Pretty much a religious experience...

The people have asked for it (certain villages have even threatened revolt...j/k), so here it is...another post!!! Sorry I haven't been keeping this blog current over the past few weeks. The two weeks before break really weren't that exciting and were filled with mostly work, and then I was in Rome for a week (we'll get to that in a bit). So, here's a post covering the start of the second half of the semester and a little bit of what you missed from the first half.

I definitely feel refreshed coming off of an excellent week in Rome, and it was great to see my parents! A lot of the kids on the program have agreed that the first half was kinda tumultuous due to the fact that we were getting acclimated with: A) life in a new country...figuring out the neighborhoods, food, public transport, where to go, what to do, etc.; B) getting used to some new roommates in an apartment environment (and the resulting questions such as "Who didn't do dishes?", "Do you think Fanta orange soda would make a good marinade for orange chicken?", and "Are eggs that are a week past the expiration date still good to eat?"). So now that we're comfortable in our environments, we know what we really want to do and how we can do it. I personally have stepped up the number of shows I'm seeing and am making a list of the museums I need to see before leaving. Well, right now, I'm focusing on internship searching, but after that's done, then I'm getting back to the culture again.

Alright, so what have you missed since I last wrote. Well, first I'll give you a little summary of the shows I've gone to see and some brief reactions about them:

-_The Merchant of Venice_: We saw this with class at the Globe Theatre. The Globe Theatre!! Joy!!! It was incredible to walk into that building for the first time...everything about the building is amazing. We've recently learned in class that it's not an authentic reproduction, because with regards to many things, they honestly don't know what "authentic" is. But what they do know, they've reproduced to the best of their ability (including a thatch roof, the only one in London...they had to go through quite a bit to get that b/c they're illegal now). I'm sure I'll mention more of this later as my Shakespeare class progresses. Anyway, the play was good and very enjoyable, although as we discussed in class, they did tend to focus on the comedy at the expense of some of the more serious elements (like Antisemitism). It is a comedy though, and we were laughing pretty well at some points. I only wish I could've seen a show before the Globe season ended from the groundlings perspective (standing on the floor right in front of the stage, for those not familiar with Shakespeare). Our seats were the top-price seats, first level stalls, but the yard (where the groundlings stand) is often the best (and cheapest) place to be, because the actors play to the audience on multiple occasions, either verbally or physically (the intro before the show was "Greetings, ladies and gentlemen, lords and ladies,....and the poor [motions to groundlings]). ...Ok, that summary wasn't brief, but oh well. :-)

-Candoco Dance Company: A modern dance troupe made up of both abled and disabled dancers. The person who started the troupe was a former dancer who injured herself and became a paraplegic. She wanted to change people's perception of dance to show that anyone can participate, and wants her dancers to be held to normal standards, not a lowered standard b/c they're disabled. Among the dancers was a lady with a crutch and a man in a wheelchair. It was very neat to see, and in fact, some elements wouldn't have been as effective without a disabled person.

-_Avenue Q_, the musical: For those who haven't heard of this, let me give you a brief intro. One way to summarize it would be "Sesame Street rated R". It's about life on Avenue Q in New York, and the tenants' struggles to make it in life and find their way (especially Princeton, a recent college graduate trying to make it with a B.A. in English). Some of the characters are humans, but most are puppets controlled by puppeteers on stage. Such notable songs include, "What do you do with a B.A. in English?", "The Internet is for Porn", and "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist". If you're offended by any of these songs, well...yeah, they are a little mature, but they're also pretty funny too. I've known about this musical for a while, so it was a fun time to finally see it on stage.

-_Les Miserables_, the musical: Yes, yes, the famous Les Mis, hailed by many. I figured since I'm a thespian, the fact that I still hadn't seen this show was close to blasphemy. At least I could avoid awkward moments such as ..."Hey guys, what's this song from?" [everyone stops, stares at me incredulously] "Um...it's from Les Mis". Yes, that has happened to me. Anyway, my first impression? Honestly, it didn't appeal to me that much. I left thinking, "Yeah, the acting was stellar and I can see why people enjoy the music so much, but it honestly didn't grab me from the beginning". Yet, as I listen to the soundtrack more and more, it's growing on me. I honestly think because of the sheer complexity of the show's music and storyline that, like RENT, you need to be acquainted with it before seeing it on stage, in order to truly appreciate it. I found myself struggling to keep up with the story at times, but now the soundtrack has cleared up my confusion.

-The Globe Theatre: Well, this wasn't a show, but this is what my header refers to...our first class/tour in the Globe Theatre. I'd already seen _The Merchant of Venice_, so I was acquainted with the space, but the tour of the whole theatre completely revamped my impression of it. First off, you get such a different feel of the space/stage/atmosphere, depending on where you are. For instance, while standing in the yard (groundlings spot), the rest of the building seems to rise up magnificently all around you, and the stage is this huge, elevated space that's right in front of you. From the 2nd floor seats, you get the sense of looking down on the scene, but the theatre itself feels smaller in a way. Even though you're farther away from the stage than the groundlings, it still doesn't feel that distant...it's still right there. [I'm finding that it really is difficult to fully convey the atmosphere of the theatre through words]. Finally (and this is the best one), the view from the stage. The first time stepping foot on the stage (we entered from the side stairs) was pretty much a religious experience. I think my mouth was agape for the entire time. We got to see backstage with the ladder to the balcony and the trap door entrance (stages entrances from the trap door = "Hell"; those from the ceiling = "Heaven"). Then, we made our entrance, via the main stage doors, onto the stage. This cannot be described truly in words. The stage was huge, yet small and cozy; the seats were all around you, yet felt so near. We were there...on the Globe stage! It really is true how you can see everybody's reaction though... Oh, I could gush about the Globe stage for paragraphs upon end, but I'll truncate this here. If you want to know anything more about Shakespeare/The Globe, let me know, and I'd be happy to tell more.

Well, another lengthy post to read. I think I'll save my tales of Fall Break in Rome until after I visit Switzerland this weekend, and then lump them together. Here's a preview of next post to keep you intrigued while I'm finding time to write it :-P... Halloween Boat Cruise on the Thames (a.k.a. "Booze Cruise"), Guy Fawkes Night (now known as Fireworks Night or Bonfire Night), Greenwich and how I stood in two hemispheres at once, Ale Fest (oh sweet wonderful ales...), and Speaker's Corner (unless I've already talked about this...hmm).

Have a wonderful day everyone! New pictures should be up soon, and I'll try to write that next post as soon as I can. Cheers!