Touching the Hand of God

Today I "shook" two hands that many would only dream of touching. I almost wet myself when I touched one, the other was nifty, but meh, didn't excite me.

A month ago I booked tickets for the Dr. Oz show, intending to go with my mother. Her flight, however, left the day before the show taping so I was left with two seats in the audience at 30 Rockefeller Center to see this glorified television doctor talk about health fads... at least I thought he was over-glorified. My mom loves this guy, but I never saw the appeal. Then I went to his show taping and was forced to watch an entire episode. He's actually quite an informative cat. On this particular episode, he talked about internet weight loss scams, asthmatic peoples, and self-defense, among other things. Seeing the magic behind the show (aka the amount of times he screws up and says "let's run it again") is interesting to witness. Later that day, however, I saw a true master practicing his craft.

Thanks to an incredibly generous friend, I was able to obtain a ticket to see a live taping of The Colbert Report. A dream. Seeing this show live was an utter dream. The taping began at 7:00pm. I got in line at 4:00. I wanted to be as close to Stephen as possible. I wanted to smell him (yes, my passion for Stephen is on the creepy side). If you ever watch the show, you'd be surprised how small the studio actually is, unlike Dr. Oz's ample space. Whenever Stephen runs from his desk to the interview table (by the fireplace) he over-exaggerates the run to make it seem father away than it is. It's actually like five steps.

Enough about the studio. Let's talk about how I was giddy as a school girl with a new My Little Pony. I almost cried when Stephen walked onto the set. Before the show, he always does a meet and greet with the audience. The fantastic part about this is he does it out of character. The narcissistic, cocky character that is Stephen Colbert gets set aside for a short moment and we get a view of the real Stephen.

The taping itself was a site to see. As is mentioned to the audience multiple times before we even enter the studio, Stephen is an improv actor. He did, after all, begin in sketch comedy. Therefore, to properly fuel Stephen, the audience is encouraged to laugh, hoot, holler, and enjoy themselves. Which is why you can hear me give an audible 'whoot' after Stephen mentions Boy Scouting around 3 minutes 23 seconds into the episode.

Once the cameras start rolling, Stephen just flows and never skips a beat. He takes about a 10 minute pause wherever a commercial break lies in the show. At that point, his director, producer, and make-up artist come to the desk and I assume brief each other on the following segment. Besides these little pauses, this comedic genius seems practically flawless. Even when his guests match him in whit. Such as tonight, Brother Guy Consolmagno, who talked about the Catholic church encouraging exploration of extraterrestrial life, and Sherman Alexie, a native American author who is fighting to keep books in print.

After the taping, Stephen sincerely thanked the audience for being a part of the show. I like to think that thank you was directed specifically at me. I proved it by diving over four chairs as he left the room to give him a high five. I'm never washing that hand again.

Back at Penny's

A week ago I had an incredible experience on this Penny's stage. I simply couldn't sit by and let that performance be a one time thing. So I made my way back to Under St. Mark's Theatre for the open mic themed "Why Art?" Truly a unique theme for an open mic and there were plenty of unique answers. Here's my last minute excuse for an answer. But it made for a nifty little performance...

(video to come soon)

In the meantime, check out some of the Penny's message boards:

A Penny's Worth of Music

There are two audio tracks here.

(1) Acoustic Open Mic - New York, New York

(2) Penny's Open Mic Podcast

Be sure to check out both. (Excuse the low quality on the podcast, had to make it fit on the site)

Thanks to Penny and all the open mic performers.

Our Precious Town: A Play Review

Scroll down the page, and you'll see a post in which I relayed a story to you. Yes relayed, not copied. It's a story about living in the present, not taking for granted the life we live everyday, not letting this gift we've been given slip away before it's too late. So too is the message of Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize winning drama Our Town.

Not-so-ironically, I was given tickets to this show by the same man who shared the story Precious Present with me. I had seen the play before, back in high school, but at the time I thought the show was boring and drawn out. After all, I was young and the acting in the show was... well, high school. So before I went to see the show this evening, I read the play.

In reading the story, I got the gist. The first two acts are pretty basic: a simple town, with simple people, living simple lives that include the usual dramas that accompany most people's lives. A narrator, or stage manager as he is referred to by Wilder, guides the reader through the story: the first act introducing the town and the people in it, followed by the second act's journey of love. The third act is the bombshell. The reader doesn't see it coming. It's not really a plot twist or something like that, it's more of a revelation. A heart-wrenching revelation.

I don't want to give it away, but give it a read. Better yet, see the play.

Best play I have ever seen. Period. Even though there was a period at the end of that sentence, I feel it necessary to once again write the word Period for emphasis. If given the opportunity, see the play at the Borrow Street Theatre in New York City. If you're really lucky, you'll see it with the incredible cast I saw it with. Just for my own purposes, I'll list the prominent characters here... incase I lose my playbill.

Stage Manager...................................................Jason Butler Harner

Mrs. Gibbs..........................................................................Lori Myers

Mrs. Webb.........................................................................Kati Brazda

Doc Gibbs.................................................................. Armand Schultz

Joe Crowell, Jr. .........................................................Jason Yachanin

Howie Newsome............................................................Adam Hinkle

George Gibbs.......................................................James McMenamin

Rebecca Gibbs................................................................Jacey Powers

Emily Webb..................................................................Jennifer Grace

Simon Stimson..............................................................Jeremy Beiler

Mr. Webb.............................................................................Ken Marks

The show has minimal scenery, a couple tables at best. The show takes place in the early 1900s, yet no period costuming is used. A lot of the show is placed on the imagination of the audience, but the acting allows it to be so. This play is not about scenery or razzle-dazzle. It's about people, it's about life... and how we need to live in it while we are living it.

A Musical Review: Altar Boyz

Since first arriving in New York, I’ve heard raving reviews about this off-Broadway show called Altar Boyz. This post is another such raving review.

But first a definition is in order, off-Broadway. I myself had a vague understanding of the word, but as I have learned, it has a concrete, simple definition. An off-Broadway show is a one in which the theatre holds less than 500 people. That’s it. Doesn’t mean the quality of the actors, sound, lights set, or any aspect of the show is anything less than fantastic. Because these shows are often in small venues, it requires the show to do a little less with sets and such, but the show itself can be just as entertaining as those flashy big staged shows.

Off-Broadway does, however, mean more risks can be taken. More risqué subject matter can be addressed. More absurd plots can be explored. Such as a group of four Catholic school boys, and a Jewish one, forming a Christian boy band, creating a show that is a completely mockery of Catholicism, Christian Rock musicians, and boy-bands. This is Altar Boys. In my humble opinion, it’s absolute genius.

As an audience member at Altar Boys, you are actually an audience member at the boy band’s final performance of their cross-country tour. Their goal is to spread the good word of God through their hip thrusting gyrations and tight vocal harmonies. At certain points throughout the show, they use their “Soul Searcher 5000” to scan the audience and see just how many souls they’ve converted.

They nail every hilarious boy band member persona: the ever-diligent leader, the obvious yet closeted gay, the Spanish conquistador of women, the recovering muscular alcoholic, and of course, the Jew. Each has a quite a back-story which is uniquely woven into the show.

With just a very talented four piece band on stage and the five vocalist/dancer, this show makes the off-Broadway community proud.

A Musical Review: 9 to 5

A rainy Saturday is a blessing when you are in the amusement park entertainment business. We had one such glorious day on Saturday June 20th, and time away from the park cannot be wasted when you work six days a week. That’s why a group of us took the train into the city to see 9 to 5.

The show is written by Dolly Parton, which made me skeptical. I’m not the biggest country fan. However, I would barely classify this show’s music as country. It was musical theatre with a country flare and a huge flame of hilariousness.

Main character Violet Newstead, played by Allison Janney (may remember her from Juno, Harispray, American Beauty etc.), brings out her fair share of dry, sarcastic humor throughout the show. While Janney’s singing voice isn’t quite Broadway quality, it fits her part, monotone and strong. Perfect for the persona of a widowed woman in a man’s business world. Her acting, on the other hand, makses up for any shortcomings she may have.

The other main supporting actresses, Stephanie J. Block and Megan Hilty, were both part of the original Broadway cast of Wicked, and their unmatched acting and singing shown brightly. Hilty plays the seemingly bimbo-like secretary. As the show develops, so does her character, displaying a misunderstood office beauty. Block plays character Judy Bernly, a timid woman entering the business world after being left by her husband.

All three meet up and inadvertently take the CEO of their company hostage, resulting in no-so-cliché comedy, and a better work environment for everyone.

For a show that takes place mostly in what would seem to be a dull office setting, the sets were anything but mundane. Plus, the intense amount of dance and tight choreographed movement on stage is the same caliber as any other dance intensive show like West Side Story or Footloose.

Today was all around a surprising day. Didn’t expect to have off work, and didn’t expect to be so highly enjoying Dolly Parton’s country twang turned Broadway musical.

Entertainment

As I approach this weekend I can't help but feel that something is amiss. Last weekend I felt the same thing. Like there was something I missed, forgot to do..... ah, that's it. I didn't work last weekend, and I don't have to this weekend either.

But really, was it work? It occupied my time much like a job does, taking 3 hours out of four nights a week. Plus, I did get paid to do it. However, a part of me can't justify going on stage, acting like a moron, and singing a few songs a real job. But part of me thinks, "it is a talent." It really boils down to quality. 

Entertainment, specifically music and theatre, is a touchy subject when it comes to quality. It's all in the eye, and ear, of the beholder. Personally, I'm a critic. Not that everything has to be perfect, but for me to be entertained a performance needs to encompass real talent, skill and noticeable effort. Though, not every entertainer strives for either of those. 

Not every sloppy strumming, slack jawed "singer/songwriter" you hear in a coffee shop considers themselves a professional player. They are just doing it to do it. I respect that in the highest regard. I, on the other hand, want to be something more.

I'm rambling so let's get down to it. The long and short of it is this: Entertainment is a Release. An audience member pays good money to be taken out of their life for a while. Forget about everything but the show that's in front of them. If a performance doesn't take the audience member on a ride, if it doesn't move them in some way, then the performer did not do his/her job and I believe they have no business calling themselves a quality performer. 

Harsh? Maybe, but I've struggled a lot with this topic recently. Whether or not performing is a viable career path, or whether I should just stick to a community theatre performance every so often. We'll see. In the meantime, I'm perfecting my chops. I just finished two runs with Daddy D productions. The completion of the 80's Show also completes my time with Daddy D's as I begin to look east. But here's a taste for what we did there. I'll let your ears determine the quality:

Warhorsing

12-10-2008

Wednesdays I normally start my morning a bit later, as I don’t have to be into work till about 12-12:30. This week was a bit different since I had to queue around 8:45am at the National Theatre in order to get tickets to see Warhorse.

I had some lovely company though with Kat. You may remember her from the ISH karaoke and construction building freeze tag. She met me at ISH reception this morning at 8:00am with two coffees in hand. We hoped on a 435, got off at Trafalgar, and walked over the Thames to the National Theatre only to find a queue had already formed with still 45minutes till the box office opened.

The wait was worth it though. We got our tickets. I couldn’t be more pleased since that show was probably the best I’ve seen in London.

 

It’s about the 1914-18 war, except from the perspective of a horse named Joey. It begins with Joey as a foal and how he is bought by a drunken farmer, raised, and subsequently loved, by the farmer’s son.  As the war breaks out, Joey is sold to the army. His strength and good upbringing save his life though, as he is put to use as a general’s escort as opposed to infantry. The farmer’s son eventually misses Joey too much and joins the army in order to search for him. From there it turns into Saving Private Ryan, but with a horse. The show is incredibly moving and extremely unique. Mostly because of the puppets.

Joey is actually a life-sized wooden framed horse that three men operate throughout the show, one on each set of legs and another controlling the head. Their incredible skill in moving that horse makes the audience forget there are even puppeteers. The lifelike way in which they move that puppet is astounding.  Especially when there are two of these life-size horses on stage at once. 

The sets were minimal and interactive with the movements of the cast. There was a torn page from a book flown in at the stage top, which projected scenery and video in sketches, very tasteful and artistic.

And the music. Awesome. Mostly chorus and the small instrumental parts were carried out on stage. There was a narrator / inner monologue of Joey who was in every seen, in the same costume, but yet fitting the scene well as he sang the story in an English folk song style. All around, a brilliant show.

To rewind to earlier in the day, I got my hair cut before work today by a nice Brazilian man who spoke no English. I decided I did not have the patience for dreads as I know that in order to have them look the way I’d like it’d take 3 years…. just not patience enough. And while the Brazilian guy was very meticulous, I still hate the way it looks.

King of the Jungle

12-3-2008

I remember seeing the movie when I was a young’n, singing the songs, loving the characters. Then 10 years ago I remember hearing how Elton John went back at it to turn this loveable movie into a musical. I tucked that under my hat knowing that I’d get around to seeing to someday. Well today was the day I finally saw the stage adaptation of The Lion King.

From the end of “Circle of Life”, the opening number, when the audience roared with ecstasy to the songs reprise to cap the show off, it’s no wonder it’s been running for 10 years.

For the most part, it was the movie, verbatim. Same lines, songs, familiar characters, everything the world has come to know and love about the Lion King. But there were also many differences, good and bad. A few of the added songs didn’t really do much for me, particularly the one the hyenas sing…distorted electric guitar in the Lion King?

Other differences were all for the better, mostly the differences that made it a stage show, such as puppetry-like costumes. Incredible. The costumes used in this show are worth the tickets price themselves. The way the extras move like the animals they are portraying is inspiring. The dance numbers are also an added bonus that the stage lent to this inspiring tale. And I wish I would have purchased a program so I could have figured out the name of the little girl playing Nala. She’ll make it far. 

Imagine 0°00'00"

11-29-2008

Today I took on London all on by my lonesome. It was quite liberating as I went where I wanted, took all the time that I wanted, and didn't really have to compromise with a group. This day was about me and Greenwich.

This entire trip I've had a collection of 50 cards called London City Walks. Sadly, I have yet to use any of them until today. I wish I would have started using these little blue cards sooner. On one side is a walking map of a small section of London. The other side has written directions which include historical, entertaining, and interesting information. Today I used my Greenwich card.

What's the cliche saying? The journey is the reward? That definitely applies to this Greenwhich journey because it was a chore getting out there with the tube lines down over the weekend: Bakerloo line to Waterloo Station, change to Jubilee line, take that to Canary Warf (where I was stopped by a TfL agent and randomly asked to present my oyster), then change and take the DLR (dockside light rail) to Greenwhich.

But totally worth the journey. The walk started at the Royal Naval Academy. Now chances are that without the little blue London City Walk card, but I would have never known about the Painted Hall.

This massive banquet hall is in the middle of the Naval Academy and hosts all their huge ceremonial functions and dinners. As impressive as the bulbed candles are, the real beauty, as you might have guessed, is in the walls and ceilings of which every centimeter is covered in ornately painted scenes and decorations.

Even the fireplace, which looked ornately carved, was in fact not ornately carved, rather painted to look ornately carved.

It was quite a sight, tucked away in the Naval Academy.

Across the way from the painted hall was the Naval Academy's chapel, which was worth the walk over to take a look, but not worth enough to post a picture of it here. As far as chapels go, I've had better. But they did have some amazingly clean and modern toilets. So there's a plus.

The real excitement in this area of London is the Prime Meridian, where the line of longitude is at 0°, completely zeroed out. Here I am straddling two different time zones. My watch and my head was spinning as I stood with absolute zero between my legs. It was a thrill. The Prime Meridian and the opposite 180th meridian (at 180° longitude)in which the International Date Line generally follows. The circle these two lines create divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

This line, which unlike natural lines of latitude defined by the rotational axis of the earth, is arbitrarily created by humans for navigational purposes. The most famous man made concept also originates from Greenwich, specifically from the Royal Observatory: time. From here we all sync our watches and where for close to a century, time was sold by the Bellville family, specifically a woman named Ruth Bellville. Taking after her mother, Ruth walked up and down the streets of London giving local shop owners the correct time, as she got access to the observatory through her father and got the correct time there. I learned all about her when a lovely actress dressed in period clothing gave a 30 minute talk about her life.

The Royal Observatory also houses the world's first public time keeping device. Ships docked along the Thames would look up the hill to see this massive red ball sitting like a tumor on top of a weather vain. At half noon, the ball falls to the polls midway point, and when the clock strikes 1:00pm, the ball drops all the way down. This allowed the sailors to adjust their clocks accordingly and set sail on time. The ball still very much functions today. I just so happen to be at the Royal Observatory at the exact time the ball slides down that skinny shaft.

The rest of my Greenwich day was much more exciting than a droopy red ball. After the ball dropping and the talk from pseudo Ruth Bellville, I chilled out in the observatory learning from an interactive panel (like in the movie Minority Report) about black holes, black matter, solar systems, and all things space-age. I went to a planetarium show about Mars Invaders. Sounds like a kids sci-fi, but the invaders in this brilliant piece of cinema were human beings, and the entire film was about our exploration of Mars, past and future. 

Once I knew all I ever needed to about Mars, I walked a cold walk down from the observatory to the National Maritime Museum, where I soaked in (pun intended) all sorts of boat and sea knowledge. Beside the Seaside pleased me the most of all the exhibits. It was more art than educational, but if one looked close enough, you could learn a great deal. The exhibit was a series of black and white photos taken from the 1820's to about the turn of the century. Each scene depicted a different aspect of life for those living seaside. 

From the Maritime Museum, I found my way to the Greenwich market, where I indulged in a rainy Nutella crepe and an oriental chicken wrap, in that order. This market was probably one of the better as it was mostly homemade-craft based. Super cool artisans selling not just trinkets to clutter your home, but practical things like puppets and wooden ties.... well there were some practical things there, like the food. I got a bag of spiced cashews from a vendor that had barrel after barrel of deliciously seasoned nuts.

Once the market started to repeat itself, since I was walking in circles, I decided it was time to head over to the West End and take in a show. To get back, however, I took a walk under the Thames via the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, yet another find thanks to those little blue cards. Had to be careful in here though as there were a lot of regulations, including:

• NO cycling
• NO busking
• NO littering
• NO loitering
• NO skateboarding
• NO skating 
• NO spitting
• NO animal fouling

I think a more efficient sign would simply say: Walking Only

After a few tube rides, I was in the West End contemplating what ticket I want to try getting last minute. As I was walking down Tottenham Court Road, I was randomly grabbed by Jenny and Cody as they were on their way to the musical Imagine This. This musical is about a family of Jewish actors during the Holocaust. And of coarse, there's a romantic fling thrown in there as well because as we all know, every story is a love story. I was skeptical at first, but it turned out to be the most moving show I've seen in London. A rather innovative story. Plus, sitting in £60 seats when you only paid for the £10 seats is bound to make anyone happy. 

Quick backtrack, we had some time between purchasing our tickets and the show starting so we wandered and found Cucumber Alley, a pleasant little covered shopping alley with this light scheme. Lovely, yes?

I got Ralph Vaughan Williams'd

11-28-2008

My turkey comatose did me in till about 10:30am this morning, which is the latest I've slept in throughout my time in London. I went for a turkey trot in Regent's, and rushed back to my room just in time to shower, change, and run across the street with Cody to see the Royal Academy of Music's Symphonic Wind and Brass Ensemble perform a concert of Vaughan Williams along with a Holst thrown in there.

The ensemble, under the direction of Keith Bragg, performed Ralph Vaughan Williams Toccata Marziale and English Folk Song Suite which has always been a favorite of mine. Then they mixed it up with a Gustav Holst piece called Hammersmith. I have always been a fan of Holst ever since I performed his piece Dream City, but this Hammersmith piece brought about a new found appreciation for him. The piece is about London, specifically the area called Hammersmith. Holst wrote the piece while he was living there and studying at the Royal Academy. The gradual trudging along of the prelude represents the Thames, which Holst said, "goes on its own way unnoticed and unconcerned." The rapid movement of the scherzo, on the other hand, shows just how fast paced London can be. The concert was finished off with Vaughan William's Scherzo alla marcia.

After grabbing a late lunch at ISH, I had just enough time to get some schoolwork done before it was time to head down to the Natural History Museum for it's 'After hours' party. On the last Friday of every month, the London's NHM stays open late and opens it's main lobby to a classy drinks and o'dourves restaurant complete with jazz duo playing in the corner right next to the mastodon skeleton.

Since the food was all too expensive, Luke and I decided our money would be better spent checking out the Darwin exhibit and educating ourselves on his two year journey around the world and his research into the Theory of Evolution. I learned more about Darwin in two hours than I think I had space in my brain for, but a nifty little exhibit.

We left the museum walked past the ice-skaters and watched them stumble around and fall down a bit. Then we made our way to the Coliseum where once again Luke hooked me up with tickets to the opera. This time we saw Riders to the Sea, a Vaughan Williams opera. It was only 45 minutes long, which is why it started at 9:30. The artistic concept behind the show made it worth seeing, but it was definitely not my favorite of the three operas I saw at the English National Opera. My ranking is as follows:

1. Aida
2. Partenope
3. Riders to the Sea

Shaolin Children are Nucking Futs

11-18-2008

Being employed at a radio station certainly does have its perks. The best one being free tickets to concerts, shows, movies, whatever. Tonight I was given comp tickets to see Shaolin: Wheel of Life.

It was a unique show. It kind of told the story of the Shaolin monks, a peaceful order of monks who lived in seclusion in China. However, when enemies started invading China, they saw the need to learn combat and defend their country. They imitated their fight styles off of animals: snake, tiger, eagle, and rat.

The cast was made up of boys aged 6-18 and a few older guys to play the part of emperors. The tiny boys were the most impressive. I’m not kidding, literally 6 yeas old and these kids were doing flips of each other, performing intricate fighting sequences, and even doing flips where they used the top of their heads to propel themselves into the next flip.

It was like watching a kung-fu stunt show with a storyline thrown into it. Then once the storyline was complete, there was another 20 minutes of even more crazy stunts: walking on axe blades, breaking bricks with their heads, laying ones body on six sharp spears, you know the usual.

Once the self-mutilation was complete and we began filing out of the theatre, Kallie and I agreed that it was cool to see, but we are both pleased we didn’t have to pay for it.

La Clique Monday

11-17-2008

Work was the same as work could be. My night was as bizarre as bizarre can be.

Kimberly, Aurelia, Chad, and I went to wildest show I have yet to see in London. It’s called La Clique, the circus. We had £10 standing tickets, yet in this intimate little theatre, it was all we needed. Basically, the show is a series of small acts:

• Mario the flaming, Queen-loving Juggler
• David O'Mer the wet, muscle bulging gymnast
• Captain Frodo the absolutely hilarious contortionist, who awkwardly stumbles about stage
• The English Gentlemen, two acrobats who display incredible strength and balance
• Yulia Pikhtina, the drop dead sexy hula-hopping lady
• A woman who did magic and stripped at the same time
• and the comedic Miss Behave who entertained the crowd with acts that "don't have you asking how? but why?"

The show was absolutely hilarious, stunning, and extremely entertaining. If you are ever in Londontown, swing by the Hippodrome and check it. You will not be disappointed, guarantee.

Happy New Month!

11-1-2008

Dad and I started our day with a stop at Marylebone station where the Beatles filmed parts of
A Hard Days Night.
As we continued walking, we unexpectedly ran into the Church Street market. Along with cheap fashion accessories, this market carried everything for daily living, from toiletries to food. I picked up a light jacket for £1. Pretty sweet deals at this market all around, even better than Primark.


We got in a walk across Abbey Road and some pictures of the wall.

From there we made our way to the Dominion Theatre. We were a touch too early to head in so we grabbed a couple pints of London's Pride Ale at The Jack Horner pub.

After those beers, we were ready to see We Will Rock You, a musical based on the music of Queen. Like the Zorro show from last night, I was skeptical about this one. However, here my instincts served me well. It was more spectacle than musical, yet it was innovative in it's half stage set, half digital projection screens. But definitely an entertaining afternoon.


We closed out our evening with a jazz trio that was playing at the Bountiful Cow, a little venue with a great atmosphere of old obscure movie posters and sound proofing cut in angled patterns around the room.

Gaming, Portraits, Evensong, Swashbuckling

10-31-2008

My dad and I took full advantage of today. We went to Leicester Square right off the morning to the ''day of'' tkts shop. There we got tickets for later that evening, which I'll write about after we've gotten through the day. I love building suspense!

From there we went to Trafalgar Square and ran into the London Gaming Festival. In Trafalgar, Electronic Arts was displaying their games, Leicester Square was featuring Microsoft's games (including the new Bond), and Charing Cross had Sony products. I had the opportunity to play a few games and catch some sweet new releases. 

We grabbed lunch with my roommate Luke since he works right off of Trafalgar square. Following our O'Neils meals, Luke took my dad and I on a personal tour of the Coliseum, home of the English National Opera.  The company was just finishing up with a rehearsal so we stayed to watch them tear down the set, very behind the scenes VIP kinda stuff.

We also took an hour to glance over The National Gallery,as it was also in Trafalgar. Neither of us were keen on spending hours upon hours at this gallery, however, I saw plenty of what I needed to see, including:

• Van Gogh's  Sunflowers, Long Grass w/ Butterflies (more abstract than I'm used to for Van Gogh) , and Two Crabs (which was different than any other kind of Van Gogh I've seen before)
• Seurat's Bathers at Asnieres 
• Velazquez's The Rokeby Venus (woman on a bed looking in a mirror, her reflection stares back at the viewer)
• Beuckelaer's The Four Elements: Fire, Air, Water, Earch; a series of paintings each portraying a different daily seen of a market
• Delaroche's Execution of Lady Jane Grey (takes place at Tower Hill)

From there were ventured to Charing Cross where shops and street performers entertained us for a few hours. A stunt man did tight-rope walking, knife juggling, sword swallowing, and all of it with humor and whit.  My favorite was a string quartet that not only played well, but worked the crowd as well. I'll get a video up sooner than later. 

From the buskers to the banks of the Thames. We walked around by the Eye and checked out the living statues and other street performers. I randomly remembered that daily Evensong at Westminster was at 17:00, which was coming up pretty quick.

Once again these boys & men, ranging from ages 6 to 60, almost moved me to tears with their beautifully blended tones reverberating throughout Westminster Abbey. This time I was actually able to see them in action since we got to the Abbey early enough to get a decent seat near the choir stalls. 

On our way out of the Big Ben / Parliament area, I finally got the picture I've been meaning to get for a while and finally had a decent camera to take it with. 

And now to break the tension, the suspense. Have you been feeling it?? Aren't you just dying to know what show I saw tonight? Well, by now you've probably forgotten that I even mentioned I went to a show tonight. Dammit, I really need to work on my suspense building.

Anywho, we went to see Zorro: The Musical. Ever since I heard it advertised I figured it was going to be a cheesy show, more of a spectacle that a musical, but for some reason I was still ridiculously intrigued by it. I have to admit, I was thoroughly entertained. Not only by the artistically creative sets, interesting plot-line (that was, however, a little dodgy at points), and sweet sword fighting / fight scenes, but the music as well.

The music was all of spanish origin: flamenco, mariachi, and of course throw in a few musical theater ballads. But the dancing that accompanied the uniquely scored show sold it as well. All around a solid show for a new West End musical. 

They just need to do something about the tube trains that are loud and clear passing underneath that Garrick Theatre...

Taking Musical Theatre Back 5000 Years

10-30-2008

It was another one of those ''just get through the day'' kinda work days. I did however have a splendid lunch with my boss in which American politics was the main topic of discussion, and I do love a good political jabber so I couldn't really complain about the whole day.

After work I saw Monty Python's Spamalot. This one's been on my list for quite some time. You've seen Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail, right? Well imagine everything in that film on stage and sung. It was downright brilliant.

Aida

10-22-2008

Again, the English National Opera made me proud to be a vocal major as Luke got me a ticket to see their opening night of Aida. I've seen Elton and Tim's version twice and thought I knew the story quite well, but the opera has it's differences, besides just the singing and music.

First off, Aida is already an Egyptian captive as the audience enters the story. Also, unlike the musical, Amneris, the Egyptian princess, despises Aida from the beginning and eventually hates her for stealing Radames. 

In my opinion, this opera should be called Radames, as the story of the opera mostly revolves around him not Aida. All the major choral numbers are based around his actions. Once he's named the leader of the Egyptian army about 30 odd men join him on stage to shout "Battle, Battle Battle," in a rousing musical number. 

Another scene is when Radames defeats the Ethiopians (in the musical version they are the Nubians). There is a huge Egyptian celebration upon his return. Composer Giuseppe Verdi writes in a lengthy music interlude which in this performance was filled with acrobats, dancers, and an artsy nylon elephant that Radames rides to glory.

SPOILER ALERT: if you haven't seen any version of Aida, stop here.

Probably the most intense scene in the show takes place behind a stage-sized jail door with the Egyptian eye dominating the center.  There is enough room between the bars to see some incredible lighting which allows the audience to see the 30 some priests standing around the imprisoned Radames as they decide his fate as a traitor. Amneris waits outside the bars until they are lifted to take Radames to his death sentence.

And finally, Aida and Radames are not buried together like the semi-happy ending in the musical. Rather Radames is lowered alive into his tomb and finds Aida waiting for him as she snuck in to be with him until their deaths. How romantic!

This time, my friend Kim made it on the "opening night reactions" video  

A Wednesday in Harlesden

10-15-2008

London is cultured. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Above is an example of such culture. You're in a crowded Tube car. You can't move and the only thing that's going to keep you from tumbling onto the blokes around you is the handrail above your head. As you reach to grab on, you notice the above poem by Robert Graves.

She tells her love while half asleep,

   In the Dark hours,

       With half-words whispered low:

As Earth stirs in her winter sleep

    And puts out grass and flowers

         Despite the snow,

         Despite the falling snow.

The excitement at Life today was that I got to work with a professional to voice an ad. This was a great change of pace from working with small business owners who really don't know how to deliver a voiced radio ad. No offense too them, but they should leave it to the professionals. Like Adam here. He's narrated documentaries and voiced plenty of adverts, including one for Mc Donald's, which he assured me was only done because it was good money. 

After working with him throughout the morning I came to find out that this voicing ads thing is just a side gig. He's an actor. A damn good one at that. I know because after putting the pieces together I came to realize that he played the fairy leader in A Midsummer Night's Dream when I saw it at the globe (see a day at the Globe post). Bottom line, Adam was super cool and down to earth and didn't seem to mind a star struck Wisconsin kid asking him tons of questions about his career. 

I Talked with a Worldclass Counter-Tenor

10-9-2008

At Life today I began probably the biggest project I’ve worked on yet. It’s an audio story telling of different cultures' Diwali celebrations. The Brent Council and I are producing these story tellings to be played at the annual Diwali celebration in a couple of weeks. First, I spent about 3 ½ hours in the studio with a fabulous story teller and her friend who served as the music consultant. Truthfully her voice didn’t need any music behind it. She’s just that captivating. But the music does fill in a lot of gaps.

We got all the music and narration in place. Then we went through the script with a fine tooth comb and they told me where they’d like effects to enter in, where music should fade in a fade out, and the like. After another 3 hours of editing, I have half of it done. I’m pumped to go into work Monday and finish it.

I had to leave work right at 6 in order to make it to the English National Opera in time. My flat mate Luke is interning there and he scored me a ticket. He told me the other day that while he isn’t getting “paid,” he has been compensated in the form of opera tickets to the sum of £1,200. Once I saw where we were sitting, I completely believed him. We were in row K of the stalls (the main floor). A brilliant seat for a contemporary / 1950’sish take on Handel’s Partenope, a ‘comedy’ about a queen which basically everyone is in love with. So a massive love triangle.

The set was very modern. The first act took place in a large white room where the lighting really played with shadows. The second act was outside a building, and a bathroom on the outside of the building carried most of the action. Finally in act three, the cast is in one room where a photographer, who has been taking pictures throughout the whole show, is combining his pictures into a massive collage.

During the two intermissions, Luke was able to get us into the press lounges where we enjoyed free wine and bumping elbows with London's press. After the show Luke’s leverage worked to our favor again as we went to the after party with the performers in the sky bar at the top of the Coliseum. There I was able to chat with pit conductor Christian Curnyn, soprano Rosemary Joshua, and countertenor Iestyn Davies. Mr. Davies was awesome. I had a good conversation with him about how to develop a countertenor voice. He was truly down to earth.

Luke and I were also interviewed for an ENO promotional video:
http://www.eno.org/video/main.html
We're at the end of the Audience Reaction to First Night of Partenope video.

An amazing night to say the least. An opera at the Coliseum and got to talk with world class opera performers. Oh and all the drinks at this after party were free…..

A Day at the Globe

9-26-2008

Yesterday, we received an email from our faculty leader informing us of a tour we have today at 9am. This caught everyone by surprise, including our leader, but it was a pleasant surprise as it was a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, an open-air, round, wooden structured theatre. Our lovely tour guide taught us much. Such as, the balcony seats along the sides of the stage were probably the worst seats as far as a view goes. However, those sitting there were the celebs of the day as they were just as visible as the actors themselves. The actors knew that these people were VIPs as well and delivered just as many lines to them as to the commoners.

The most interesting part to me was the intimate nature of this theatre. Unlike stages I’ve been on, where the lights are blinding and you perform to a sea of blackness, these actors are forced to stare each audience member in the face. Plus, performances in Shakespeare’s day would have been in the afternoon to provide ample lighting. The only stage I’ve been on that comes close is the intimate nature of Michelsen Hall, in the Noel Fine Arts Center at UWSP. But believe me, it comes nowhere close to the Globe....

After the tour Mike, Aurelia, Cody, Jenny, Josie and myself stuck around to see if we could snag tickets to that afternoon’s performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. On a stroke of luck, 10 standing tickets became available 5 minutes after our request. For £5, these tickets were fantastic, center stage right up front. The only catch, you stand for the entire 3 hours performance.

Truthfully, these actors were so compelling, you don’t even notice you’re standing. Each of them demanded the attention of the audience. The King had a commanding voice that I swear rattled the thousands of wooden pegs that hold the globe together. The women carried a soft femininity, but yet could stir laughter in the crowd at any moment.  The sets were minimal, simply there to help carry the story along, but the acting sold it. Probably the best performance I've ever seen on a live stage. 

Ohhh and on the way home we saw some sweet ice cream trucks.