. Here's some quick stuff:

Went to saw a new adaptation of The Miser at the Cochrane Theatre on Friday. Pretty good! More about it later (I hope).

I've got tickets to Drunk Enough to Say I Love You and Scenes from the Back of Beyond at the Royal Court Theatre, and I'm going to see Caroline, Or Change at the National Theatre tomorrow. Looking forward to all three of those.

If I get a chance, I'll post and tell all of you about my (failed) attempts to get tickets to Harold Pinter in "Krapp's Last Tape" at the Royal Court. Oy vey! It's a great story. Oh, and guess why I'm annoyed with Dustin Hoffman?

I'm beginning my second week in London at the Royal National Hotel and I miss everyone very very much. I will update in more depth as soon as I can. Write me and let me know how all of you are!

Theatre update 3!

2006-10-10T21:33:00.000+01:00

Here is another big theatre update! More to come, and pictures will be added soon!

The Alchemist

On the 9^th of October, we saw a production of Ben Jonson's The Alchemist, a play contemporaneous to the time of Shakespeare and a classic of satire. It was a lovely show. Fine acting; Subtle outdid everyone with his total commitment and wide range of characters, but the rest of the ensemble made the show as well, with notable performances by Face, Doll, Sir Epicure, and many others.

We saw the show in the beautiful Olivier Theatre, which is a kind of ¼ arena stage, or maybe ¼ thrust is the best way to describe it… Anyway. The set was very fine, with a large square central house unit that rotated on a turn-table against a background of other apartments.

The live musical accompaniment was lovely as well, as were the lighting design. All and all a very solid show. But I wish they had done something else. Others may go ahead and scoff that of course the Nat'l theatre must do productions that will more or less guarantee filled seats, this I understand. But I can't understand why Jonson's play (thought very fine and entertaining) is worth all the effort. I'd rather see new plays (the life blood of the theatre) be put on with as much thought and care than this Four-Hundred-Year-Old-Frasier-Episode in two acts. I know I'm being a bit unfair- I do appreciate the great honor of getting to see such a great production of a rather obscure (to general perception) play, but I've lately been pining for the old geezers of the art to get out of the way and let the new generation have their go. I also feel that playwrights like Shakespeare are far more worthy of revival because of their superior language and other qualities. (Shrug!) A great production, but I would liked to see the company bend their considerable talents to a different play.

Some Stratford backtracking...

The last play we saw in Stratford was Antony and Cleopatra, starring Patrick Stewart as Antony. Like Julius Caesar, this was another very solid production, with good solid acting, particularly from Enobarbus, Antony, Caesar and Cleopatra. Lepidus was a stand out in this production- which was a fantastic because the character almost always fades into the background. We had also just seen the same actor play the more serious role of Caesar with equal skill and talent, so it was great pleasure to see him stretched. The overall pace of the show was excellent.

The setting was simple and effective, and the costumes were beautiful, even though their literalism conflicted with the more abstract sense of the set and lights. The music was charming.

It's partially a criticism of this show that I have so little else to say. It was a solid show, and not much more. Almost every other play I saw in Stratford elicited a much more passionate response from me, and bent my perceptions more. I didn't feel that Antony was really at the end of his long distinguished career, or that Cleopatra was losing an empire. Caesar, curiously, had the most danger about him, and his character was in the safest place. It was a good production, but it just didn't have enough danger to push it into the realm of greatness.

King Henry VI, parts 2 and 3.

We saw both 3+ hour productions in one day. Boy, was it worth it. These two parts finished up what is looking to be the best theatrical experience I've had this trip. A true, honest to God, Tour-de-force of theatre.

Favorite bits? The brilliant reinterpretation of Jack Cade's rebellion as a grotesque circus, with Cade delivering his lines from a high trapeze. Cade's minions pulling audience members up on stage to behead them. Winchester being hoisted 3 stories up into the afterlife screaming as a damned man by the ghost of Gloucester. The Duke of York's fantastic performance, including demonstrating his right to the crown in genealogy with stones as nobles, and his brilliant scenes with Margaret and Henry 6. Warwick the Kingmaker strutting about on stage like a great lion, and fighting viciously with two swords. The ill-conceived sexual excesses of Edward, and the stunning consequences. The soliloquy of an exhausted Henry 6, as he contemplates a shepherd's life. Suffolk and Maragaret's torrid affair and plotting. Ending the cycle with Richard dandling the new born son of York on his lap and saying "Now-" just as the lights cut out. And so much more.

More to come on the Henrys and on King John.Stay Tuned.

London!

2006-10-10T21:30:00.000+01:00

And it's time for yet another big update.

This past Saturday, I bid farewell to the charming hospitality of Richard and Sue's bed and Breakfast "Quilts and Croissants" and set off for London, that city of all cities.

But before we arrived in London, we saw Warwick Castle. Warwick Castle, named for it's original owner and inhabitant, the Earl of Warwick (also known as Warwick the Kingmaker in the time of Henry the 6^th), is now a theme park. A beautiful and entertaining theme park, but a theme park nonetheless. We did have a grand time touring it's many rooms filled with incredibly life-like wax figures of the scores of nobles, kings and servants that have touched that soil, as well as seeing a great demonstration of a trebuchet, and some medieval torture chambers, but it did have something of the Mouse about it, and I half expected to see Goofy come take a picture with me. Beautiful day, however, and a great transition experience from the quiet quaintness of Stratford-Upon-Avon to London.

London. That ancient city, that mecca of empires, that enormous aging giant, and vigorous wild eyed young man - London.

I've always thought that I don't like big cities. This is most based on the fact that I really disliked NYC when I saw it in highschool, and I still can't stand Atlanta. I detest the more touristy sections of Charleston. But London. London is a city that I think I can love. Sure its huge. Sure its loud. Sure there are homeless people here. Sure the English Pound to American dollar exchange rate is absolutely criminal. But this may be a city I can do.

Yesterday, I bravely plunked down a chunk of change for my one-month Oyster Card. This gives me unlimited trips on bus or train anytime I want for the next month. How glorious. How awesome. This enormous city, thousands of years old, just became tiny. I made my first trip, to Leicester Square, via tube yesterday, and have since used the tube for every trip I can. I love the tube. I love the tiled walls of the underground, the organization and the structure, the signs telling you where to go and how to get there, the lightning fast transport times, and most of all, the PEOPLE. Oh wow, the PEOPLE. I love getting on the tube and studying each person, wondering about where they are going, what kind of person they are, where they are from, if this is their first time on the tube or not (there always seems to be a first timer somewhere) and of course, if they might be planning on robbing me. Sure, it's scary. The station I went to today (Caledonian) was right by a prison, for crying out loud. But it's also fascinating.

"O brave new world, that has such people in't!" – The Tempest

But, it is still new to me. I realize this. We'll see what I think of it in a month.

Before I tubed, I took a long stroll with Kevin, Dr. Aarness, and, for part of the way, with Jeff, to get a feel of the city. We walked from our hotel to the top of Regent's Park- about 4 miles round trip! But it was a lovely walk. The park itself was verdant and clean, with many trees, open and spacious. With parks as lovely as that, I can understand living in a city.

On our walk we also saw the (not closely) the world's oldest zoo, which is located in the park, the London Eye (a sight-seeing wheel rather like a Ferris wheel) that I can't wait to ride, the millennium footbridge, the Gerkin (sp?) a beautiful modern building that resembles a large pickle, and scores more things. Pictures to come, of course.

Well, I must stop here for time's sake. Look here again soon for a long overdue update about the theatre I've been seeing.

PS My laptop is now in the shop- I can still receive e-mail, but it may take longer than usual for me to get back to you. Tell Kevin thankyou for me, if you see him, because he's letting me use his for the time being. Hopefully, once my computer is back into top shape I can update in smaller chunks again.

In London!

2006-10-07T22:50:00.000+01:00

Hey all,

I've safely arrived in London.

Never thought I'd actually make it here. Planned for it for a long time, but it's still a surprise.

More theatre reviews and other salient thoughts to come.

Another giant theatre update - Cymbeline, The Tempest, Julius Caesar, and King Henry the 6th part 1

2006-10-03T09:42:00.000+01:00

On the 26^th of September we saw Cymbeline produced by the Kneehigh Theatre Company. It is hard to describe the performance.

I feel like I have been gushing about every performance I have seen so far, and now I'm trying to balance the feeling that I have been too accepting and uncritical (after all, if you like everything, is there really anything to like?) with the feeling that I have truly enjoyed each production I have seen, for different reasons.

The production was a Cornish adaptation of Shakespeare's excellent story with brilliant music, creative and immediate writing, and a fantastic commitment to telling the story of the play with energy and passion. I was impressed with how they managed to combine comedy and farce with truly honest emotion.

I will try to describe what I saw. It was set on a thrust stage, with the primary scenic unit being a giant structure of scaffolding with a chain-link cage front. The cage part was actually two great doors that opened and closed to create different playing spaces that could be looked through, climbed on, used to hold things and in general made an appropriate space for the action to take place.

Memorable moments? The opening scene where counter-culture hooligans wearing hoodies deface the front of the King's palace with the word “remember” and memorabilia of the King's abducted twin sons. The cross dressing cornish man (woman?) who narrated the plays events. The touching and hilarious moment where Imogen thinks her lover Posthumus' head has been cut off. The dancing gigilo Iachimo and his cross dressing women of ill-repute. Seeing a remote control car used repeatedly onstage as a means of furthering action and delivering post. The gender-bent maid Pisanio with her crazy physical humor and commitment to her role. The vile Cloten and his demand that Imogen “Suck on his toes.” The brutal and sphinx-like Queen and her hot singing. The King Cymbeline's transformation from drugged out wreck to commanding conqueror. The Roman Emperor being portrayed by a light-up cardboard cut out and a tape-recorder. Posthumus' journey by boat. The beautiful music that accompanied all these moments. The fantastic company making a play that is several hundred years old their own in a way that would make Shakespeare proud, even if it wasn't his play.

http://www.kneehigh.co.uk/index.html

The next was probably the least enjoyable play I have seen yet. It was The Tempest, starring Patrick Stewart as Prospero. I'm in conflict over what I thought about the production.

Where to start? The director and design team decided to reset the play in an arctic wasteland, in contrast with the usual jungle Mediterranean island setting. This in itself is an interesting choice, and I feel, a perfectly fine one. But a interesting concept does not a great production make. But I am getting ahead of myself. They attempted to apply the chosen concept to various (I do not say all) parts of the play, with some success. Patrick Stewart gave us a Prospero at the end of his rope, desperate and clutching. He was so out of control and powerless that at the end of the play, I almost wondered if the whole show had been a hallucination of his. But his performance did ring true within itself, and with the interpretation of Ariel they chose.

Ariel was a great lurking, slow and solid block of ice that tore with glacial speed and strength across the stage from time to time. He did not respect Prospero at all, and never did I feel like he was scared of him. The play was clearly Ariel's. Ariel had all the power, he just happens to acquiesce to Prospero, for reasons unknown (of course we know that it is b/c Prospero freed him, but this is not acknowledged in the action of the performance). While not the flitzy, spritely, bouncing force of nature that I expected to be harnessed and tamed by an all-powerful Prospero, his performance did work. And that is just about where the good things of the production stop for me.

One can accomplish almost anything theatrically with a good company and a good director. This was a good company, and I assume the director has his strengths, but he was almost entirely focused on Prospero and Ariel, and I felt he hung the others out to dry. Miranda was played convincingly as a poorly socialized and almost autistic schoolgirl. This is an interesting dramatic choice, a good exercise. But I feel it does not hold up in performance in relation to the rest of the cast. Her relationship with Ferdinand and her father is entirely devoid of warmth and we are left with out any understanding as to how either could cherish much feeling for her.

The nobles were summarily dismissed as well, and had almost no sense of being the arctic wilderness they were supposed to inhabit. I did not feel any emotional connection to any of them.

The Caliban was merely adequate (biased, you say? Well that is totally likely- but the problem here is that the director seemed to feel that this Caliban was not worth any kind of dramatic force in this play). Stephano and Trinculo failed to hit any humorous high points for me, either. I did, however, love their costumes and some of Stephano's acting choices. The overall feeling was that they weren't given the chance to pull off what they needed to for these parts.

Things that I liked? A fresh new approach to the text. Prospero being interpreted entirely differently than what I expected. Ariel being fresh and different. The spectacle of Ariel erupting from the corpse of a dead sea-lion to make his “You are three men of sin” speech. Stephano as a singing butler. Trinculo with pans tied to his feet. An sense of eeriness that pervaded the whole production.

Things I disliked? Prospero telling every one to draw in to his cell, then the cell burning on stage after Ariel enters it lastly. A distinct feeling that Miranda, the Nobles, Caliban and even Prospero were somehow subordinate to the plot of Ariel getting his freedom. Seeing a play that I wanted to outshine everything I expected and shatter my sensibilities of how the play could be done instead fail under the weight of a poorly executed directorial concept. Honest, I know, and I hope not unfair too.

Link

Julius Caesar was altogether a different experience. Really solid production. Elegant design solutions. Fine acting. Good sense of tension. The only thing we missed - and this really is probably textual, was that the second half wasn't as riveting as the first. But I loved it still.

The performances of both Brutus and Cassius surprised me in how they grew on me as the show went on. I was also taken with the power and grace of their Julius Caesar, who had played a flat and sonambulizing Gonzalo in The Tempest.

The murder of Caesar was a stark and memorable moment. All of the conspirators were wearing bright, painfully white togas, and Caesar was already marked with a distinctive red sash that cut across his body. The stabbing was appropriately violent, with blood spattering everywhere. Caesar also surprised me by standing a good moment after he had been so violently stabbed, holding on to his power even until the last moment.

But this was all the first act. The second act had good costumes and spectacle, fine acting too, but no single moment that capped it all off. Octavius was very unimpressive in the final moments of the play. He is supposed to young in the play, but he is also supposed to have presence. I felt that he did not have the presence required.

We saw King Henry VI Part 1 on Saturday morning at 10.30. If it had been any other production, I would felt that seeing such a weighty production so early in the day would have been a bad idea, but I have grown to love this history cycle of plays and the performance did not disappoint.

This play probably has the weakest script of any of the Shakespeare plays we have seen, but it is also the start of something big and exciting. Let me describe it.

It was staged in the new Courtyard theatre, a space with a thrust stage, three floors of seating (pit, and two galleries) rather reminiscent of the Globe. The design made good use of this excellent performance space. The thrust was left bare, and a great cylindrical tower with spiral staircase at the back of the thrust made the primary scenic unit. It was set against a great curving wall that revealed itself to be a great pair of swinging doors. The floor, tower, and curved wall were all constructed out of beautiful sections of polished rusty steel or iron. They also frequently dropped in scenic units from high above the stage, as well as used the great heavy traps in the floor to great effect.

The sound was created, as in other productions, by a live band and singers, and various foley effects that made good use of the metal surfaces in the set (great clangs, bangs and scrapes).

The lighting was probably the best we had seen yet, and used a wide variety of unconventional instruments. Great shadows of the warrior Talbot and other players were thrown twenty feet high on the great curved back wall by low and powerful footlights.

The acting was superb. Having seen a previous production of this whole cycle by the BBC, I had high expectations of the actors. Talbot, Joan la Pucelle (Or, Joan of Arc), and the Dauphin, his court, and the Bastard of Orleans were all excellent. As is customary with Shakespeare and the English, there were plenty of jokes about France's military prowess (or lack there of). The Cardinal Winchester and Gloucester also did not disappoint. I was also impressed with Henry VI's (hereafter H6) performance. He is a difficult character to play – weak and ineffectual as a ruler, but the weakness must be played strongly; a weak performance is not a performance of weakness.

Some memorable moments? Henry the V coming out of his grave in the ground, covered in blood to lead the charge in one battle against the French. Joan of Arc summoning here divine/demonic power to defeat the French king and Talbot. The hilarious entrances of the French King and the Bastard of Orleans. The English army rescuing Talbot from the Duchess. Winchester spitting on Henry the V's grave. Talbot's scene with dying son. The arrival and courtship of Margaret of Anjou by Suffolk. The Battle scenes enacted on ladders hanging high above the stage. So many great moments!

http://www.rsc.org.uk/content/2205.aspx

Next play, King John. What I consider to be rather a weak script, but still with the promise to be a great performance!

PS My laptop has been acting up lately, with specific regard to internet access- thus I may be out of communication for a while until it is fixed. Cheers!

Theatre Abroad Part 1 - Heroes, Waiting for Godot, Bizzare Bath, Oedipus,& Romeo and Juliet,

2006-09-25T09:22:00.000+01:00

On Sept. 2oth (I think) we saw Heroes, a new comedy by Gerald Sibleyra, translated by Tom Stoppard (of Rosencrantz fame). It was our first theatrical experience of the trip and totally unexpected. I spotted the poster in the window of a theatre while we were wandering about Cambridge, and we decided to take in the 7.30 show more or less on a whim. As my first theatrical experience abroad it did not dissappoint, but I did find some elements out of place. The basic story is as such:

Three grumpy old men reside in a military hospital. Could today be the day they escape? Its 1959 and three First World War veterans pass their days in a military hospital. Meeting every morning, Gustave, Philippe and Henri bicker and tease each other as they reflect on their lives. Looking over the cemetery to the poplars beyond, they dream of escape. Will today be the day they finally make it to Indochina or perhaps only as far as the top of the hill?

Malik, Timothy, and Jayston's understudy did a fine job of exploiting the comedy's more subtle nuanaces- eliciting laughs from moments I would not have thought possible, and they also managed to finesse the larger laugh-lines, I was disappointed they did not get at the chance for something deeper in the play. There were many chances for showing a more honest, caring relationship between these three men. The last moment of the play attempts to evoke an image of them as a flock of birds, taking in turns the responsibility for leading and steadying the flock, a nice piece of writing and imagery that came off slightly false as it was nearly the first time we felt any depth of feeling among them. This is not to say that their relationships were not apparent, only that it was not nearly as well developed as I expected from professional actors doing a play about men who are spending their dying moments together, two of which have been friends for ten years.

That said, the comedy was played with excellent timing and craft. One of the funny bits of the show concerns the stone dog that sits on the terrace. Timothy's character is convinced that the dog moves, and Malik is only too happy to move it himself when the other's back is turned. Timothy also suffer's from fainting spells caused by shrapnel in the head, after which he always shouts "From the rear, captain! We'll take them from the rear!" which we later find out, is not a battle cry, but something much more interesting.

The next unexpected theatrical coup was an outstanding performance of Waiting for Godot at the Oxford playhouse, directed by the eminent Sir Peter Hall. We saw this on Sept. 21rst.

The actors in this show had a command of the language and craft I'd not seen before in a Beckett play, with Lucky being a true standout among the more minor characters.

Didi was played well, but was surpassed (only by a little bit) by his counterpart Gogo, who was far more spare in his interpretation, and in this case, stronger. The lighting was beautiful, and I was shocked how much I enjoyed this production in a proscenium space.

This is one of my favorite plays, and this production only made me love it more. Beckett is a master of examining existentialist and absurdist issues while making them hilarious and though provoking. This may be the top piece of theatre I've seen here yet.

Next was a recommendation by Rhett Bryson. I went on the thoroughly enjoyable Bizzare Bath comedy walk. This tour of Bath had absolutely no redeeming historical or social value and was all the better for it! A tourguide leads you from the Huntsman tavern at 8pm on a ninety-minute sprint of laughter and magic including a daring escape, ribald balloon humor, people getting things cut off, and lots of poking fun at the Germans. At only 5 pounds for a student, it was a steal. (Sept. 22nd) (http://www.bizarrebath.co.uk/)

In a more serious vein, on the 23rd of September I was fortunate to witness a stunning four person version of Oedipus Rex performed by the Actors of Dinoysus. In this brief but powerful production, one actor plays Oedipus while the other three double and triple as a citizen chorus, Tiresias, Jocasta, Creon, and others. The set was a master work of simplicity and function and the sound design was evocative and eerie with its use of radio static distortion and the haunting rain at the end which was reminiscent of The Wastland by Eliot. The only objections I heard had to do with the play having some political references (referring to Tony Blair and GW) but I felt that these were subtle and appropiate. The real pleasure of the play was seeing these four actors render such a great performance with such a small cast. The adaptation was written well too. I did take slight issue with the actual performance of the character of Tiresias; he sounded falsely geezerly as well as not being nearly as creepy enough, but this was outweighed by the overall high quality and gut-wrenching immediacy of the piece. The play ended with a sublte tableau sequence that brought Oedipus's kingdom back into balance as the gods' wrath subsided. (http://www.actorsofdionysus.com/)

Lastly (for now) we have a production of Romeo and Juliet that far surpassed my expectations. In this RSC production, the classically overdone Shakespeare play is given new dramatic life. It is framed in an extra story of two Sicillian families that come together once a year to put on their own production of R&J and put aside their weapons and hatred for one night. Fights are re-imagined as tap-flaminco-esque dances with quarter staffs, and as characters fall prey to the two families vile blood feud, hooks descend from the ceiling to recieve their outer garment, so you can see who had died for their blood feud.

Juliet was a radiant vision for her spare but powerful perfomance that showed both craft and passion. Romeo was far less appealling as the young actor had apparently found the role too large for him, and substituted emo-comedy for true emotional depth, hitting the same whiny note the whole way through the play. The Friar Lawrence and the Nurse delivered notable performances, showing a thorough grasp of craft and character-history. We were honored to have a talk back with the actress who played the Nurse, Sorcha Cusack.

The choreography was beautiful as well, specifically the dance-fights mentioned above. The set was gorgeous, although some were confused by the more abstract elements. I was impressed at how well it conveyed the mood and how well it was adapted to the various needs of the production. The play was also accompanied by haunting music, both played and sung, all live, that wrenched the heart. The lighting was evocative, and the costumes a vision. For me, all the stylistic elements fitted together into a whole that was both artistically beautiful, but also viable for actors to work in. This was one of the best Shakespeares I have ever seen. (Romeo and Juliet at the RSC)

I arrived in Stratford-Upon-Avon on Sunday, and it is a lovely city. Coming soon as well, updatesand pictures regarding the day's non-theatrical events that aren't covered here.

Tonight we see Cymbeline as a cornish/musical theatre adaptation. You know you're jealous. :)

John Knox's grave is sad, the Scottish Parliament is amazing, Durham Cathedral, York minister, and a few more things:

2006-09-22T23:57:00.000+01:00

To start this big picture update, we have the sad, unmarked grave of John Knox, Presbyterian reformer, and church father of some note, who St. Giles Presbyterian Church in Edinburgh has thought fit to have a grave marked with a yellow square of concrete about the size of a child's notebook. I am not kidding. Sad really.

The beautiful, bizarre and exorbitant Scottish Parliament Building.

The entrance area:

The outside office windows:

The stunning (and controversial) exterior

A beautiful internal stairway:

The Debate Chamber:

The much less impressive (and much older) Holyrood House of Edinburgh.

Durham Cathedral: (no internal pictures allowed here, just the exterior.)

Moving on to the glorious York Minster...

A statue of Constantine the Great, at York Minster:

The great city wall of York:

Clifford's tower in York.

And, just for fun, myself and Laura-Ann at the Jorvic Center looking as frightening as we were bored.

And, a charming street performer who fiddled and made a little devil dance while he did so:

And that almost catches me up on pictures. Hopefully, technology will allow future updates to have the pictures and the text together, as it normally works. We depart for Stratford at 10 tomorrow. Shakespeare, here we come!

Sheep, Hadrian's Wall, and Edinburgh.

2006-09-22T23:47:00.000+01:00

Blogger is still being friendly, so I'm posting some more pictures. More up to date info coming soon about the past few days. We leave for stratford tomorrow.

Here is a picture of some of the many scottish sheep we passed on our way through the country side:

Here I am standing on the Hadrian's wall:

Lauran-Ann is chopping me in half at the Refretory of the Military complex at Hadrian's wall:

Harrison, Laura-Ann and Myself at Hadrian's Wall

A wide view of the Houstead's Military Complex at the Wall:

Same here:

A wide view of both the wall and the milirtary complex:

A picture of Beautiful Edinburgh at night:

Chester Cathedral (pictures working now)

2006-09-22T15:58:00.000+01:00

Finally pictures are working! here are some pictures of the glorious Chester Cathedral!

York.

2006-09-19T16:09:00.000+01:00

So I'm on day two of York now. Tomorrow morning we leave for Cambridge.

Blogger isn't letting me upload pictures right now, but lots are coming.

Sept. 14th - We saw Chester Cathedral. This beautiful gothic cathedral has many lovely stained glass windows (see pictures to come), but unfortunately none of them date from the construction of the Cathedral, having been destroyed by Henry the 8th's anti-monastic rampage around 1540. The modern stain glass windows remain impressive, however. The Cathedral itself was built around 1250, having been built as an addition to the abbey first constructed in 1092 for Benedictine monks.

Sept. 15th - This day was a murderously long drive to Edinburgh. However, we were fortunate to be able to stop at the Housteads fort of Hadrian's Wall. This wall, which stretched roughly 80 miles across the northern border of Roman Britain, was meant to keep the vicious barbarian hordes that frequently attacked. Amongst these hordes were the canny Scots. The Wall is built on a natural rise in the landscape that provides a commanding view of the countryside.

Sept. 16th - Our first stop this day was John Knox's sad little grave, an unmarked cement square in a parking lot, outside St. Giles Cathedral. After this stop, we went to Edinburgh Castle.This was the first castle we had seen that was still almost entirely whole (no bombing in the world wars!). It of course had been refitted as many little shops and seperate mini-museums. The museum displays (particularly the war memorial, and the Scottish Regimental museum) were impressive and conveyed the tremendous national pride of the Scottish people. The display with the Scottish crown jewels, and the "honours" (a ceremonial scepter and sword, given to Scottish kings by the Vatican), and the "Stone of Scone" or "Stone of Destiny" was particularly interesting.

Sept. 17th - We saw a surprising dichotomy between two Scottish Identities; Scotland as part of the United Kingdom in Holyrood House, and a re-emerging Scottish Nationalism in the new 400 million Pound Scottish Parliament. Holyrood House, while interesting, was predictably similar to many other displays of British royalty and authority we have seen before (and will see again). They also were not inclined to let us take pictures. Scottish Parliament, on the other hand, was a striking example of what beauty can be achieved when a people is totally committed to the modern paridigm of Architecture. The beauty however, ended up costing the taxpayers 430 million pounds, nearly eleven times what was originally projected. Not sure how I would feel about that if I was paying the taxes.

Sept. 18th - Another arduous drive, this time to York. The English countryside is so different from the Irish. At one point, I fell asleep on the bus and looked out the window, and thought I was looking at Pickens, SC farmland. Terrifying experience. I miss Irish countryside. Our primary stop on this trip was Durham Cathedral, the first really good example of Norman Church architecture we have yet seen, and the finest in the world. We arrived at a charming bed and breakfast called "The Lady Ann Middelton's Hotel," which has lovely rooms, amazing food, and full exercise facilities.

Sept. 19th - Today was the York Minster, or the York Cathedral. "Minster" is a corruption of the Latin monasterium. It is the largest Gothic Cathedral north of the Alps, and one of the most impressive I've ever seen. One of the really special things about the Cathedral is that it's stained glass is all original. No glass mashing in this Cathedral's past. It also has one of the widest naves in the world. We also saw, Cliffords Tower a tower seated high about York on a mot, or mount, that has a interesting quadraloop structure (similar to a four leafed clover). We visited the Jorvic Center this afternoon, a musuem/ride that seeks to recreate early viking settlements sights, smells and feel with bad animatronics and creaky theatricality. Avoid it all costs. Please. Seriously.

Having a grand time. Miss all of you. Lots of great pictures to come.

In Edinburgh...

2006-09-16T16:33:00.000+01:00

Hello all!
I'm in Edinburgh, which is a lovely city, with charming people. It is perhaps indicative of the international quality of the city that the first two people I spoke to here were not from Scotland at all, but from Australia, and Liverpool, England. Saw Edinburgh Castle today, incuding the crown jewels of Scotland and the Stone of Scone. Being the in presence of so much of the history I've been reading about for months is quite powerful. I will update with pictures, including pictures of Chester Cathedral, from the day before yesterday, and pictures of the all the road we've been traveling. That's all for now. I will update again as soon as I can.