"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."~Samuel Johnson
London. Every time I go there, I love it a little bit more. Yesterday and this morning were no exception. The first thing I did, as I made my way through to the crowds to the tube station, was to stop and buy a scarf from a street vendor. I have a small collection of them at home but I thought that in July I wouldn't need one. Wrong. The people of London love their scarves. And being there doesn't feel right until I've got one knotted around my neck or slung over my shoulders.
I didn't get to Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey, to the British Museum or the Nation Gallery like I had hoped, but London did reveal a facet of itself in the form of West End Theatre. We tried to get tickets for Les Miserables but it was sold out. We considered Phantom of the Opera and Lord of the Rings, among others, but finally decided on Monty Python's Spamalot at the Palace Theatre. I'm not a Monty Python fan, but Tim is, and I gave in with very little persuading on his part. Afterall, it's England; why not see one his favorites in its own country?
Well, I'm still not a Monty Python fan, but I am now a bona fide theater fan. It was the most amazing experience: the lights, sound, live music, the talent of actors who must create and recreate their characters with no room for error night after night. The musical numbers were astounding; I've always been a little leery of movie musicals and now I know why- they don't compare in the least to the real, live thing. It's no wonder the theater was full of American tourists. It was a thrilling experience.
So, I'm hooked! I've instructed Tim that all my gifts from now on are to be in the form of theater tickets. I hope to have quite a collection of theater programs by the time we leave here.
Any other theater fans out there?
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I absolutely LOVE the theatre!! I've only been to a handful of productions, but--you're right--no movie compares!
ReplyDeleteYour compromise on Spamalot sounds like one I'd make--my husband is a HUGE Monty Python fan:)
My parents recently returned from a tour of Britain/Scotland. I've been looking at their pics a lot, getting ready to make the scrapbook for them that I promised. Now I want to go even more! I can't even imagine how much there is to see and discover there. That's so awesome that you have the chance to experience on a long-term.
oh fun! you are bringing me back to the 90's. i travelled to london with a few of my friends....we checked out many of the places you mentionned...AND went to the theatre. we saw phantom of the opera. AND guess what? we got lost on the way to the theatre and missed HALF of the show.
ReplyDeleteit was soooo hilarious...and also a bit sad.
ok...A LOT sad.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the theater! I actually got to go to an outdoor production of "Anything Goes" with some girlfriends this week. It was at the local college, so not EXACTLY professional, but in Midwest US you gotta take what you can get!
ReplyDeleteI've been to Phantom, The Lion King, and Wicked. But I'm SOOO jealous that you got to go in London. How amazing!