After tonight, I will have seen 3 plays in 3 nights.
I'd say that makes nights well spent. The first night was Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap. It was fantastic! For those that don't know the story, it's essentially a murder mystery. Within the play are themes of identity and knowledge, and there's a slight fuzziness between good and bad. The actors were incredible-- I was legitimately terrified in one spot, and then I was so excited once I realized that I had been scared and that they had been able to elicit that in me. There was wonderful use of lighting, and the radio within the set was cleverly used to heighten the suspenseful mood. And yet, there were also plenty of light-hearted parts that just begged for our laughter. They provided a welcome, although brief, respite from the darker considerations right at hand. For this play, I went by myself. When I went to buy tickets, everyone else in my group at the time wanted to see a play that hadn't made my personal list. Having heard other tales of independence, I proceeded to buy a solo ticket. It was a thrilling experience in which I got to flex the muscles in my wings. I found my theatre just fine, and found my way home to, always being cautious and clever of course. My seat was also amazing, for no one sat in front of me and I had a clear view of the stage.
Last night, I saw Marlow's Dr. Faustus at the Globe! Another girl and I trekked over, using the hour walk to chat and drink in the city. There, we found others of our group, and we all buckled down to wait for returns. It was a 7:30 showing, and all the tickets were sold out, but after calling the theatre we learned that if one gets in the returns queue by 6:00, one has a good chance of getting in. Well, needless to say, we did. For only 5 pounds we were let into the yard, the area that surrounds the stage and that the stage juts into. As groundlings, we had to stand for the entire 3 hour play. Insane, I'm sure you're thinking, and so was I. However, it's not nearly as arduous as it sounds. You are being entertained, and so part of the time I wasn't even thinking about my feet. You are also incredibly close-- we could have touched the stage, and the actors too. We even got some water spat out at us at one point-- gross, but still kinda cool. You can feel the play more, when you're that close, b/c you can't possibly dissociate yourself from what's going on. It was a great experience also because that's where I would be, if I lived back in Shakespeare's day. I would be a groundling in the yard... of the Globe! I still can't really believe I was in the Globe! Then again, I can't believe that I'm doing most of what I'm doing, so I really shouldn't be making such exceptions. About the play itself... twas wonderful! Creepy and uncomfortable and enticing and revolting and comical. In all the right places. There were so many ideas and emotions elicited from me... my head is a whirl!
Tonight, I will be seeing Much Ado About Nothing. The entire group of WIEers is seeing that at the Globe on Friday, so why am I seeing it now? I am seeing a different, wonderful version that has David Tennant and Catherine Tate in it! For those who don't know, those two actors were the stars of the television series Doctor Who. Tennant is the 10th doctor, Tate is his companion, and they ran through time and place for series 2-4. I am amazingly excited!
Also, today I booked my ticket for........drum roll please....... France!! Next Wednesday, I will be taking a day trip in to Paris.
Don't wake me up, because I love this dream.
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