Theatre

I really can't talk about theater. It's just too hard to write about. I tried writing about an abstract notion of how theater is everywhere in London, from the stage to the streets, but it just wasn't coherent enough to really work. Then I tried talking about my own theater experiences, but that just sounded ridiculously self-centered. Plus, it's something that I'm not entirely comfortable talking about, since it was so close to my heart at one time and I really should have continued with it in college but didn't. Now I'm really, truly stumped. Honestly, I've never had this much trouble with a journal entry. Hmmm, what to write about? Well, maybe I'll just write whatever the heck is in my head. Sorry, guys. This might get boring. Here goes:

1) I think it's funny how Brits spell "theatre." Why is it different from the way we spell it? Or, perhaps, why is the way we spell it different? As far as I can figure out, it's just one of those odd little things that makes the English and American languages separate. Weird.

2) I really do think that London has a lot of theater going on in everyday life. Maybe "theater" isn't the right word, but I'm not sure what would be. Let me give an example: Our flat, 37 Hyde Park Gate, looks quite nice from the outside. It's shiny and white and seems not out of place with the the beautiful building beside it. Inside, though, it's old, falling apart and pretty darn ugly. The facade is nice, but the interior isn't. It's like it's a frumpy, tired actress who put on a whole lot of makeup and a smile and became a prima dona. Underneath, it's still the same crumbling old house, but outside it's impressive. I've also noticed that just about every back yard in this city is made up of a dirt floor, piles of rubbish, and a few plants surrounded by a brownish brick wall that was ugly when it was first put up a century ago. The front is usually nice and pretty, with window boxes and lace curtains, but the back yard is nothing to look twice at.

3) West End theater is lots of fun to go to. I don't know what more can really be said about this. If you like theater, you go to Broadway and to the West End. That's where good theater lives. Besides the shows we've seen as a program, I've also gone to Jersey Boys, Phantom, Les Mis, and a second production of WarHorse (with a new and much better cast). Each and every one was simply amazing.

4) "Theater people" are different. Really, they are. Lots of my friends are "theater people." Most of them are wonderful, happy and funny people who have turned to the theater because they like to perform. I love these people. Others are not so nice. Some seem to become actors not because they enjoy making others happy through their performance, but because they like the thrill of being on stage and being looked at by hundreds of people. I really, really can't stand these people. My roommate freshman year dated one and he was the most self-centered SOB I've ever met. Literally everything he did was for his own personal gain and I really hope I never have to see him ever again. The kicker was, he was actually a darn good actor. There's just no justice in the world, I guess.

5) There is something magical about seeing someone famous on stage. There just is. I know it's silly and stupid and morally corrupt and blah blah blah, but everyone likes to see someone in real life they would otherwise only see on the big screen. Seeing Tom Hollander (from Pirates of the Caribbean and Pride and Prejudice) in A Flea in Her Ear was fun, and the man who played Javert in Les Mis is an old Broadway hero of mine, Norm Lewis. In Blithe Spirit, I immediately recognized Ruthie Henshall from her work in musical theater as well. The most exciting sighting was, however, not on a stage. On the way to Mogadishu, I walked right past Mr. Johnny Depp. Yep, the man himself. Turns out he was in London for early work on the new movie Deep Shadows. I don't know why it should matter to me, but of course it does. I saw Johnny Depp on the street, and he looked straight at me. That makes me happy. Granted, it was a "Uh oh, is this girl going to make a scene?"-type look, but still. I'm only human, and I just love seeing people I know about on stage, or people I would normally see on the big screen on the street.