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.

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 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!

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.

Two flights, one screaming baby, four noisy neighbors, two very bland meals, one fully-booked flight, two facial scans, and three bags later, and I have officially arrived in London. I have officially set my feet on foreign soil and breathed in the fresh air that smells nothing like home. I will say, even now, I don’t think it has hit me that I am in London, let alone going to be here for a month. I am so excited to see everything London has to offer, especially after today.

Even though it feels like I just fit 48 hours into one day, we all still had somehow enough energy to go explore London a little more. After getting into our rooms, we went to Russel Station to get on the tube headed for Piccadilly Circus. I’ve been on the New York City subway and the metro in Washington, D.C., but I’ve never experienced anything like the tube. There are unspoken rules that are followed by everyone traveling, and somehow obvious? You wait for everyone to get off and then get on as quickly as possible. Then on the escalator, to stand, stay on the right, while the left is reserved for walking. Everything is so fast-paced, and everyone seems like they have somewhere they need to be. A man fully body-checked me today and didn’t even turn around to hear my apology :(.

Living in London is already very different than how I normally function in the United States. I have to remind myself to focus on looking the opposite way when crossing the street. I audibly gasped when we got onto our bus from the airport on the left side. There is no air conditioning in the hotel. The sink and bathtub have two spiky knobs, not one handle. But, humidity doesn’t exist. The “warm” day of 68ºF (20ºC) had a very chilly wind that made a cardigan and jeans a favorable outfit choice. I know it’ll take a lot of getting used to, but the initial “culture shock” is a really interesting experience. I have been out of the country once before, but even then, the only real culture shock I could remember was the language barrier of my brief Duolingo Italian skills. But the weirdest thing about this trip is that all the culture shock is from behavior, rather than language. It’s a weird experience that I know I’ll have to adjust to.

For lunch, a group of us had “Authentic California-Style Tacos” – whatever that means – and ate it in Russel Square. While the tacos were less than memorable, the experience will stay with me forever. We sat in the grass – that feels different than American grass, but I don’t know if that makes sense – and shared stories about our travels. Later, when we had the night to ourselves, our group decided to explore Chinatown, and we devoured very tasty (and cheap!) Taiyaki fish waffles with vanilla ice cream. Then instead of taking the tube home, we decided to take the 25 minutes to walk back to the hotel to see the city a little more. We came across 2,435 cafes and red telephone booths (give or take a few), at least two hair salons – including one that was very Sweeney-esque-, one “dental surgeon”, two hundred very big-boned pigeons, and eleven crosswalks including four zebra crossings. In total, since 12 PM today, I have walked 13,321 steps and have a feeling I’ll be walking a lot more than that in the days to come. I feel like I’ve lived more days than I can count, but I can’t wait for what the rest of our trip brings.