Hello all! My last day in London was today. I wonder how I will title the remaining blogs from now on… Maybe UK Day (insert # here)? Guess we’ll both have to find out tomorrow!
I started off my final day here by getting breakfast at Dillon’s cafe, which is attached to the Waterstones book store. I got a mocha and an almond croissant. They were just what I needed to get my day going! It made me wish I had more almond croissants while I was here, too, because it was perfectly made.
After breakfast, I met up with the group so we could go to the Victoria & Albert museum! The Victoria and Albert museum is one of the largest museums in the world. The museum covers 12.5 acres, and holds over 2.3 million objects… crazy, right? We started off in the Theatre & Performance Archives, and let me tell you there was something for everybody in this section alone. What really caught my eye were the pieces that had to do with some of the shows I have seen while on this trip. If you didn’t already guess it, I’m mainly talking about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The museum had the script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on display, and this was the same version that I had read when the manuscript first came out! It was interesting to see how exactly the show started out, and to be reminded of myself reading it for the first time while imagining how the production would look on stage. Who would have thought I would ever see both parts of the play in person- especially since they have condensed it in so many other countries! I also learned that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child set some records: they set the record for the highest all-time weekly ticket sales, and won a record-breaking nine awards at the 2017 Oliviers. In addition to the script from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, my eye was caught by a few instruments on display. Seeing the instruments reminded me of the prevalence that pit orchestra has in theatre. To view them displayed alongside such prolific pieces in the theatre community really drove home the fact that the music of a show is just as important as things like the costuming, script writing, etc. All of these play different, yet equally visible and key roles in a production. I could especially see this in works like Back to the Future and Legally Blonde, where live music was heavily featured.
Another exhibit from the V&A I enjoyed was the Jewelry Archive. This area was stunning, and it had what seemed like hundreds of objects on display. The items on display ranged in their beauty and uniqueness, so when you walked down the hall, you weren’t exactly sure what you would see next!
When I was done at the museum (which to be fair, it is impossible to be completely done with the V&A), I did another one of those relay races of my favorite things to eat in London. I stopped at Bun House for bao once again, because third time’s the charm! I also went back to Amorino’s to get more gelato before returning to the hotel to take another much needed nap.
After I woke up, I went to Nando’s for the first time- it was really good! I can see why it is a staple restaurant here. I got a salad with a plant based patty and it was definitely up there for me. There are very few salads that I have finished completely, and at Nando’s… there was nothing left on my plate.
After my dinner, it was time for our last show in London, Woman in Black. Woman in Black is a ghost story that I do not wish to spoil for you, so let me just say that it is both thrilling and chilling. Not even five minutes could go by without me looking behind my seat to make sure there was nothing looming over me. There were jump-scares and moments that would leave your hair standing on end. I would describe it as viewing a horror movie and yelling “STOP!” at the screen whenever someone was going to make a stupid decision, but you were basically IN the screen yourself. If you like a good old adrenaline rush and getting spooked out, this is the show for you!
And ta-da! There is my time in London at an end! Stay tuned for Oxford and Stratford Upon Avon. We only have a few more days left… So I will do my best to make them count! 🙂
Theatre in London U of A 