I should preface this post by letting you know that all plays/field trips I write about are FREE (or rather, are included in the tuition costs for the semester). I'm so thankful to be getting all these opportunities to do things without spending a fortune!
Monday night, I went to the Royal National Theatre for a performance of Bertolt Brecht's "Mother Courage and Her Children". I can confidently say that this was the worst production of any play I've ever been to. I left during intermission - something I've never done before. I love art and am genuinely interested in seeing art performed, even if I'm not in love with it. I seriously couldn't stomach this performance. The play is set in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), though Brecht was writing in the 1930s. This play is strongly anti-war and anti-fascism, which I appreciated, but a central element of the play really bothered me. Brecht is considered to be an innovator of theatre because of his development of "Verfremdungseffekt", literally "alientation" or "distancing effect". As a result, the audience is not supposed to identify with any of the characters, and this particular post-modern production made sure the audience was fully aware, the entire time, that they were watching a play. Mother Courage is a nasty character who benefits from the war and says things like, "There's no point in keeping one's principles during war." Ultimately, all her three children die as a result of the war, so we're supposed to feel sorry for her on some level, but she was a nasty character. I'm sure I might have appreciated this production more had I read the play first, but going into it blind was terrible.
On Tuesday, I had my first experience with London rain! It rained ALL day, and at times it was coming down really hard. I noticed that it is harder to get around when it rains. I never noticed how uneven the sidewalks and streets are here, but the water tends to pool in these deep and wide puddles, causing major pedestrian traffic flow issues. After class, I decided that since I hadn't eaten much all day, that I'd try the vegan buffet that's right near my flat on Euston Road. I'm not a vegan, and although I'm not a vegetarian anymore, I can definitely appreciate the food. It was SUPER delicious and very inexpensive for an all-you-can-eat place, although I was a little disappointed that none of the dishes nor the twenty-odd dishes of sauces were labeled. Oh well, it was definitely a culinary adventure.
Today, I woke up late and, since I don't have class, decided to procrastinate doing my homework and instead Googled the best thrift stores in London. The one I chose to visit is called the Three Pound Shop over in Notting Hill. Once I got myself there, I spent a good hour and a half digging through huge bins of clothes, books, troll dolls, etc. Even better than advertised, all clothes and shoes only cost 2 pounds, so I ended up leaving with a cute, vintage tee-shirt and a pair of the most amazing, buttery blue leather knee-high boots I've ever seen. The inside label says they were handmade in Italy. Even better, they're completely broken in and in great condition! When they were new, these shoes probably cost $200 or $300, and I got them for about $4. I LOVE thrift stores!
Tonight, I'm going to see Troilus and Cressida at the Globe, which I think will be a better experience than Monday's theatre-going disappointment!
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