Today we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum from which I gained many things. Yes, this means plenty of souvenirs, but also a lot of insight and self-reflection. I have realized many times on this trip how insane it is to think about people actually using items or living in locations we have seen or visited. When we went to Bath, it took me a long time to really accept that I was walking the same paths that other people have walked in the past. I love to compare it to realizing everything I’m seeing is real and not a set piece. I think I’m used to a fabricated reality of something that could have been real, that when I actually live or walk on the same stones that previous people have walked, I get confused. I’m not sure if that’s a form of culture shock, but anyways.
While in the museum, I encountered many dresses, gilded furniture, and statues (so many statues). I realized that based on the location, depictions of the crucifixion look different! In medieval times, Jesus’ feet were resting on a slanted podium that was part of the cross and the feet were side by side with a nail in each foot. But, in all crosses and depictions of the crucifixion that I have seen, Jesus’ feet are crossed with one nail through both pinning them directly to the cross.
I also saw so many instruments ranging from pianos to string instruments. This made me have a moment inside the European wing that drew a little more attention than I had hoped.
While on this trip, we have obviously seen more than a heaping handful of shows and performances. In each show, there has been music. Some shows have more interactive music like in Rocky Horror Show and specifically The Secret Life of Bees and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Other shows utilize music to add more emotion or emphasize a moment within the production like how they used a radio in Dancing at Lughnasa. But what made me have a slight breakdown is realizing how music was so guarded and utilized differently in these previous time periods.
I can’t imagine a world without music and I learned that there were many people who experienced music through others. I have been fortunate enough in my life to be able to be a part of the process of creating music and the beauty of singing and playing other instruments. But, those who didn’t have the luxury of affording an instrument may have never experienced anything like it.
The two shows that have been my absolute favorite because they create such an amazing and emotional experience have been the shows that the cast plays some form of instrument. When watching The Secret Life of Bees, even though it was a concert, I was blown away by the amount of emotion that was produced in such a unique situation. Some of the cast had their own instruments they played, like a cello or drums. There is an entire song that is acapella other than hand clapping and stomping and that song made me feel so connected to the cast. It created a human experience that even without instruments, we can all come together to make something beautiful.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is by far my favorite show I’ve ever seen. The cast all played a variety of different instruments and most of the cast played more than one character. They were their own band and ensemble and it was such a beautiful experience. So many talented people all in one place and I can’t imagine the amount of rehearsal time it has taken them to get to the place that they are. I can tell they are all extremely connected to each other which is why the story is so powerful. Music has created this amazing connection that has provided a platform of storytelling. That is why I was tearing up in the museum today, but it is an experience that made me feel more human.
I wish I knew what she was dancing for.
Theatre in London U of A 