Today was our last full and latest starting day, with us meeting to head to Covent Garden at 9:30. Many of us had goals of waking up relatively early to beat the breakfast rush at around 7:00, but ultimately, the vast majority of us woke up much later (like my room, where we all “coincidentally” woke up at 7:40). Still, many of us made it to breakfast around 8:30 and were hit with the peak of breakfast rush hour. Some of us were even taken to a fancier room with larger tables because there weren’t any of the smaller ones left. We had our usual assortment of toast, eggs, various pastries, cheese, meat, fruit, cereal, and more (if you can believe it). And of course, last but certainly not least, TEA.
And finally, 9:30 arrived and we met up in the lobby to discuss our game plan. We walked for about half an hour to get to Covent Garden. Similar to Camden Market, Covent Garden is a commercial shopping center, but unlike Camden Market, there are a lot more boujier stores. None of us bought anything super expensive, but instead decided to spend our money on tea, makeup, keychains, among other trinkets. There was also a ton of greenery and Instagram worthy locations for cute photo ops. Some of us visited some historical sites, such as St. Paul’s Church (nicknamed the actor’s church). Some of us considered going to the transportation museum, but decided not to because we’re not nerds (totally not because we had to pay for entry). In the 17th century, St. Paul’s Church, three terraces of fancy houses, and a piazza were added to attract rich people. Additionally, there were many tasty bakeries to eat from. Today, for lunch, we were on our own and were able to choose where we ate from. My group decided to sit down at a cozy deli and bakery to eat focaccia. The focaccia had a delicate crisp on the outside with a soft and fluffy interior, covered with cheese and various vegetables. A solid 7/10 meal. Light yet filling.
Another group split off a bit earlier to continue shopping around Carnaby Street. Many bought very cute clothes, key chains, and fried chicken from there. I personally did not go, so I don’t really have anything more to add.
At this point, our group had split again. Some of us decided to go to the Paddington Bear Experience. The rest of us (AKA, the cultured lot) went to Westminster Abbey.
On our way to the Abbey, we stopped in front of the Elizabeth Clock Tower (or as most people incorrectly know it as Big Ben, which really only refers to the massive bell inside) and took some photos. We also pointed out some parliamentary buildings in the area while on the way. We eventually made it to Westminster Abbey and our exploring began.
For those who don’t know, Westminster Abbey is London’s Church where many, if not all, English monarchs are coronated. Another fun fact is that Westminster Abbey is the burial site of many English monarchs among other famous people, such as Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Oliver Cromwell, Stephen Hawking, and George Frideric Handel. However, the most important person buried there was arguably the Unknown Soldier who had a whole rose bed dedicated to him. He was British soldier who lost his life during WWII, but was unidentified. The British government decided to honor his loss, but more importantly, the lives of everyone who died at the hands of war, with the memorial at the abbey. What made this visit more incredible was seeing the tombs of Edward II and Richard II. We had just seen Edward II at the RSC just a few days prior and were about to see Richard II that night, so it was truly a full circle moment. Ms. Pero also gave us the hot goss on the Stone of Scone and how many wars were fought between the English and the Scotts. All for a literal stone. Granted, they both believed the stone came from God and needed it in order to coronate their monarchs, but still. We then hit the gift shop and rushed over to meet with the other group at the Old Vic Theatre. On our way there, we crossed a bridge and took some photos in front of the Themes, which I like to think of as London’s Hudson River. As we jogged our way through trying to catch up with the front of the group, we eyed down some very attractive people with good style (of which there were many).
As I mentioned before, there was another group that went to the Paddington Bear Experience. Upon reuniting with them, they quickly told us that they’d “saved London” (whatever THAT means), “went to Peru,” and had a lot of fun. Similar to Life Size Monopoly, it was a team building experience filled with various mini games and thrilling challenges. At the gift shop, they sold plenty of Paddington merch, including these adorable Paddington teddy bears, and marmalade, which some people actually bought (yum).
We all miraculously made it to the Old Vic Theatre on time to watch Oedipus staring Rami Malek as Oedipus. The production was received with… many thoughts. Some people enjoyed the production, some people loved it, and some people had plenty of criticisms. Overall, there were a lot of STRONG opinions. However, I’d say that as a whole, the production was enjoyed (if we ignore the fact that we had to stand to see over the rails). This production wasn’t the same Oedipus we know and love (okay, maybe it’s just me who loves Oedipus). This play was an adaptation written by Ella Hickson, directed by Matthew Warchus, and co-directed and choreographed by Hofesh Shechter. Yes, you heard me right. Choreographed. There was DANCE in this production. In all honesty, the dance was the most interesting and unique thing about this piece as it replaced all of the chorus/choragos scenes. But the highlight of the experience was the talkback with the actors. The actors joining us included Indira Varma as Jocasta, Nicholas Khan as Creon, Cecilia Noble as Tiresias, Justine Gouache as a dancer, Oscar Jinghu Li as a dancer, and RAMI MALEK as Oedipus. YES. RAMI MALEK JOINED THE TALKBACK. Many of us were fangirling and having mini heart attacks as he walked on stage and sat in his chair. Skylar Herman was especially excited since Rami even answered one of her questions. Overall, it was a very cool experience.
Finally, it was time for dinner. We headed to a restaurant called Giraffe (what a fun name) for some American/British/generally East Asian cuisine. There were honestly a TON of options on the menu, so I’m not exactly sure how to categorize this place. Anyway, some of us had fish and chips, some had steak, while others (such as myself) opted for Korean BBQ chicken. Along with that, I also had prawn gyoza as a starter. The gyoza was crispy while the prawn on the inside was tender. The flavor was mild and comforting. A solid 7.5/10. The Korean BBQ chicken really stole the show for me. With it was served shredded carrots, chopped up green onions, sliced red cabbage, pineapple, and waffles. This dish was delectable. The chicken was very flavorful and I thought the pineapple was a nice addition. I’d rate it an 8/10.
After that, we headed on the very crowded tube (no joke, there was literally not enough space on the first one, so we had to wait for a SECOND one which was super crowded and not everyone made it, so some people had to wait for a THIRD one so we could all make it to the same stop) one last time to make it to the Bridge Theatre to watch our final show: Richard II staring JONATHAN BAILEY. Can you believe it? Rami Malek AND Jonathan Bailey on the same day?????? Okay, I gotta stop fangirling and finish this horrifically long blog. So we sit down in the theater and enjoy the show. Richard II is one of Shakespeare’s historical plays following Henry Bolingbroke (who is later known as Henry IV) and his ascent to the throne. Throughout most of this play, Richard II is king, but no one really likes him, so he essentially gets kicked off the throne. Anyway, Jonathan Bailey did a fabulous job. Hannah Shinder balled her eyes out, Eve Antonelli was bored to death, and Daniel Leron Lukatsky practically FAINTED when Jonathan Bailey looked at him, smiled, and waved during bows (this isn’t even an exaggeration, there is video evidence of this). Hannah and I both argued over who Jonathan was staring down at during this very heavy monologue, but we ultimately agreed that he was either looking at both of us, or we were referring to different moments. But in the end, most of us were very happy with the show. Shakespeare’s writing is brilliant and the acting was stellar. For some people, this show was life changing. But I’d say, this trip as a whole was life changing for all of us. More on that later.
After the show, instead of taking the tube, we decide to take two busses to get back to our hotel. We got on and shared our thoughts on the show and any critiques we had (because we’re judgy and pretentious theatre kids, duh). We made it safely to our stop, walked for a few short minutes to our hotel, discussed our plans for our last/travel day, and headed up to our rooms.
For me, this trip has been incredible. I’ve always wanted to visit London, but being here now is pretty surreal. For a lot of us, this trip has shown us what theatre can look like. It doesn’t have to be the cookie cutter acting we normally see. Some of our favorite shows from this trip were the more experimental ones. Some of the lower ranked shows had a more traditional format. For me, this trip also encouraged me to head out more (so basically touch grass). I already go outside quite a bit, but seeing how much we walked over the course of this week made me realize that I could walk a LOT more. My step count for these past few days has actually been insane. Today, I hit 21,250 steps which wasn’t even my highest. I was also forced to look outside and get off my phone since I didn’t have access to WiFi most of the time. The sites were truly like no other. If I had my phone out, I would’ve missed so many incredible views. What I’m trying to say is to go out and enjoy the scenery. Put down the phone and just take everything in. And try changing your perspective every now and then. I thought I wouldn’t enjoy Weather Girl since it was a one-woman show, but it turned out to be my favorite and probably the best show I’ve ever seen. Speaking of favorites, in honor of us finally seeing all eight shows, here is my personal ranking of them.
1.) Weather Girl
2.) Richard II
3.) Edward II
4.) Oedipus
5.) My Neighbor Totoro
6.) Scissorhandz
7.) Bungalow
8.) The Devil Wears Prada
With that, this very long blog comes to a close. I genuinely enjoyed writing this so much!
With love,
Elena Gergis