Dancing at Lughnasa-Day #2

Here’s some things that happened during the full second day of London: 

1. A bus ride for what felt like an eternity. 
2. Alex Ahuja became an inconsolable whiny toddler during the bus ride.
3. I chose to take care of said toddler.
4. Finally getting off of the bus and walking to an adorable London Pub with Jackson Smith.
5. Having the first of many authentic Fish and Chips.
6. Going to my first European grocery store.
7. Realizing how difficult it is to get ice in London. 
8. Going to our first National Theatre Show, Dancing at Lughnasa.
9. Getting shoved off of the tube for a Shake Shack side quest.
10. The first night of jet lag induced insomnia.

The second day spent here was arguably better and worse, the jet lag is still hitting stronger than ever. And I’m not quite sure how it is already Thursday because I could’ve sworn yesterday was Monday, and I was still back in Texas. But every second that flies by, seems unreal and like I haven’t actually woken up from the nap I took on the plane. But walking to The National Theatre and getting to sit in that space, made this all become real. Seeing the National Theatre exist in the midst of food trucks, a little skating park, the water, and the theatre itself being so massive made me feel so small not only as a person in London but as a theatre artist. Small but so big at the same time, because all of these amazing actors were literally at my fingertips. 

Dancing at Lughnasa was a show that I went into with a mindset that it wasn’t going to be my favorite. Just based on the script, there weren’t many character arcs, it’s a LOT of dialogue, and overall it ends the same way it started; unhappy. But upon seeing the set, Gerry’s entrance, and the female’s unspoken bond that was present on stage my mindset quickly changed. 

The set mapped out a whole countryside for the house using a hill that led off upstage to where the actors couldn’t be seen and only showed the kitchen, leaving the rest of the house up to our imagination. The set allowed for each and every audience member to create their own vision of the home and the field, with some slight barriers.

Gerry’s character surprised me, completely surprised me. He initially was a character I didn’t like because he just comes and causes so much havoc in all of these women’s lives. But the way the actor portrayed Gerry with a light hearted nature and with a goofy spirit, it allowed me to see the character in a new light and connect with him in a way I hadn’t before. The unspoken female bond ranged from the way the sisters took care of each other to taking care of Michael to the way that they just moved and touched each other in the space. The comfortability that each of the actors had with each other spoke truth into the characters, making each and everyone feel authentic. The actors really carried the show for me, even though there were times when I couldn’t hear all of a monologue or there was a dull moment. The bond that the actors created as an ensemble and the bond that they created with their characters changed Dancing at Lughnasa from a play that I didn’t really like to a much more moving one.