Dancing makes me weep and it felt so good.

Dancing with Lughnasa at the National Theatre did make me big girl cry I will not lie. But to back up, when we first entered, I was just mesmerized by the stage. The way the lawn was raked above the house and the grass looking so real and authentic was insanity to me. And then the strings of lights hanging from the ceiling had me quite excited because it simply was just something new, I had never seen before onstage. Then, the tableau moment they had at the very beginning before Michael began his opening speech grabbed my attention instantly. The way Christina has herself positioned with her left foot pointed out towards the home staring menacingly read to me like the tableau moments at the beginning and end were flipped for theatrical purposes. We got a glimpse of all the characters ending before the show even truly began and I really appreciated that moment because to be honest I do not think I noticed that switch in time until just now whilst I am writing.  

But the real kicker of the show for me was the first dancing scene between the five sisters. I believe it took me fifteen seconds before I started ugly crying. Watching how much joy and love was illuminated from these five women was astounding. I felt their hearts vividly even from our little area in the circle balcony. I wish I could put it in more impactful words that describe how I felt in that moment, but I believe I truly just felt overwhelming happiness. And this is going to sound so sad, and I do not mean it to ha-ha because it is really not that deep, but I do not believe I have felt that much positive emotion in a long while. It was so overwhelming to see and understand that those women are doing that every single night for as long as this show runs. I cannot imagine how their hearts must feel after doing a show like this. I saw the women catching their breath and wiping away the beads of sweat after their impromptu jig and it made me feel so blessed as an audience member that they went that full out with their hearts and bodies. I did not believe they were acting during this scene and perhaps that’s why it affected me so much. It was so lifelike my heart could not help but be attuned to it.  

And I could go on and on about my love for Maggie and Christina’s acting, but I do want to fit in my appreciation for the lighting design of this show, because holy moly was it beautiful. The way the string lights gave a hazy effect to the projection was stunning to look at and the transitions in between day sky to sunset to a cloudy day were so seamless a barely noticed until the new projection was staring me in the face. My most favorite of the lighting designs though was the way the spotlights hit Michael during his very last monologue. He had a front, back, and side spotlight all creating this beautiful image of three shadows around him. I will not claim this narrative as my own (Twas Jackson and Amelia’s realization first.), but! I believe those three shadows were there to emulate Michael’s past, present, and future selves relaying his story to us audience members. All of the “Michael’s” were there the entire time and the story and how it is told is affected by all of Michael’s moments in time and his processing of his mother and aunts’ life stories. The story would be different if only told from his present self-point of view or not as full with all the grimy and dirty details of his growing up. I really appreciated this light design with Michael’s character, and I am happy to say I truly enjoyed my first time at the National Theatre. Wednesday’s rating: 8/10. -1 deduction for all the little pain meds I took to attempt to revive myself from this jet lag and the final -1 deduction is not being able to sleep until sunrise because of said jet lag. So far, London is lit!  

Dancing at Lughnasa, more like Dancing at Lughassa

Today was our first official day exploring London. We went on a very long and tiring bus tour and then finished the day off with a production of Dancing at Lughnasa at the national theatre. Going into the show, I already had low expectations from reading the script and I was miserably tired from the tour, so I wasn’t exactly excited to enter the building. Now that I have seen the show and have had plenty of time to process it, I can confidently say that I did not enjoy it. My issue is with the scipt. It was boring, pointless, and bland. The play never asked or answered any questions, it just put people in a room and made them talk about very boring topics that never ended in anything ever being gained. The script gave the actors no objectives to achieve and no truths to live in. There were parts that I enjoyed, that being the directing, set, and acting. The directing was amazing, for every bad piece of dialouge there was an amazing blocking choice to fix it. The choreo was also phenomenal, the one and only dancing scene gave me chills. The director had a clear and beautifully eye for the show, it’s just too bad that they chose a bad script. The set was incredibly detailed, and although I don’t have too much to say about it, it added so much to the play and easily carried the entire production. Lastly, the acting was solid. I had some comments on Michael and the Aggie really started to strain her voice in the second act, but all the actors did a great job. Maggie was my favortie actor by a long slide. All in all, the production was great, but the script was horrendous. 

2/10 (Needed more cowbell)

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.

There should be more dancing.

Dancing at Lughnasa is set in the summer of 1936. A memory play, an older Michael narrates the summer where his uncle, Father Jack, comes back to Balleybeg and his five sisters, Michael’s aunts and mother.

A lackluster set can be forgiven in favor of captivating actors bringing a wonderful script to light. However, while there was strong acting, my favorite part of the National Theatre’s production of Dancing at Lughnasa was the set. The Olivier Theatre presents theatre in the round. The circular stage is a wonderful treat, and the set designers used the shape to their advantage. A gorgeous grass road leads to the vocal stone-floored square where much of the play was performed. The central square created a simple kitchen where the story could unfold. Lights hung down from the celling and projected a beautiful sky on panels behind the stage.

Through no fault of the actors, I could not get invested in the play. There seems to be too much going on without any direction. Siobhan McSweeny delighted as Maggie, who is given a lot of the lighter moments throughout the play. I would have enjoyed if the play had an arc for Maggie, who in McSweeny’s performance was the most charming of the characters. Of the actual play, I most enjoyed the narration monologues. Tom Vaughan-Lawlor delivered his monologues clearly balancing a distance to what was being said and a twinge of nostalgia. The only note about the narration: early on lines were lost when Vaughan-Lawlor just continued on despite the audience’s laughter.

The first act seemed a long affair. I found myself greatly enjoying the actors on stage and wishing the script gave them something of substance to say. The most fun moment is when the sisters outrageously dance with Agnes, played by Louisa Harland, jumping up on the table. Despite both the title and Michael saying that he remembers his aunts dancing, this is truly little dancing and revelry outside of this moment. Meanwhile, the second act opens with great fanfare. The shorter of the two acts, there is more direction and coherency.

My critique lies in the script of Brian Friel. I can say with almost absolute certainty that I would love the actors in other productions, and I know I would love to see something else staged at the Olivier to see how that space could be utilized for other shows. The directing and staging were well done, and I once again must mention the enchanting set design.

Even though a play can be a peek into a life, something failed to click in Friel’s semi-biographical play. There are no discernable scenes in the play with each act dragging. There was no break during the acts with the moments getting loss in each other for the most part. When something interesting was said, it was lost in the quick sweeping to a new conversation that came out of nowhere. There is also the point of the slightly misleading beginning. There is very little actual tie in to Lughnasa aside from the opening monologue and the aforementioned dancing scene. If the play was more fully grounded in the festival, I think it would have more direction to it. It felt like if Friel had gone back and fleshed out the script it could be something really wonderful. I even felt if it was reconstructed into a one act play I would have really enjoyed the sentiment presented and would have followed it better.

All and all, I found Dancing at Lughnasa a play that could not be saved despite having the best of all other elements. Although, I did seem to be in the minority, riotous laughter echoed through the theatre throughout the play. So, while I have most gripes for the play itself and great play for the elements the National Theatre could control, audience reaction would suggest that it is a performance worth seeing.

We Danced at Lughnasa

We sure did dance at our first professional theatre show in London! The Royal National Theatre was a great venue and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. It felt more relaxed than theatres back in the States, with security being a bit lighter and everyone being super friendly. Having a food truck court outside created a great community space.

Let’s start with what drew me in. The technical aspects of the show were amazing, and the set was one of my favorites I’ve ever seen. Giving the set so much depth and room to play was amazing. It was ultra-realistic, so it was easy to get immersed in the show and feel like you were there with each of the characters. The lighting was also interesting, and the projections they used for the sky were really unique. I think the direction in the show was thoughtful and particular, and helped the audience understand the story better than reading the script. I couldn’t picture the dancing well in my head when we read it, so seeing it onstage helped me understand their relationships and was my favorite part of the show. The sisterly love was beautiful to watch.

Now for what drew me out. Honestly, sitting on the bus made me quite tired, so I was exhausted at the show. I didn’t fall asleep or anything, but it was hard to stay engaged the entire time. There was a lot of dialogue and I don’t think there’s much of a driving force in the plot. The play felt as if it started in the same place it ended.

But, with its pros and cons, it was still a piece of beautiful professional theatre and the Royal National Theatre did a beautiful job of putting it together. It was so fun seeing a show with the whole group and getting to hear everyones opinions about it, and I can’t wait to see more!

5/25: Crowded Shafts, Crowded Tubes, and The National Theatre 

We have been in London for about 3 days now and I have been having a great time just walking around the city. My favorite moment so far has been getting to walk through London at night on the way home from seeing Dancing at Lughnasa at The National Theatre in Southbank (after jumping out of The Tube for a last-minute Shake Shack voyage). Experiencing the city from my 21-year-old perspective is much different than when I was here at 17 and it almost feels like a completely different city (my parents not being here may also have something to do with that) and I am having a great time getting to explore the city with my friends. My opinion on Dancing at Lughnasa has definitely varied over the past couple of days, but overall, I just did not enjoy the script. The set design, however, was absolutely phenomenal. The stage was in a forced perspective which got both smaller and taller as the set went further upstage, making the garden seem as though it stretched into the Irish hillside. As character’s entered from upstage and traveled downstage, it felt as though they were approaching from far away, which allowed for many comedic moments between the sisters, specifically from Maggie, as they would watch Jerry approach. The acting was also very good in the show, the only flaw that comes to my mind in the acting department is that many of Michael’s lines during his monologues were read with the same intonation and that made some of those monologues very hard to pay attention to without zoning out. And Michael has some long-ass monologues. Despite that, the rest of the actors did very well, the dancing scene in Act 1 was a particularly enjoyable moment. However, the script is just so entirely boring and nothing happens throughout it that isn’t already stated in a boring monologue, so the show itself just felt a little pointless. I loved The National Theatre, however, and I plan on getting tickets to see either The Crucible or The Motive and the Cue just to see another play on the same scale, production-wise. We just got back from touring the Tower of London and I am about to head to Teatime so I’ll throw in some pictures for the fun of it. Don’t forget to hit that subscribe button for more posts. 

No Dancing at Lughnasa…

Last night we saw our first show at the National Theatre. The theater was smaller than I thought it would be. Also the color of purple that the seats were so cool to look at. The seats were also comfortable which was a plus. I also really appreciate how cold they kept the theater during the show.

Okay, “Dancing at Lughnasa” wasn’t quite my favorite show I’ve seen. Some of the character’s accents were very strong so I ended up missing a ton of jokes throughout the play. My favorite character was Aunt Maggie, she was so funny and I knew every time she talked I would be paying attention. I was quite surprised there wasn’t as much dancing though. Actually no, I was quite sad there was no dancing. There was only one scene of dancing in the first act and it gave me the chills. They looked like they had so much fun on stage and I bet it was so fun to choreograph.

The design elements of this show was breathtaking. The set was so amazing!! I didn’t know the stage went back so far, it was so trippy at first. The light were simple and not too ‘in your face’. I really liked how at the end of act two all the characters were in a circle and each had a spotlight on them. The circles reflected so well on the ground to make circles in a big circle. I don’t think what I am saying makes sense, but hopefully does.

Overall, I would rate this show 6/10, I wish it was more fast paced. Other than that it was very entertaining to watch and the design just enhanced the show. Would I see again….probably not, but I’m glad I got that experience.

Dancing at Lughnasa

Today we saw our first play of many – Dancing at Lughnasa at the National Theatre. This show definitely had it’s ups and downs.

Some of the things that I really enjoyed about the show were the technical aspects, I loved how deep / far back the set went. It made the set look bigger, less crowded, and the set designer had more room to design a world for the show without having a small restricting set space to deal with. The only part of the set that I have concern with is when Gerry is in the tree, I couldn’t tell if he was offstage yelling is lines or if he was onstage on a set piece that we couldn’t see because of our seats. I thought the lighting was good, I didn’t notice anything too special. The music when they were dancing was also fun.

I think that the actors did very well in their roles, so I have nothing against them. I think I really just didn’t like the script, I found it really hard to like this show. I didn’t like it when I read it in Fayetteville, frankly I found it boring to read because it felt like nothing happened the entire show. I went into the show today with an open mind hoping that I would like it, but I just didn’t. There were some moments of the show that made me laugh, but then it got really slow again. I think my favorite character / actor was Maggie. She was hilarious and I think without her I would have completely zoned out. The other characters were okay, but I don’t think I got much from them.

Overall, I am glad that I saw the show, but I don’t think that it is a show that I will ever want to see again or read the script for.

This is just like Doctor Who

Alright, I have got some hefty choice words for the child I was sitting next to on the plane ride to London. This kid took off his shoes and was kicking the seat in front of him like mad (the kicking did not affect me personally but it still made me angry because he should not be doing that.) This kid fell asleep on me! Not on my shoulder, his upper body was in my lap! Oh, I was mad. He would not wake up and I could not fall asleep. For the entire duration of the flight, I did not sleep more than 15 minutes. I got to read a lot on the plane which was nice. While the lights were on, I read the book The Hellbound Heart–the inspiration for the Hellraiser movies– and when the lights were off, I listened to the audiobook of Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology, which had taken up the majority of the flight. The flight was miserable I hated it so much. When I got off the plane there was so much hate in my heart. 

London is cool though. There are a lot of birds here and that is an issue for me because I am terrified of birds but I will live I suppose. It was very strange to go to the Leicester Square area with the statues of Paddington Bear and Marry Poppins because I looked up and saw a statue of Batman looking over the city. I really liked walking around the city today and seeing all the stores. We got these neat ice cream cones in Chinatown that had a waffle cone shaped like a fish. The ice cream was nothing special but the cone was like a real waffle so that was rad. 

While exploring the city we went to the M&M store and Alex tried to make a candysona but gave up when the big screen asked him too many questions. The M&M store was massive and at this point in the day, I was really hankering for water.  We also checked out the Lego store which was rad. I wanted water though and they only sold Legos so I wanted to leave. 

There is not a lot of opportunities for water in London and I am thirsty all the time.

Very excited for the rest of the trip! (none of my photos want to upload :sadface: )