after lunch we went to SEE Macbeth at the Globe Theater and it was unreal. the director took some serious risky and risqué liberties on this one. the "Groundlings" are the people whose tickets only allow them to stand on the floor by the stage. at this play, a black sheet was tied to the stage with holes for people to put their heads through (supposed to represent Hell haha), making it more spacious for one to stand and with less people in the standing room only. it also made it possible for actors covered in stage blood and pretending to be haggard souls to emerge at random parts of the show and moan and twist their bodies around. SICK!
the actor who played Macbeth looked like Heath Ledger's (RIP!) older and slightly balding (but still extremely sexy) older brother. he had that same earth shattering smile and husky voice. mmmm! someone raised a question in class earlier wondering whether Macbeth and Lady Macbeth would be really loving or really distant or someone in between (since you could play it any of those ways). this director chose to encourage the loving version. or should I say love-making. there was a quasi pornagraphic sex scene in this version of Macbeth, and a near-rape scene between the murderous duo. wonder what Bill would have thought. it was intense. there was also A LOT of blood. but I guess that's to be expected in a play about lots of death. it was great though, despite the surprises. Additionally, upon pulling my glasses OUT OF THEIR CASE to see the show, I discovered that one of the side had broken off and one of the lenses was scratched. COOL LIFE, CHELSEA! CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO SEE THE REST OF LONDON! fuck me, right? mahalo. (miss you pants/soaps).
when we got out at about 445 I had an hour and half to kill before meeting Liz so Becca and I found a coffee shop and chatted. With 20 minutes to spare we headed towards the Tube stop 100 yards away. what's that you say? not a Tube stop? An "overground" train stop? A whaaa??
Chelsea: Excuse me, could you tell me where the nearest Tube stop is?
Friendly-ish Brit: Uhhh, haha, you're pretty far away from any Tube stop. Which one are you looking for?
Chelsea: cooooooooooooool. Looking for Barbican.
Brit: go diagonally right until you get to St. Pauls and there's a stop there but by the time you got on a to Barbican you could probably just walk there.
Chelsea: aweeeeeeeeeesome thanks.
WRONG WRONG WRONG.
we get to St. Pauls okay but Barbican was another story. 30 minutes and $10 worth of calls to Liz's cell phone I find her. we're meeting up because her mum (who sings in the London Symphony Chorus) is performing with the London Symphony Orchestra and a famous pianist and soprano. The pianist, Vladimir Feltsman, blew my mind. I've never seen anything like it. It was 45 straight minutes of him mastering the piano like he had written the piece himself. So much emotion, so much expression, so much passion. I wish I could do anything half as well has he played that piano. It was stunning. I was less impressed with the soprano singer, Sally Matthews, mostly just because I had already heard the Chorus perform that piece a few weeks back in this tiny church and I enjoyed that sound so much more than with her and the orchestra over top of them. It was obviously still really enjoyable. They did Poulenc's Gloria, a total masterpiece.
Tomorrow we get to go on a walking tour with Roger Bowdler, that awesome architectural historian from last week. Greaaaaaaaat my injured groin muscle is going to LOVE that. best be stocking up on Ibuprofin and heating pads.
more soon (and I promise one of these days I'll try to get intellectual up here)! big love, CK.
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