Home Again

[przed]

We're safely back from our Eurpean trip, with nothing left to do but the laundry.

I enjoyed London, as always, though it gets more insanely expensive every time I'm there. (I arrived home to find a message from Visa asking me to please confirm some of the charges I rang up whilst I was away. Yes, I really did spend that much on a hotel, and thanks for reminding me.)

My excuse for going to London has ever been the theatre, and we saw some really outstanding productions this time round. Democracy was probably the best show we saw, being a play about left-wing German Chancellor Willy Brandt, although the RSC Othello, with Antony Sher as Iago, gives it a close run for its money. (As a bonus, we had front row seats for Othello, which put us right on the stage of the Trafalgar Studios. Stunningly good seats, if a bit alarming during the fight scenes.) And the play most likely to cause outrage in your average theatre-goer was definitely The Goat, Edward Albee's latest about a man who, um, loves a goat and the havoc it wreaks on his life. Jonathan Pryce played the lead and was outstandingly good. The play itself is extremely interesting. No, really.

On the music front, we got to see both Jane Birkin and Nancy Sinatra as part of Morrisey's Meltdown festival at the South Bank. (Nancy was too much fun, and did my personal favourite, Last of the Secret Agents, as one of her three encores.) We also managed to score tickets to Orbital's last ever London show at the Brixton Academy. That turned out to be a truly phenomenal experience. We'd seen them a couple of years ago, but Toronto audiences don't come close to matching the energy of a London crowd. The excitement when they did their version of the Doctor Who theme was amazing. Plus, it was neat just to be in the venue, after having read about it for so many years.

I also got to meet up in person with faramir_boromir, and it turns out we share many of the same tastes in theatre and music. (Simon Russell Beale, ahhh.) Alas, I didn't manage to get in touch with llinos. (Hope you're well.)

Now, I really should get cracking with that laundry...

Comments

[morgandawn.livejournal.com]

welcome home. sounds like a great time. While you've been out, I've been gobbling up I Spy DVDs so naturally thought of your first vid (the first vid of yours that I saw..). :-)

[milochka.livejournal.com]

Welcome back! I'm insanely envious that you got to see Orbital in concert. I hear their shows are amazing... I've never seen them but I do have several live recordings, and yeah, it sounds like a pretty wicked time.

I'm into electronic space music (the 1970s sound mostly) and there are several awesome concerts this year at Leicester's National Space Centre. If I was rich, I'd be flying across the pond just for that. *sigh*

Good luck with the laundry. ;-)

[przed.livejournal.com]

It was indeed a wonderful time.

I saw your post about I Spy as I was trying to catch up with my flist. It really is a vastly underrated show and would have a huge fandom if there was any justice in this world. (And that I Spy vid was in fact the first vid I ever made, frighteningly enough.)

[przed.livejournal.com]

The S.O. gets credit for scoring the Orbital tickets. It was our consolation prize for not managing to get tickets for the Glastonbury music fest this year. Though given the weather in England this weekend, I'm not entirely upset that we didn't get to go. (We did manage to go in '98, when there was much rain and hence mud and we had to keep talking each other down from wanting to give up and go back to London.)

The Leicester concerts sound intriguing. Shall have to dig up some information on them.

[milochka.livejournal.com]

Check out Synth Music Direct (http://www.synthmusicdirect.com/) -- click to the "Concerts" page. Some of the past shows must've been amazing. *is green with envy again*

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

I have serious travel envy. :)

Welcome back. Sounds like a great time.

[przed.livejournal.com]

It was a great trip. I've always adored London, but I surprised myself by falling in love with Paris as well.

[sooguy.livejournal.com]

Welcome home! I was tempted to call you and Don all day today, but wanted to give you time to adjust and unpack.

I'll call you guys tomorrow night and catch up.

[faramir-boromir.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed Democracy...and you'll have to tell a bit about Othello, since we didn't get tickets and ended up seeing Cruel and Tender at the Young Vic instead.

Don't forget: SRB in MacBeth, the Almeida, January 5 to March 5 2005.

Good to see you and the SO in London as well...and glad you are back safely.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Probably a good thing you didn't call. Well, for me anyway. I collapsed pretty early last night, although Don held up much better. Tonight, I'm fighting a post-trip migraine and Don's at a movie. Oh joy.

[przed.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed Democracy very much. Roger Allam was suitably statesman-like, and Conleth Hill was amazing.

I'll email the details of Othello, but in short, it was an amazing production, with both moments of muscular staging and delicate emotion. It was the first time I'd either found Othello truly sympathetic or even liked the play.

I haven't forgotten SRB's Macbeth. I don't know if I'll be able to make it, but I'm already scheming.

Glad to hear you made it back safely as well. Very glad we got to meet you.

[llinos.livejournal.com]

Yikes
My bad, bad mobile phone! It stores up messages and then gives them to me all at once, usually three or four days after they were originally left.

Of course I could just carry the damn thing round with me.

Sorry to have missed you - you sound like you had a busy time in any event!

luv
Liza

[przed.livejournal.com]

No worries. I do carry my mobile around with me, but I almost never turn it on, so we're in the same boat. ;)

We certainly had more than enough to do, but I would have loved to touch base with you. I tried your land line, but I must have written it down wrong as I kept getting a very stern voice saying the number wasn't recognized. Ah, technology.

I'm scheming to come back sometime soon for more theatre (Simon Russell Beale in Macbeth! David Soul in Jerry Springer! Talk about the sublime to the ridiculous.) so maybe we'll have better luck next time.