One Wicked Day!

Tour of the Royal Opera

So yesterday was a pretty Awesome day. We got to sleep in for a bit which is always nice. Our first stop of the day was to the Royal Opera House for a little backstage tour. When we got there we met with our tour guide, who was really funny. He gave us a lot of background about the Opera house and told us a little about the renovations they made not too long ago, where they were actually closed for two years before they reopened. He took us into the actual theater area and we sat and talked a bit while some members of the crew were setting up for a filmed rehearsal at noon. Unfortonatly we we unable to watch the rehearsal but it was still fun to see what we were able too. He told us that everyday they alternate their shows so they are constantly changing the set, but with their pulley system it only takes them at max four hours to move one set off and set up another. He said in a typical year they show 22 different operas and 12 different ballets and that some of the company members only get about 4 weeks off during the whole year.  Afterwards he took us to the upstairs area where we were able to see the build area where they assemble the sets before moving them on stage, as well as the ballet studio, and the costume support area where they keep up with the garments that are currently in production. I was really sad that we were unable to tour the inside of the Costume Support area because they were really busy, but it was still really cool that we got to see some of the stuff that we did. After the tour was ended he told us that was just a glimpse of the Opera house and that there was so much more to see.

After the tour we were given some free time until the evening performance of Comedy of Errors, so some of us decided that we wanted to see if we could get some tickets to the matinee performance of WICKED. We knew that it was a long shot since the performance was in an hour but we decided to try anyway, and i'm glad we did. One of the best parts about London is that they give student discounts at many of the Shows and attractions. When we got to the box office the only tickets they had left were the  £65 ones ($130 in US) but because we were students we were able to get for only £27.50 which is like $55 in the US. So of course we bought the tickets not knowing if they were good seats or if we would be sitting togeter, but we were. We sat in the stalls which is the area right before Orchestra seating and on the lower level. Pretty much they were amazing seats for a last minute deal. Words cannot describe how awesome I thought this show was, it exceeded my expectations and I'm so glad that I was able to see it. When I get back in the states I hope to be able to see it again with my family because I know they'd love it too. I only wish that I would have been able to take pictures during the actual performance because the costumes and set were soooooo good.

Curtain Call

After Wicked we grabbed something to eat because we hadn't had food all day and knew that in 2 hours we had another play, so we stopped by an Italian resturant that was right by the Apollo theater. The food was really good, I would have grabbed some dessert had time not flown by so fast because we were almost late to The Comedy of Errors. After watching Wicked,I just wasn't sure how this one would compare since i'm not a big shakespeare fan but it was quite funny to say the least. This play was far from a traditional period play, taking place in some lower level who knows what area, but hilarious non the less. It had tons of physical comedy and kept me from nodding off the whole time. I loved the fact that it was done in the traditional all male cast where some guys dressed as the women, which is what would have happened in Shakespeare's day. I'm pretty sure that if all of Shakespeare's plays were performed like this I would love them all. When the play ended Sara and I headed back to our dorm room while some of the others went to see a midnight performance of Hamlet and others went to a pub. On our way back to stopped to get some snacks, mine being grapes and some chocolate cheesecake (which was super yummy). Walking back to the dorm we heard some random bagpipes, which a local said the person playing it was probably drunk. When we finally got home I was able to skype with Sam and my mom and sister which was awesome. I chatted with them for a bit which is always good. Before heading to bed Sara and I watched some of the Wicked songs on youtube before finally calling it a night.

Comedy of Errors Preshow