So here's a rule of thumb of mine - wherever you are, make an effort to do the things you can only do in that place (if they appeal to you at least a bit). So, in Iowa City, go to Pagliai's pizza, and the Hamburg Inn. In Ames, go to Thai kitchen and Battles' Barbeque (if you eat meat). In London, go see the art and the theatre (but don't worry too much about the restaurants).So, in that spirit, Grace and I intend to see some theatre and visit the museums this summer. Last week we went to the National portrait gallery and the Tate Britain museum. And last night, we went to see 'Pygmalian' last night at The Old Vic, a historic theatre (Kevin Spacey happens to be the artistic director). They have a special deal for people under 25 - 100 12 pound tickets each performance for the young crowd.
Grace and I studied this play in high school, but it was impossible to understand a lot of the jokes when it was being read, because so much of it depends on accents. For example, there's a scene where the entire joke depends on the juxtaposition of the character's upper class accent and her lower class topics of conversation. This joke is entirely lost on a high school class from Iowa with no idea that there are different english accents. We all thought an english accent basically meant you dropped your "h's" and said "guv'nor" at the end of every sentence. It turns out there are dozens of accents, in London alone. And it was great to see the actor's make use of all these different accents.
So it was a good play. And I hope to see more. My theory is that I'll know what's good and bad and I'll begin to enjoy things even more when I've seen a slew of plays. It has worked with art, which I am now capable of really enjoying (for about 40 minutes - then I tend to lose my attention). After the play we went to the bar below the theatre (called the pit bar) and enjoyed a pint. The cast was down there, which was cool (it's not like we talked to them though). However, there was someone else there. This guy.
He's better known as this guy.
Henry Wickham from the BBC Pride and Prejudice miniseries. Grace freaked out for about 180 seconds.
3 comments:
First of all, it's GEORGE Wickham. Second, I did not freak out that much, and I did not freak out IN FRONT OF the guy, only afterwards, when we were outside and he had walked off toward the tube station. And then it was only for a few seconds... perhaps slightly more. Honestly, who wouldn't freak out? At least I didn't do the same thing I did in front of Paul Giamatti! I'd say that's an improvement.
Ahhh! I would have freaked out! Holy crap!
I know, thank you! Matt thought I was being silly. He does not appreciate how much P&P is a part of my psyche. My friend who worked at the theatre didn't tell me who it was until after we'd left and he was across the street from the theatre walking to the tube station (yes, famous actors take the tube apparently) and I yelled at her for not telling me sooner. She is not a P&P lover.
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