Berlindon 2015 (Part IV - All Was Well)

I had a day and a half left of my trip when we got back to London from Berlin. I had no more time for theatre, between my 5:30 flight on Sunday and my plans for Saturday were dominated by a 5:00 appointment at the Harry Potter studio tour. Tickets had been sold out when I tried to book them a couple weeks before I left, but somehow became available after I got to London. I specifically wanted to go on Saturday, because it was the second day of the Hogwarts in the snow display, which meant I would get to see the Great Hall decorated for Christmas. (This is a big deal, if you're a Harry Potter fan.)

So I spent Saturday morning unpacking from Berlin and repacking my suitcase, and then headed off around 3:00 to make the journey to Watford Junction where I would get the shuttle bus to Leavesden Studios.

Even though I had been to the tour once before, three and a half years ago when it was new, I was still ridiculously excited. The estimated three and a half hour tour took me over six hours last time, and I knew this time I would only have four and a half before I would have to catch the last shuttle back to the train. I wasted no time once I got inside the lobby, picking up my digital guide and joining the queue to enter. In the lobby was a huge Christmas tree, the first sign of what was to come. 

In the pre-theatre waiting room, a guide was asking a group of about a hundred people Harry Potter trivia questions. I was one of the last people allowed in to that group, so I didn't hear the first questions, but I was the only person who knew that Aragog (the big spider in the Forbidden Forest) is actually an acromantula. So I don't need to worry about my title of biggest Harry Potter nerd anytime soon. The preshow video began, with good old David Heyman telling us how much he came to love the books, making me cry already. We then headed into the actual theatre for the film with Dan, Emma, and Rupert talking about their lives on set to introduce us to the tour.

And then, just as before, the screen lifted, and the Great Hall doors were there, now with Christmas wreaths on them. Some people celebrating birthdays pushed open the doors, and the Great Hall was revealed, full of giant Christmas trees being circled by little faeries, a fire in the hearth, and Christmas crackers on every place setting. One of the big differences with the tour now, compared to three years ago, is that they have a lot more staff inside the stages, explaining what things are, how they work, and showing off specific props. In the Great Hall, they demonstrated how they made flaming puddings, and showed off the light/mist effect that made the fire look so real.

Throughout the rest of my tour I listened to my digital guide - disappointed to find that the intimate tour narrated by Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) had been replaced by a generic woman giving basic behind the scenes information. It was still interesting, with lots of extra videos of interviews with production staff and designers, but I missed the personal insights Tom had brought to the tour. A few sets had changed in the years since my last visit, but mostly it was just nice to be back among so may places where I felt strangely at home. One of my favorite things this time around was seeing inside the potions textbook - a staff member was showing it off, rifling through the pages to show that the entire book was authentically designed for the film with tons of original drawings and recipes for potions. The dedication of the art and graphics departments on these films never ceases to amaze me.

The biggest change was a huge expansion that had been made to accomodate the original Hogwarts Express, a real steam engine used in the films. So there's a whole Platform 9 3/4 set up now, and you can actually enter the train and see the compartments staged to look like scenes from the films. This was where I got my iconic trolley-in-the-wall shot, rather than dealing with the chaos at the actual Kings Cross station.

After the train it was out onto the backlot to see the vehicles, the iconic Hogwarts bridge, Privet Drive, and another new feature - the Potter's cottage from Godric's Hollow. (Concerned about time, I skipped the line for butterbeer at the backlot cafe, figuring the alcoholic version I make at home is better anyway.)

Back inside the other soundstage was the creature shop and a lot of designs from the production department - drafts and models of sets, all leading up to the big finale, the scale model of the entire Hogwarts grounds, gracefully covered in snow for the holidays. It was just as majestic as I remembered. I took pictures from every angle - by the time I had reached this point before, my camera battery had died so I only had a few poor-quality shots taken on my iPad.

Beyond Hogwarts is a final room filled with wands, each hand labeled with the names of every person who worked on the films. This time around there was a staff person to help point out favorite actors and JK Rowling herself. And, in the middle, a quote I will love forever, "The stories we love never truly leave us. Whether you return by page or by screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."

Outside in the gift shop, I picked up a few things requested by friends. The only thing I bought myself, however, was a replacement for a rocks glass I had bought at Harry Potter world in Orlando in May of last year that had since broken. I have reached a point where I pretty much own all the Harry Potter stuff I want that I can afford - the only other thing I wanted was yet another box set of the books (WHY DO THEY KEEP DOING THIS TO ME) but I had neither the money nor the space in my suitcase for that.

I was in line to check out when the announcement was made that the last shuttle would be leaving in ten minutes, and stood anxiously in line and then at the checkout counter before running out the door to the bus as it drove up. (There was a frantic moment in which I was afraid it was driving away and I would be stranded at the studio forever. I mean, there are worse things in the world, but still.)

Back at the apartment I had a late dinner with Kerry, who had been at home doing work for her college course. Sunday we ate together once more, I picked up a few gifts for my nanny kids, and then it was time to say goodbye and head to the airport for the flight home.

The whole trip was really what I wanted it to be - inspiring and informative. I was able to do a lot of research and gain a lot of ideas for how to move forward as a theatre artist, exactly what I needed at this point in time. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have been able to take this trip, and proud that I was able to finance it through savings. I started saving money at the beginning of the year - a dollar the first week, two dollars the second weeek, so that I was saving over forty dollars a week by Novermber, and I was able to deposit or exchange over $1000 at the bank before my trip - enough to pay for my flight and leave me spending money. I'm still working hard now to make up for taking a ten day vacation, but buying a plane ticket to Europe less than a month in advance is not something everyone could do. I did. And all was well.

Berlindon 2015 (Part I - London)

 I spent ten days recently on a trip unlike any I've ever taken before, though I went to two places I've previously visited. On Thursday November 5th I flew overnight to London, arriving at 10:30 Friday morning at Heathrow, to spend some time with my friend Kerry and take a trip with her to Berlin.

I've visited Kerry twice before (when I visited London during my time studying abroad in 2011, and again when I toured Europe with my mom in 2012), and she has since come to visit me in New York for New Year's this past year. So I've done London twice, and I've done the touristy things well. A walking tour of all the palaces and the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben and the parks and whatever. And I've been to the museums, and gone to high tea, and seen westminster abbey. I also went to Berlin in 2011 and did the same kind of sightseeing - walking tour, art museums, etc. - so this trip wasn't about being a tourist.

I traveled to Europe this time with a very specific intent. I came as a theatre artist, seeking inspiration and information. I arrived in London with an agenda focused on seeing theatre that would spark new ideas,  and get me thinking in new ways. In Berlin my plan was to drink up as much information about Cold War Berlin and the Wall as I could. I was determined to use this opportunity to gain as much hands-on experience as possible about what life was like during the years the Wall was in place, to serve as research for my play that I've been writing since the last time I visited four years ago.

During my first few days in London, I flooded my senses and my brain with images: Mötley's show, for aesthetics and energy; Roosevelvis by The Team - my former directing teacher's theatre company - for melding disparate ideas and creating an intellectual piece; La Soiree for atmosphere and spectacle; Belarus Free Theatre's Trash Cuisine - at a secret location that included drinks and food and a post-show discussion - for making politically active, socially-oriented work that matters; and All on Her Own/Harlequinnade - a double bill from Kenneth Branagh's new theatre company - for classic theatre, well-trained acting, and strong story telling.

The Mötley Crüe show was chronicled in my previous post, so all I'll say is I am never bored at their shows, and it always makes me wonder how I can energize a theatre audience the way they get me going time after time after time. 

The next day, having fully overcome my jet lag by staying up all day Friday (despite getting to London at 5:30 am New York time), I went to meet Brandi for lunch near Sloane Square, where we were seeing Roosevelvis. We spent an hour catching up on life (she's living back in Baltimore, where she's from), and then went to the Royal Court Theatre for a show starring two women playing Teddy Roosevelt and Elvis, the latter of whom was our TA for our directing class. Roosevelvis premiered in New York, and though I had very much wanted to see it, I had unfortunately missed it back home, so I was grateful to catch it, randomly, in London. It was, as with any TEAM show, a very intellectual piece with an eclectic mix of influences. I really enjoyed the mix of time periods and timelines, something I'm figuring out how to deal with in my own play at the moment. 

That evening I went to La Soiree, taking place in a tent set up on the bank of the Thames, near the London Eye and therefore walking distance from Kerry's apartment. La Soiree happened to be another show I had missed in New York, despite it playing in a theatre a block away from Fuerza Bruta where I work. The show is, I imagine, a bit like if Cirque du Soleil and Fuerza had a baby (which is funny, because I describe Fuerza as Cirque mixed with a rave). It mixes circus acts with a party atmosphere, and has a 10pm late show (like Fuerza sometimes does), which is what I went to. I bought my ticket that day on today tix, and when I got there, was upgraded from "boardwalk" to "ringside" I guess because I was alone and they wanted to fill in the front seats. No complaints on my part, I got a good seat for about half price. It was a really stunning show that did an excellent job of establishing atmosphere/energy, and expectations of audience behavior/involvement. Every performer was attractive and talented and unique, and somehow in the second act a segment about bubbles broke my heart.

Sunday, there were no cheap tickets for anything I couldn't or hadn't seen in New York (Kinky Boots, Lion King, In the Heights) so I had a lazy morning at Kerry's apartment and then went to the Tate Modern for a couple hours. The Tate has been under construction every time I've been there, seemingly preparing for an expansion that is supposed to open next June. In the meantime, however, they seem to have a lot of space with relatively not a whole lot of art in it. So after sitting by the Thames for a while watching a man create giant bubbles for the delight of passing children, I headed back to Kerry's before going to the theatre for the evening.

Sunday night was my big adventure. I had booked a ticket to Trash Cuisine, a show being performed by the Belarus Free Theatre in association with The Young Vic, part of two weeks of performances in celebration of the company's tenth anniversary. It wasn't at The Young Vic, however. True to how BFT shows are performed in Belarus, where the company is banned, the show was taking place at a secret underground location. Without a phone number to have them text the meeting point to, I asked about it at the box office (right by Kerry's) and was given an intersection to be at by 6:20 at night. It took two trains and a bus to get there, to a residential corner with a church, where a crowd of people was gathered. We were then led in groups of twenty or so down the road and around a corner into a warehouse that had been set up for the show. Inside there was music, and projections of propaganda, and we were given a token for a free drink, and then were free to sit where we wished for the show. BFT is banned in Belarus because the country is a dictatorship and BFT does work that focuses on social activism and political issues, so they have to put on their performances in secret and advise their audiences to bring their passports in case of a KGB raid, which happens fairly regularly. Trash Cuisine is a show about capital punishment, particularly the death penalty. It was very powerful, and hard to put into words. The performance was live streamed around the world from the Young Vic website, and an underground audience in Belarus watched via Skype.

After the show we were given beet root soup, traditionally Belarussian, and then took part in a post-show discussion, which took the form of an Englishman who is now a lawyer in America reenacting a death penalty case he tried in Louisianna, where he defended a couple both accused of placing their newborn baby in the freezer where it died. The jury was made up of twelve audience members, who had all stated they would be willing to sentence someone to the death penalty. It was fascinating (if a bit uncomfortable) to be a part of the discussion in a country that banned capital punishment over fifty years ago as someone from a country that still has the death penalty. The lawyer-man led us through the case, presenting information in pieces as he'd gotten it, periodically asking the audience to vote on who they thought was guilty, and asking the jury members if they would convict anyone. Ultimately, in the case, the lawyer got both parents off; neither was convicted. The whole experience got me thinking about what a vehicle theatre can be to get people talking about social issues that can be hard to talk about.

Monday I headed out of London to St Neots, sort of near Cambridge to see Shannon, my very first friend ever. We met when we were babies and we're best friends growing up until Shannon moved away in middle school. We hadn't seen each other in over ten years, and she had two adorable children now, Wyatt, who's three, and Eden, who's not yet one. They met me at the train station and we went to lunch where Shannon and I caught each other up on our lives and our families, and then we went back to the house where I was Wyatt's new favorite playmate for a few hours. Apparently after they dropped me off at the train station Wyatt cried for about twenty minutes because he was sad I was leaving. Bless his little heart. <3

I had to get back to the city though, to get tickets to All on Her Own/Harlequinnade, a one-act double bill by Kenneth Branagh's new theatre company. I'd had a lot of trouble trying to get tickets on the today tix app, but ended up with a £15 partial view seat anyway. The first play was a one woman performance by Zoë Wanamaker, who I know as Madam Hooch from the Harry Potter films. She was incredible. The second play was about a theatre company attempting to put on a production of Romeo and Juliet, with Branagh playing an aging actor who is definitely too old to play Romeo. It was really well done, and refreshing to see something light, not so dense, but still Shakespeare-influenced. And it was exciting to get to see Sir Gilderoy Lockhart in person. :)

That was my first four days in London. Jam-packed and inspiring, and just the first part of my trip. More to come as we left the next day for Berlin.

All Bad Things Must Come to an End

I started this post after seeing Mötley back in October of 2014, but never finished it. I've seen them twice more since then, so this post is going to change a bit, but it feels important to write it as their tour draws to a close with the end of the year.

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The title of this post is the tag line for "THE FINAL TOUR," Mötley Crüe's (for now at least) farewell trip around America. I'm pretty sure everybody who is friends with me on Facebook, if they didn't know before, certainly knew on Tuesday that I was going to see them. And not just anywhere, Madison Square Garden. An arena they haven't played in years, and a big part of why I had, until this point, never seen them perform in a state I live in. (St. Louis, Missouri, Birmingham, England, and Hartford, Connecticut.) I bought my ticket the day they went on sale back in early March. This day was over seven months coming.

They're touring with "special guest" Alice Cooper, and I had incredibly high expectations for an unprecedentedly theatrical night. I had heard nothing but good things about Alice Cooper's stage shows, and Mötley has always beeny favorite live performance.

After spending fifteen minutes finding the actual entrance to The Garden (I've only been there one before, six years ago, for the NYU president's welcome), I took a detour to the chase lounge. Apparently because I bank with chase that entitled me to free food and avoiding the general crowd entering the venue. No complaints.

I spent an awkward fifteen minutes in the lounge, not used to swanky surroundings and looking thoroughly out of place as the only person there by myself and the only person under thirty (though that's not too bad, compared to other shows).

So around 7:40 I headed to my seat on the main floor. I paid more for this ticket than I have ever paid for any ticket, almost more than seeing HEDWIG four times (though three of those add up to less than $80 together). Still, The Garden is big, and I was in the back half of the floor, near an aisle. The good thing was a lot of people (foolishly) seemed to not care about Alice Cooper so much, so I could see his set pretty well as several of the rows in front of me stayed nearly empty. 

It should be noted that though we had seats, people appropriately did not sit in them, because this was a rock concert and there is no sitting in rock concerts. Unless you're the drummer. So good job audience, for being involved, unlike the dumbasses at the Crüe/Kiss show two years ago. However, that meant that as the audience filled up, I couldn't see so well over the tall people standing in front of me, but at least I didn't have to sit and be well-behaved either. Being one seat off the aisle, I was able to carefully fade out into the aisle a little bit so I could see, since the person in the aisle seat remained absent for a long time.

The last of the pre-show music was The Sound of Music's "So Long, Farewell," and as the audience realized what was playing, everyone began to lose their shit, because we knew - this was it.

The show rocked, of course. Everybody screamed, everybody was there to have a good time because of the music instead of the drinks (again, unlike the stupid VIPs I was seated near durint The Tour 2012). Eventually, unfortunately, the owner of the aisle seat arrived, incredibly drunk, after trying to get past the ushers towards the front half of the floor. After the showed him his seat, he tried to hand me his beer to hold for him, because I had picked up his ticket when he dropped it. I refused his beer, so he set it on the floor and proceeded to climb onto his chair. I should mention this man was well over six feet tall and not exactly thin. It took several ushers and a couple security guards to get him back down.

At this point, the people in front of me asked if I wanted to join them, as there was an empty seat in their row. I was reluctant, as that empty seat meant it was a little easier for me to see, and if I moved up I'd be standing directly behind a very tall man, but the drunk guy next to me continued to have trouble standing in his spot so I soon changed my mind and was hauled over the chairs into the row in front of me like a drowning person being pulled onto the deck of a ship.

The rest of the concert proceeded without incident. I couldn't see as well, as expected, but I was no longer stressed about being stepped on or knocked over or hit on by an old drunk guy. Ultimately the better choice for enjoying the show. The last song was "Kickstart my Heart," as it has been for some time, and then the band left the stage. The audience went into an uproar. Mötley had not playedt their signature "Home Sweet Home," the ballad we all light up our lighters (or, more accurately at this point, our smartphone flashes) for - how dare they deprive us of that powerful moment?

But then we all started to realize. At the other end of Tommy's drum coaster, which warped along the ceiling to the middle of the floor of the arena, was a smaller stage. And that stage had a piano. The disco piano that Tommy plays at the start of "Home Sweet Home." So the audience begins to scream and shout, and I realize the band is going to come right by me, and I freak out, and then then, in the dark, led by flashlights, they do appear, heavily guarded, and take the smaller stage for one last encore. I have a video of that performance; it was incredible. An arena full of the starlight of thousands of camera phones. The song was accompanied on the big screens by a slideshow of the band's early days, a lot of black and white photos from before they had tattoos, and then vivid mid-80s shots of booze-soaked concerts and big hair. And when the song ended and they finally left the stage, they did walk right down my aisle, which the drunk man had vacated (or, more accurately, I think, been drug out of by security), so I was able to stand right by them in hopes of a high five. Tommy and Nikki were doing their best to make contact with the crowd but their security was unfortunately not really having it.

It was a night I will never forget, just like each of the other times I saw them.

Which happened to be twice more, after that "last time."

I saw them this past August, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (where the Nets play) - I bought a ticket for $50 a few hours before the show, knowing it wouldn't be a good seat but just wanted to be in the arean and hear them live one more time. I had vague plans to go to London and see them there, but I didn't want to pin all my hopes on such an outlandish strategy.

My seat at Barclays was pretty high up and way off to the side, but I was plenty early so I moved over to the other end of my row and figured I'd move over if I had to. I never did have to, and ended up with a high, but decent side-view for the whole night. This time I was prepared for Alice, and sang along with more of his songs, and recorded his incredible "School's Out"/"Another Brick in the Wall" mashup, which I regretted not catching the last time.

The show hadn't changed much in a year, but I didn't need it to. Tommy still played his drum solo on his drum coaster (the "cruecifly") and at the end they went off and then played "Home Sweet Home" on the smaller stage. I screamed myself hoarse and stamped my feet and was sore for two days afterward, as it should be. (I was one of the only people standing in my section, but I have no regrets.)

And then, I got to see them one, actual, last time.

Wembley Arena in London. I was third row from the stage on the side, having bought my tickets to the sold-out show fairly last minute on stubhub. The great thing about seeing them in England though is that the average age of the crowd is so much younger and the enthusiasim is that much greater so that even on the side, everybody was up and having a good time. For the first time (not counting when I was made a free drink in Doc McGhee's tour bus in 2012) I had a drink at the show, because they're actually cheaper in England. 

Between Alice's set and Mötley's, I bonded with the guy sitting next to me - his lockscreen on his phone show a picture of him and a girl, and I said "Your girlfriend didn't come with you?" which started a whole conversation about how we're both the only people in our friend groups who like Mötley. This was his first time seeing them and I was all the more excited for him. I'm lucky to have seen them six times in four years.

"So  Long, Farewell" began, and the audience started going crazy. "They know!" I shouted, and my new friend (whose name I never learned) replied "Yeah they do." "It's time!" was the great chorus from the crowd, and out came the most notorious rock band on earth, playing London one last time. They started with "Girls, Girls, Girls," which has never been their first song when I've seen them. It's always been "Wild Side" or "Saints of Los Angeles" though I wasn't sure they'd play "Saints" at all in England since they always throw in their covers of "Primal Scream" and "Anarchy in the UK" for European audiences, which they did that night as well. The typical playlist remained, with Tommy's drum solo and Mick's guitar solo. Nikki didn't do a bass solo on this iteration of the tour, but that's not a big deal, really. He still came out and talked to the audience, had us "light this place up" with our phones, again creating that magical starlight effect. And again they played "Home Sweet Home" one more time. 

In the pause between the "end" of the show and the encore I was talking to the two guys on the other side of the aisle, as the audience started to figure out what was going to happen again, and the three of us sang along with "Home Sweet Home," arms around each other's shoulders, drinks in hand, as if we'd been going to the pub together for years. It was a nice way to end my time with Mötley, since, with the exception of my very first time with them, I've always gone by myself. So some community was a nice change in the end.

And that's my Mötley story: once in Missouri, once in Connecticut, twice in England, and twice in New York, in the span of four years at the end of their career as a band, finishing thirty-four (almost exactly thirty-five, actually) years after they started as a little club rock group in LA. They end on a sold-out tour around the world, that will finish on December 31st in LA, where Alice Cooper will "execute" them in style. I can't afford to be there for that one, but I can't wait to see the videos. I'm sure it will be a show like no one has ever seen before. 

Last Day in London (Day 5)

Our last day in London we took our time in the morning to repack our things so we'd be ready to leave for our very early flight. Then around noon mom and I headed to Westminster Abbey for a communion service which meant we got to see the nave of the abbey for free (like I did when I went to the organ recital there in December). We did look around a little and saw where Charles Darwin is buried in scientists' corner. Too bad poets' corner isn't in the nave. All I really want is to see Shakespeare. :(

The service was fine, I like the sharing of the peace. Telling people "peace be with you" seems like a good thing to do. During the communion, since we don't normally take communion, we got a blessing from the (fairly young) priest instead, and I'm down with the whole "light and love of God be with you" idea, too.

After the service we took an unfortunately roundabout way of getting to Harrods and therefore didn't have much time there, but we got to see some expensive clothes, the memorial to Princess Diana, and in the windows outside there were lots of crowns designed by famous designers as well as a replica of Queen Elizabeth's coronation dress (again for the jubilee). Very sparkly.

Then it was time for tea! We had made reservations the day before for us and Kerry to have afternoon tea at St. Paul's because we planned to go to evensong at the cathedral. We ended up having lots of problems with the underground because of signal delays, so we ended up taking a cab and still being 15 minutes late. On the way we got to see some parts of London we hadn't been to though, so it wasn't too bad.

Tea was awesome. Mom and I both had peppermint tea while Kerry had chamomile (bit of a stressful day, she had). They brought over a tiered platter with three kinds of finger sandwiches (cucumber and butter, egg salad and watercress, and salmon and cream), biscuits with clotted cream and jam, and for dessert some little ginger cookies and custard tarts with berries and grapes(?) on top. Three of everything, a mini serving for each of us, and it was all delicious. While we were eating a group of five clergymen came in - among them the young priest from St. Paul's. Crazy.

Crazier still was that all of the sudden we were rushed out at 4:30 - half an hour before their tea times end, because of a function happening in the crypt, where the restaurant was. We weren't asked to pay or told how much we owed or anything, and we kind of hesitatingly walked to the door, but no one stopped us so we left. Three free teas for the price of one taxi ride wasn't so bad. Thanks, St. Paul!

Turns out the priests or whatever and the function were part of the service we were going to - not a regular evensong service at all, but the installation of the very reverend David John Ison as the dean of St. Paul's. We made it through over an hour of long hymns we couldn't sing along to and a sermon and a parade of church officials (and I know what a virger is now) before we respectfully left during the stat of yet another hymn, which wasn't the last.

Mom and I thought about going to the Victoria and Albert museum, which is open late on Fridays, but we were all tired so instead the three of us went to a pub by Kerry's for dinner and a pint. Despite being a traditional
English pub, the place served Thai food, but it was very good and we were hungry, so no complaints for sure. Kerry and I had originally planned to go out dancing that night, but both still being tired, we decided to buy a bottle of Bailey's continuing our tradition and drink at home and take a nap before leaving at 2 am to head for the bus to the bus to the bus to the airport. Yep.

So much thanks and love to Kerry for all her hospitality and for making us laugh and thinking we're funny instead of absolutely nuts. Can't wait to see you in NYC next time!

And then, we were on to Madrid...

Wait, There's More London (Day 4)

After the very exciting day full of walking at the studio tour, we spent the evening relaxing in Kerry's apartment, still trying to catch up on sleep from the week before, and making plans for Thursday and Friday, our final two days in London.

Thursday we went first to get tickets to One Man, Two Guvnors, which has recently come to Broadway but has been playing in London for over a year. The Theatre Royal Haymarket is right near Trafalgar Square, where we got off the tube, so after getting tickets we stopped in at the National Gallery. Mostly we wanted to see the works of van Gogh, Monet, Degas, and Gaugin, so we didn't spend too long there before heading out to make our way to the Tower of London.

Trains were a bit of a mess that day and it turned out the two lines we could have taken from that stop to Tower Hill were both not running, so we had to brave the bus and hope to get off in the right place. We made it to the Tower of London and before heading in stopped outside for fish and chips, which I didn't try the last time I was in London, even though I'd wanted to since I saw Spice World when I was seven.

Turns out Mom and I aren't big fans.

So we headed to the tower, which is actually much less tower-y than I expected. None of the towers are very tall, and there's actually twenty of them. So the name is quite misleading. We did a walking tour in the hot sun, learning from a yeoman warder (a beefeater, as they're better known) about executions and tortures and all sorts of gruesome things. Mom's main interest in coming to this particular tourist attraction, however, was to see the crown jewels, so as soon as our tour was over, that's what we did.

In the crown jewels exhibit are several crowns dating back to at least the 17th century and probably earlier. We also got to see the royal regalia Queen Elizabeth II wore to her coronation in 1953. (This year, next week in fact, is the celebration of the Queen's diamond jubilee, the beginning of the 60th year of her reign. She's just four years shy of tying Victoria for longest reigning monarch of England.) Everything is shiny and gold and gilded, brocaded, etc. We watched a video of her coronation. It looked like mostly it involved sitting a lot and holding things - two scepters and an orb - and looking somber while people talked. She didn't look very happy, but I think she was about my age when she became queen, and I wouldn't have been happy about having to act all proper on behalf of an entire country either.

Once we finished with the crown jewels (which also included looking at a lot of really ridiculously fancy gold plates and punch bowls and what have you) we caught a brief theatrical display of two women arguing over whether a judge who had been loyal to King James (can't remember which one) should be hanged for all his decisions to kill people, since James (a Catholic) was no longer king. The acting was pretty bad and the situation hard to relate to though, so it was a little disappointing when the description had sold us on something about betrayal and the war not really being over.

A little more walking around (in which we saw a bunch of crown settings with no jewels, oddly enough, because they frequently reuse them when they make new crowns), and we were both exhausted and ready to go back to Kerry's to relax before the theatre. (6 hours of walking around at Harry Pottor follows by several hours of walking on cobblestones at the Tower of London did our feet no kindnesses.)

After an hour to collect ourselves and rest our feet at Kerry's apartment, we set out again for the theatre. After we were already on the train we found out the station we had used that morning to get to the theatre was closed. Luckily I knew enough to get us to the theatre from the next stop, and we made it to the show with a couple minutes to spare.

When we got to our seats (front row center, oh yes) a band was playing on stage. It seemed to be country music, but British, which thoroughly confused me, and I wondered why that, of all aspects of American culture, was what had made it to Britain. The lead singer had an infectious smile though and the guitarist looked like a young Leo DiCaprio, so I was content despite my confusion. I'm not quite sure how to explain the show - it borrows some plot elements of Twelfth Night, some traditional slapstick comedy, some audience participation that resulted in the lead actor never being able to keep a straight face, and more British country music during scene changes, occasionally with various actors coming out to play random instruments like steel drums or xylophone. At one point the woman sitting next to me got brought up on stage for a lengthy scene and... Well I don't want to spoil it for people who may go see it in New York. In fact I may go see it again to try and figure a few things out.

During intermission the band played some more (numbers sometimes included a harmonica, a washboard, and spoons) and then the show resumed. At the end of the show there was inexplicably a musical number performed by the whole cast. I have no idea why; it had nothing to do with the band. Overall it was one of the weirdest shows I've seen (and I've seen a lot of weird things) but we had a good time and laughed a lot.

Gelato on the street, a man playing a traffic cone like a trumpet, and home again home again, jiggity jig.

Hogwarts Will Always Be There to Welcome You Home (Day 3)

This was the day I had been waiting for since we booked our tickets in March. I think we may have booked these tickets before we did anything else. WB Harry Potter studio tour in London(ish). The Making of Harry Potter is at Leavesden studios, which is about 20 minutes outside of central London by train. The tour website said the tour lasts approximately 3 hours but is mostly self-guided so you can go at your own pace. Clearly, we knew this meant it would take way more than 3 hours, since I raced through the Harry Potter exhibition in 1.5 hours when it was only supposed to take 45 minutes. (I'm gonna switch tenses a lot. Sorry. I'm exhausted.) We arrived at Leavesden via double decker shuttle bus, which is decorated on the outside so there's no doubt it's the HP bus. Very cool. Our entry time was noon, and we got there around 11:30, ready to go. I picked up my digital guide and souvenir guidebook that came with my deluxe package (it's got to be done right, right?) and we queued to enter, beginning with Harry's cupboard under the stairs outside he main entry. It's actually even smaller in person than one might expect. Upon entering, there is first a video in which David Heyman, the producer, and some other film people talk about bringing the books to life and the phenomenon that has touched millions around the world. I had tears in my eyes right from the beginning. This is my childhood they're talking about. David Heyman is a pretty awesome guy. He sure cares about the books a lot. The next room was a theatre with another film, this one featuring Dan, Rupert, and Emma, talking a little bit about what we're about to see and what it was like for them to grow up at the studios, where they spent ten years of their twenty-something lives. A little bit of me continues to mourn their rule of only casting British actors. I still remember how angry I was at age ten that I couldn't audition for Hermione. And then the screen goes away, the doors to the Great Hall appear, and we're about to begin. The set is still there in its entirety, flagstone floor, wooden benches, Dumbledore's owl podium, the fireplace, and various costumes from each of the houses. At the front stand the costumes of many teachers, including Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Hagrid, Flitwick, Trelawney, Moody, and Filch. We eventually had to leave that room because the next tour group was coming in, but all I wanted to do was sit down at a table (RAVENCLAW) and stay forever. From the Great Hall we enter the rest of J Stage, where tons of sets can be seen, all with informational placards and more audio and video on my guide (the battery will die before I finish). Tom Felton narrates at each stop and then there are additional video clips and galleries of concept art or behind the scenes photos as well. I look at, listen to, and read everything. There is a scale model of the ceiling, a 1/8 which is the largest version of the ceiling that ever existed - there was never a real vaulted ceiling above the Great Hall, the model was used and then CGi magic was added. There are dozens of wigs and bits of facial hair from the makeup department. Tom Felton had a wig but for some reason still had a 3 hour appointment every week to keep his hair freakishly blonde.  The directors each talk a little in a video about what being involved in the movies meant to them and what it was like at their particular stage of the series. There's a Yule Ball table and a table of chocolates and cakes and ice cream from a feast in Chamber of Secrets. One of the best things about this tour is it celebrates all the unseen work of thousands of people who made the movies possible, from the art department to builders to set decorators to makeup to the creature shop. And I loved the opportunity to stare at the detail and intricacies of all their proudest work. Costumes showed four versions of the same outfit Dan wore in Deathly Hallows, a jacket, tshirt, and jeans, in different stages of destruction during the battle of Hogwarts. I know not everyone cares about all the details as much as I do, so I'll try not to ramble on too much. Sets: Gryffindor common room and boys' dormitory, bits of the leaky Cauldron, Dumbledore's office, a cage full of props, a display of wands, defense against the dark arts and potions classrooms, a portrait gallery, the Burrow, the Ministry of Magic, Umbridge's office, Hagrid's hut, and so many bits and pieces of things. There was a sp evil effects and visual effects area that showed how a lot of the green screen bits came to life. By the time I finished this part (rushing through the last quarter because based on someone's estimate of the second half I wasn't going to finish in time for the last bus at 7:30), I had already spent over 3 hours in the tour. Yep. Outside on the backlot were vehicles: the Knight Bus, the Ford Anglia, and Hagrid's motorbike. We took pictures in all of them, after a brief rest for sandwiches and butterbeer. That's right, I've now been to both of the only places in the world that sell butterbeer. Also on the backlot were two Privet Drive houses, Tom Riddle Sr.'s grave statue, and several chess pieces from the first movie. They're massive. From the backlot we moved to K Stage, which started with the creature shop. Tons of masks of individual goblins, mockups of infieri, a life size Buckbeak that moves, models of Dobby and several of the actors (for times when they're dead-like, I suppose, such as in the second task of the triwizard tournament). Warwick Davis (Flitwick/Griphook) leads several videos in this area that explain how lots of prosthetics and animatronics work. It's amazing how much stuff they built so that it could be digitally scanned and manipulated, and so that the actors had something real to work with as much as possible. (Things you would never expect are green screen, like shots of Harry walking alone in the snow outside Hogwarts, and yet there is a real Basilisk and hippogriff. Right.) Next came one of the hardest rooms to leave: Diagonal Alley, a set still so complete and lit that you could essentially still film on it right then, they said. Again here the detail was unreal, and it wasn't too hard to imagine really walking through the shops. One of he signs had the quote from the first book about Harry wishing he had about eight more eyes. Well, that was me. I wanted to look at everything and be everywhere at once and never leave. There was a crooked scale model of Gringotts, and a full size everything else, with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes at the end, the 20 ft. Fred of George still perpetually lifting his hat. Both my mom and I had a really hard time moving on here too. This was another place where I teared up. Because the thing about being in the sets, as someone so devoted to the detail of the books, is here outside of the films, there were no incorrect plot points or changing of lines to ruin things. I got to just be in the world I had grown up in in books for so long and always wanted to visit. It really was a dream come true. The next few stops were displays of concept art and architectural drawings and white card models of all sorts of things. It was kind of interesting, but nothing compared to seeing real sets, and it was getting late, so we moved on pretty quickly and finally came to the grand finale: an incredible full scale model of Hogwarts, used for all those sweeping shots of the grounds. I got to walk all the way around it, see the layout in detail, study the bridges and stairs and grounds and just generally marvel at the majesty of the whole thing. One more teary moment. It was so breathtaking and so real, to be able to see the whole thing, knowing that in the minds of the filmmakers and of course JK Rowling and now anyone who sees this, Hogwarts isn't just cobbled together shots at Oxford and Cambridge and castles in Edinburgh and green screens and sets. It exists as a structurally sound, realistic place, and I can picture it now. It was like coming home, like seeing a childhood best friend who is al you remember them to be. And that's why Harry Potter will always be important to me, and always keep my inner child because "The stories we love never truly leave us. Whether you return by age or by screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."

Day 2 (London)

We we're both up pretty late Monday night due to jetlag and Mom meeting Kerry and Kerry and I catching up. Tuesday we all slept until around 12:30 and after finally dragging ourselves out of bed and eating breakfast, Mom and I headed off to the Tate Modern for the afternoon, a pleasant walk from Kerry's apartment. Along the way we stopped at a few theatres to inquire for tickets for the evening, but the best result we got was to check back later for cancellations, so we continued on to the museum. We saw all of the permanent collection that was on display (unlike the last time I visited, all of the special exhibitions required paid entry tickets, which we felt defeated the purpose of a free museum, so we skipped those). It turned out to be a beautiful day, and I of course pointed out the Millennium bridge, every the Harry Potter tour guide.

On our way back to Kerry's, we stopped back at the Young Vic, the theatre right in front of her apartment, and received good news: available tickets! Also a selling point was that it was the second and final night of previews for the play, so tickets were much cheaper than normal. We bought some cheese and Mom adventurously decided we should try oatcakes to eat it with, and we snacked before heading to the play. A heads up: don't bother trying oatcakes. They're a Scottish mess of fiber and no sugar. You're welcome.

The play we saw was called The Suit, a new play that had its world premiere in Paris and was directed by Peter Brook (my studio class' favorite guy, not really) and some woman named Marie-Helene Estienne who has funny accents on her name so I'd guess she's French. I thought he production concept/design and the acting were quite good, though the play itself had a few problems. There were some slow moments that involved singing without any relation to the plot (often in an Aftrican language) and the ending was a bit of a dud, unfortunately. But overall it was a beautiful show and a cool thing to see. Many of the shows playing in London are also playing on Broadway, whether they've come to New York from London or vice versa, so it was nice to find something unique amidst Lion King, Wicked, and Phantom.

Ok, it's midnight here and we've had several long days, so we're sleeping in tomorrow but hopefully I can offer another update before we leave London early Saturday morning. The next thing to talk about is the Harry Potter studio tour, and I've got to do that right. Talk soon! Love from London!

Radio Free Europe (back again!)

So as most of you probably know, I'm back in Europe again already, lucky girl that I am. This trip comes on the heels of graduation from NYU Tisch (with honors), accompanied by visits from
My parents, brother, and grandparents, all in the city at the same time. We had a whirlwind four days of celebrations, eating in nice restaurants, and not sleeping enough, not to mention packing up and moving out of my last dorm ever, thank goodness.

Very quick recap for those who don't know: NYU graduation was Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. 5,000+ graduates, a packed stadium, Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke, absolute madness getting out. We block traffic, as usual. Tisch graduation was Friday at Radio City Music Hall, a building I'd never actually entered before and with which I fell in love. Our dean, Mary Schmidt Campbell, and our honorary speakers Michael Mayer (director of American Idiot and consulting producer on Smash) both gave great speeches.

I worked Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night at Fuerza Bruta (remember when I saw it in Madrid in October? Always good to be home.) and spent parts of Saturday and Sunday in New Jersey visiting family. Sunday afternoon my mom and I saw Potted Potter with my aunt and cousins (ages 12 and 9) and had a great time.

Monday morning, bright and early, Mom and I headed for JFK and boarded a flight to London, from which I write now! After we got off the plane (an uneventful trip in which I watched 21 Jump Street, The Iron Lady, and parts of Jeff Who Lives at Home) we got through passport control, got our bags, and headed to the underground. Two trains later, I navigated us from the tube stop to my friend Kerry's apartment (my friend that I stayed with last time I was in London) without any trouble, and we are now happily staying with her for the next few days.

Today we went to the Tate Modern and saw a play at the Young Vic, and tomorrow we go to the HARRY POTTER STUDIO TOUR!!!

Updates on all that later. It's been a busy week.

So happy to be back!

Where Dreams Come True

No, not Disney World. This is me we're talking about. LONDON!

My final trip of the semester was the one I was most looking forward to, since I've wanted to visit London since I was eight. I flew out on Thursday night, December 1st. It was so weird to walk into the airport and be able to read everything in English and only English. (Even in America at this point a lot of things are translated into Spanish as well, and I'd seen very little English in the last three months.) I got my passport stamped and then withdrew money from an ATM so that I could pay the bus fare to the train station. I chatted a little bit with the bus attendant about Bruce Springsteen, though we were both surprised the other knew who he was (because I'm too young and he's too British.) Anyway I got to the train and experienced my first London sticker shock when I found out how much a one-way train ticket cost, even before converting pounds to dollars. (The exchange rate, at least at the time, was about $1.5 to £1, which was killer.) With a little help from a nice gentleman who was also waiting for the train from the airport to the tube managed to find my way to Southark station, where Kerry picked me up.

Kerry and I met back in 2008 when we were both winners of that RENT contest that afforded us the opportunity to party at the Life Cafe and attend a final performance of the closing weekend. Though we haven't spoken a ton since then, Kerry was gracious enough to let me stay with her and even fed me sometimes. Thursday night we caught up for a while despite the late hour and made some plans for the following night.

Friday I got up fairly early and headed out to explore. Kerry happens to live in a very trendy part of London along the South Bank, not far from The Globe Theatre, the London Eye, and the Tate Modern art museum, not to mention being right behind the Young Vic and not far from the Old Vic. So I went off to the Tate, which is a donation-based museum, which in student language means "free." I spent a couple hours there, seeing some works by famous artists and some I'd never heard of before. There were some really interesting exhibits with focused themes combining different artists. From the museum you can see the Millenium or "Wobbly" Bridge, which is that big shiny bridge the death eaters destroyed in the beginning of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Price. After some pictures of that I walked over to the Globe, which unfortunately didn't have anything playing. Still it was cool to see.

Then I headed back to Kerry's apartment where she and I ate a little dinner before heading off for a walk down by the Thames by the London Eye, where there was a cute little Christmas market. Most things were overpriced, but Kerry found some funny little finger puppets (supposedly to entertain the kids she helps in Tanzania, but I think really just for her) that we named Harry the Hippo and Mike the Monkey. I found a necklace with a pocket watch pendant - the case has an owl on it. So perfect. On the way back to the apartment we bought a small bottle of Bailey's and made hot chocolate every night I was there. (A cheaper alternative to the overpriced drinks at the Christmas market.)

Saturday morning I got up early to go wait in line at the Young Vic to get a rush ticket for Hamlet. I figured I gotta see some Shakespeare somewhere while in London. Things were very nonchalant and so I ended up waiting longer than I should have had to because the ticket people didn't seem too concerned with being on time, but I eventually got a ticket and went back to Kerry's. I had porridge for breakfast, which is in fact just oatmeal made with milk instead of water and isn't quite as thick. I'd been craving oatmeal for months, which is not a thing in Spain, so I was quite happy.

After breakfast I went to meet up with a free walking tour like I'd done in Berlin and Paris. I got confused about what time it was, thinking it was an hour later (Madrid time) and thought I had missed the tour so went to get lunch at Chipotle (a New York favorite that doesn't exist in Spain). Then while back in the subway realized I had been an hour early, so I went back to the tour meeting place. The walking tour covered Hyde Park, St. James's Park, Buckingham Palace, all the royal-y places. Pretty cool. Buckingham Palace is actually not that impressive compared to Spanish palaces or Versailles though.

That night I saw Michael Sheen (who I best know as Wesley from 30 Rock) as Hamlet. I had issues with the production - it was set in an insane asylum but they didn't really use that convention once they set it up - but Michael Sheen was amazing. Hamlet is like three hours long, but I stayed interested. Not bad for £10.

Sunday I went to the National Gallery though only briefly. I couldn't get into the DaVinci show and everything else was a lot like what I was always looking at at the Prado. I caught a glimpse of The Last Supper, looked at the Spanish art, and left. Then I went to Harrods, because I figured that would be amusing. It was. It's more expensive than Macy's. But, while I was looking at funny little ornaments in the Christmas shop, I saw a sign for "the Harry Potter store" on the third floor. So then I spent a good half hour there. I could have stayed there for quite a while, but I had to head off to a Harry Potter walking tour.

The Harry Potter walking tour was led by a guy named Richard who was like a flamboyant, British version of my favorite theatre studies teacher, Bob. While walking through Leadenhall Market where Diagon Alley was filmed, Richard needed someone to say "Can you buy all this in London?" so he could say "If you know where to go." And yours truly was suddenly playing an 11-year-old Harry Potter in Diagon Alley. There may have been an accent. Of course the only time it rained while I was in London was during this tour, but it was fun anyway.

Westminster Abbey costs about £20, so instead I went when they had a free organ recital that night. I couldn't wander around, but I got to see plenty from my seat and hear amazing music in that amazing place.

Monday I failed again to get tickets to the DaVinci exhibit. Then I went to the changing of the guard, getting there ten minutes earlier than my tour guide had advised and still unable to really see anything. Plus I was surrounded by Spanish tourists, since the reason I was in London for five days was Spanish holidays. But then an amazing thing happened. The royal marching band played Don't Stop Believing as if they knew I was there.

After that random joy, I went to the British museum for a bit, saw some old stuff including the Rosetta Stone, and then met up with Kerry to go ice skating at Somorset House, my treat as a thanks for her hospitality. We had a great time and played a little bit with the penguins which were training tools for kids age 8 and under. After ice skating we met up with a friend of Kerry's for a drink at a pub and then I headed off for another night at the theatre.

In contrast with Hamlet, Monday night I saw We Will Rock You, the Queen Musical. If you know Rock of Ages, it's kind of like that but without the show being in on the joke, so it wasn't quite as good. Still I had a really good time, and my mom won't want to see that when we go in May anyway, so I'm glad I went on my own.

Tuesday morning I did a little souvenir shopping and then went to the train station to get to Birmingham. I tried to find Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross and couldn't find it. Which was incredibly embarrassing and I don't want to talk about it.

Then I was in Birmingham and it was amazing and then I went back to Madrid.

So much thanks to Kerry for all her hospitality, and hopefully we'll see each other again soon!

I Wanna ROCK

And I did. I know I have lots of catching up to do on Rome, Tanger, London, and everyday life but I want to post about the rock concert last night while I'm still dying from it.

So yesterday I traveled via train from London (where I stayed with my friend Kerry) to Birmingham, UK, where I was picked up by Bess, who I had met in Paris. Bess got me to her place where I dumped my travel stuff and freshened up before heading back to the train to go to the show. At the main trainstation where I had to change, I saw a guy dressed like Nikki Sixx with a woman in a catsuit, and so (naturally) I started talking to them since they were obviously going the same place I was and while I didn't mind going on my own, it was nice to have someone to talk to. They were a very sweet engaged British couple from Sutton (no idea where that is) who were very impressed that I was going to the show by myself. Maybe I'm not so much brave as naïve, but we'll go with brave. In any case we had a nice chat all the way to the station, when they then nipped off to the bar for a drink and I headed to the arena.

I got a standing area ticket so I could be close to the stage and therefore went in right away at about 5:40 for the 6:30 show. There was already a decent crowd formed, but I figured I could work my way forward later as I didn't care too much about Steel Panther, the opening band.

As it turns out I rather hate Steel Panther. Their lyrics are incredibly vulgar and lack the thinly veiled metaphors of Mötley's songs that make me laugh. Anyway they were loud and did what an opening band should do - make you really want to see the main acts. I thought Mötley would be last but I could tell by the way changeover was executed that they were going to be next. I guess since Def Lep is the only Brit band on the tour they put them last. Regardless at some point during Steel Panther I got shoved forward a bit by some enthusiastic people who were jumping around, so that by the time their set was over and a few people went out to get a drink in the interval, I was able to get right up to the front. The whole night I could feel the music through my body, through my sternum into my throat. It was incredible.

The billing may have made Def Leppard the headliner but people were definitely most excited about Mötley. At least they were the rowdiest and I had the least space to move during Mötley. They started the same as their tour this summer, interrupting the recorded music with the loudest "Wild Side" ever, and they continued to kick ass for an hour. Their set was shorter than this summer, as they weren't last, and they played three songs they didn't play this summer including two I'm less familiar with because they're from a non-studio album, but it was amazing. I was so close I made eye contact with Nikki Sixx (bassist and my favorite) and Vince Neil, the lead singer. It was even more intense than this summer since I knew all the words to all the songs and it was so loud and in my face and everything a rock show should be.

Mötley ended too soon, of course, but then I got to watch a fascinating deconstruction of their set followed by setup for Def Lep. I have such respect for roadies. (Plus on bad days when I don't want to do theatre, my backup desire is lighting designing Mötley shows.) So that kept me pretty entertained, and then Def Lep played. They sound amazing considering they've been around since the mid-70s, and actually don't look that much older than Mötley even though they've got probably 10 years on them - they probably didn't do quite as many drugs in the 80s. And 90s. I learned last night that I actually only know about 3 Def Lep songs really well and am vaguely familiar with about 5 more. Haha. It was a good time though, and everyone was being all British and whatnot. I could see the sequins on Joe Elliot's shoes. Vivian Campbell smiled at me.

It was interesting to see the differences in style between Def Lep and Mötley. This summer when I saw the Crüe with Poison, Poison was just a slightly tamer version of Mötley - their pyro wasn't quite as impressive and they weren't quite as loud. Def Lep was completely different, no pyro at all and simpler lighting. But none of you probably care very much about the nuances of 80s rock shows in the 21st century, so I'll leave it at that.

I ran into the couple from the train as I was leaving and so we took the train back together. And then I went back to Bess's place, then took a cab to the bus station, a bus to the airport, and a plane to Madrid! Here I am an in the last 12 hours I've been in a plane, a bus, a cab, a train, and three cities. But so worth it.

ROCK. AND. ROLL. timeforclass.