Victoria and Albert Museum
June 16th
It is amazing how much history is preserved in London. The Victoria and Albert Museum contains pieces of art with a variety of backgrounds. Our group focused on the theatre exhibit, but it showcased a special Beatrix Potter exhibition, statues, paintings, miniatures, jewelry, and much more. It is worth note that the theatre section was the warmest gallery I have ever explored. I felt bad for the mannequins who must suffer through it all day. I really enjoyed the lively atmosphere of the museum. London offers many free entries, and it encourages families to engage with society. My favorite part was the sculpture exhibition especially of the girl reading. But I loved the outside pond area where children were splashing around in the courtyard.
The play that was most imbedded in my mind while walking through the theatre exhibit was The Phantom of the Opera. I think it was due to the initial room which focused on the Royal Academy of Dance. There were intricate dancing costumes which reminded me of Christine’s initial role of a dancer but the one that caught my eye was the Mask of Edouard Espinosa. This mask is more of a bronze replica of a face, but I still immediately made a connection to The Phantom of the Opera. The Phantom has scarring across half of his head, so he decides to wear a white mask which conceals the marks. Even though the masks have completely different appearances and meanings, I tied in the Phantom’s duty of producing the opera with Espinosa’s cofounding of the Royal Academy of Dance. The mask was made towards the end of Espinosa’s life in the 1950’s but his lifetime overlaps with timeframe of The Phantom of the Opera which takes place during the 1880’s.
All these little details caught my eye and I kept drawing connections between this real man’s life and a character in a play. I enjoy that art and history let us find the thread that ties it all together.
-Tabi is Booked
Theatre in London U of A 