I’m a bad blogger. I committed myself up to doing one simple task every day for two months. Just two and what do I do within the first week? I miss a day. Well shame on me. Slap my wrist and put it to bed because it’s over and done with and now we can move on to what has happened over the past 48 hours.
First off, adventures on Oxford Street.
This is, as I found out very quickly, quite possibly the worst place in the world for my bank account. There are literally every five seconds something cute in a shop window that calls out to me, “Makenzie, you know you want to take me home. C’mon how many times are you going to find something like me? It’s not like you can get me in the states.” But I’ve done well in my own mind. Having been down the majority of the Oxford Street shops (and stopping in two of the three H&M’s on the way) I have managed to spend only £35! And what those were spent on was a new black dress (which looks exactly like my flowy white one I got two years ago from H&M), a new purse (because my new one I got from Target before I left seemed to not like me and decided to rip), and a new ring. Alright I have no justification for the ring, but it is really pretty; thanks TopShop. I actually ended up going to Oxford Street both yesterday and today so I feel like now it’s out of my system and I don’t need to go back EVER AGAIN. Let’s just see how long that lasts.
Now on to the plays.
First off, Rocket to the Moon by Clifford Odetts at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton.
I can see now why Odets is considered one of the foremost American playwrights. His words are so beautiful and flow so well (if of course the production is well done, which thankfully was the case in this production). The play tackles so many issues both relevant to the time in which it was written (late 1930’s) and today, of course many situations that were occurring in the late 30’s are reoccurring in some form today as well, such as money troubles (the lead character is riddled with the effects of the depression, he has no business, problems with office tenants etc.) the father-in-law doing fine and even profiting slightly from the depression), strains on relationships, being happy and the difference between happiness and love. The play brings up an interesting point, what does the role of love play in our lives? One character stated that love is just a jumping off point and that everything else is up to the two parties. Humans are social creatures and we are constantly searching for someone to share life with; we cannot stand being lonely. So the main character may feel lonely so he turns to the woman he sees every day, his secretary, who in turn is lonely and in search of someone who “likes her”. The whole role of the secretary is an interesting one, she starts off with what seems to be a minor part and that most of the action is going to occur between the dentist and his wife (did I mention he was a dentist?) but it turns out since the man has an affair with her, she becomes so pivotal to not only his story but her story becomes such a strong point in the show. Sorry if that made little to no sense but the fact is that Odets takes this sad dentist who is practically going through his mid-life crisis in a time before there was such a term, and then the point switches to the story of a secretary searching for her own freedom and strength in the world. It really is a wonderful play. I recommend it.
The production itself was beautiful too. The costumes were fab, but then again I am partial to that era of dress. The set was a spectacle on its own as well. They used the whole proscenium of the Lyttleton (which is a 890 seat auditorium) so the set was huge! They made the ceilings so high and bare that it was almost weighing down with emptiness. There was a hallway to the Dentist’s office that was raked slightly and had such a great use of straight lines and bleakness that it made you feel almost sorry for anyone in that building. Everything worked so well together. And the actors! Well let me just say that it would not be easy to not only pull off American accents but also to make Odetts philosophical and poetic dialogue sound so natural and easy to listen to. If you are interested in more on the NT’s production of it, or you are in London here is the link to their site (not sure who actually reads this blog, so I’m covering all bases) http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/62806/productions/rocket-to-the-moon.html And http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJzhY2oSv3Y
Second Play: Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward at the Apollo
The thing about Noel Coward is that this play is meant to be a silly drawing room comedy. If you know this upon entering the theatre then you’ll enjoy the show for the silly play that it is. The play has a slight social commentary, but on the forefront of it all is the physical comedy and the ridiculous situations that always seem to be happening. For those of you who have not read the play, it is a witty satire about a man who invites a medium over to his home one evening to hold a séance in order to gather some research for a novel he is writing. His wife and two of their friends also take part in the ceremony and after it the man’s dead first wife appears to him and only him. No one else can see her. Naturally this brings into question on why she is there and how. Eventually the second wife finds out (as you would if your husband was suddenly talking to someone who you can’t see but you thought he was talking to you) about the first wife’s presence and the husband decides to let her stay with them. The first wife is clearly still in love with him and the husband is in love with both his wives. You can see the problem that has been created. Well I won’t dive into more about it, as that may give away something, so I’ll just say this, it is a fun show, the cast did well and it sure as hell ended with a bang. Just a fun night out in the West End.
Tomorrow April 8th: Recharged at the Soho Theatre
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