Today has been an exhausting but awesome day. Woke up at 8:00 AM (after sleeping for 11 hours … straight) for a flat orientation with our building manager. We talked about the rules (no guests, no loud noise), how to get into the building after-hours (the whole building is offices, except for our floor which has 4 flats), and other miscellaneous things. The manager was very nice and easy to get along with. We expressed our main concerns (one toilet isn’t working, fuses had popped, and heaters weren’t working properly) and he quickly began calling maintenance to fix all of our problems. The flat itself is really nice and a lot bigger than I expected.
After that, the girls from my flat and I walked to class in the London Centre. It’s really cool – right next to the Charles Dickens Museum. Actually, I think that the university rents from the museum … we might be having class in Dickens’ bedroom! WEIRD.
So after class (three hours of discussing WWI poetry and the play we’re seeing tonight War Horse), we walked to the nearest sandwich shop and had lunch at a place called Café Nero. There were some great sandwiches and coffee … I had a tuna melt and it was delicious!
Later that day, me and 5 other girls from the flats went to the British Museum just down the street from us. It was AMAZING!! My roommate told us that the Museum is full of artifacts “borrowed” from other countries. I guess there are some documents or paintings or something that Greece has asked the Museum to return, but they have refused because Greece does not have the same conservation tactics and supplies that are available in Britain. I guess that makes sense but it still seems like a creepy thing to do.
The British Museum
- quote by Tennyson printed on the floor
inside the museum
That night, we had dinner in the flat, which was really nice (and inexpensive), and got ready to see the show War Horse at the New London Theater. We got lost a few times but were able to make it to the theater 15 minutes before the show. We had GREAT seats (2nd row) and got to see everything up close.
Handbill cover
Without giving too much away, War Horse is based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo. The story begins with Albert (our protagonist) and his father out to the market to buy a cow. Chaos ensues when Albert’s father finds himself in a heated betting match with his rival, and brother, Arthur. They end up buying a thoroughbred foal instead of a cow. Shamed (and broke) they make their way home. Upon arriving at their farm, Albert’s mother is furious but decides the best thing to do is raise the horse and then sell him at a high price. Ecstatic, Albert begins training his new foal whom he has dubbed Joey. Two years pass and Joey has grown into a fine horse; one capable of running faster and hunting better than any other of his kind. In a state of desperation, however, Albert’s father sells Joey into the army and he is shipped off to France to fight the Kaiser’s army. Thus begins Albert’s journey into WWI and his mission to find his best friend. (For more stage photos of War Horse, visit the show’s listing on Playbill.com)
What I loved most about this play was the use of puppetry. All of the horses and animals are puppet driven by some very talented actors. Each horse puppet requires three puppeteers working in unison. As one living, breathing organism you completely forget that the actors are there and focus more on the movement of Joey as a horse. Though it may be hard to suspend your disbelief at first, by the end you will be cheering for Albert and Joey to be reunited.
This play was definitely a spectacle but lacked in acting. The puppeteers were amazing and able to convey so much meaning and emotion through their puppets. But the actors standing on their own lacked the development and core necessary for the audience to connect with them.
All in all, I would highly recommend this play to anyone, especially if it comes to tour in the US.
After the play, my roommate, our friend C, and I went to McDonald’s. That was an experience in itself. Everything tasted the same (except for the ketchup) but the service was really bad. I guess the UK and the US do have some things in common!
Puppets are wonderful…sounds like an interesting play. Stay away from McDonalds. I know it’s enticing but yuck, not in London. Love you.