Day Trips for 2016
COMING SOON: Below is the information from 2015 to give you a sense of how our travel worked then. This stays fairly constant from year to year.
Each year, we put together a host of short day trips that get us out of the city and allow us to see another view of England. The city is wonderful, full of brilliant shows, people, and things to do, but as the British aristocracy has always known, the country provides its own pleasures.
Stratford-Upon-Avon & the Shakespeare Institute
This year, because we have a former student, Karen Harker (London 2012), studying at the Shakespeare Institute, we have the opportunity to take a quick train out to Stratford-Upon-Avon, birthplace to the Bard. While there, we’ll have an expert on the area (and Shakespeare — Karen’s finishing a master’s on playwright!) who has offered to give us a tour around town. She also thinks she can introduce us to some of the actors working at the local theatres. Imagine it: a day trip to the country complete with free tours, a great play, and a chance to go behind the scenes! How can we pass up an opportunity like that? Come join us at Marylebone station, and we’ll take the train up together!
Oxford or Cambridge?
Likewise, we often take a day trip to either Oxford or Cambridge so that you can get a sense of what that style of college/university life is like. It’s different enough from US higher education that it’s worth seeing, and there are building in both places that are older than the United States as a nation. Our tour guides have always been wonderful, somewhat perfectly “British” and fitting every stereotype you’re looking for. At Oxford, we see lots of sites, like the courtyard at New College where “Mad Eye” Moody turns Draco Malfoy into a ferret in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. There lots of other Harry-Potter-related sites in Oxford, as well, that you could do as part of your own walking tour. (PDF) Cambridge offers equally beautiful sites as Oxford, as well as some beautiful first editions of A. A. Milne’s Pooh books, and artifacts related to the discovery of DNA, as well as places you’ll have seen in the recent film about Stephen Hawking, A Theory of Everything. In both towns, you have the chance to go “punting” — you shouldn’t miss it. Grab a bottle of wine (or two) and put a group together for a punt. There’s nothing quite like a relaxing summer boat ride around Oxford or Cambridge to relax you and also to make you feel a bit like Rat from The Wind in the Willows!
Kew Garden
One of our favorite early “outings” each year is to hop on a Thames River Boat Tour and head out to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. After four or five days in central London, it’s fun to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and see one of the most interesting botanic gardens in the world. Kew really came of age in the 19th century as English explorers traveled the globe and brought back rare plant specimens to London for study and cultivation. Kew Gardens produced the first tropical fruits in England, which became extremely important for sailors who often succumbed to scurvy while traveling. The vitamins in citrus fruit help keep the sailors healthy. But Kew also has Queen Charlotte’s summer palace, and the Treetop Walkway: take a few minutes to climb the stairs and look out over the London suburban countryside from the sky! And whatever you do, make sure you try the orange juice at the Orangery: fresh squeezed each day, it is the best OJ we’ve ever tasted … seriously!
After we’ve had our fun in the garden, we’ll head to the Original Maids of Honour Tea Shoppe for an afternoon “cream tea.” You’ll definitely want to try their eponymous confection, the “original Maids of Honour” pastry, but if you’ve never had afternoon “cream tea,” complete with rejuvenating hot tea and a scone that’s been slathered in delicious clotted cream and jam, well, you’ve been letting the best in life pass you by! You’ll want more tea-and-scone afternoons after this one, and let’s face it: after all the miles we’ve walked in London and in Kew, the calories won’t matter.
Did You Say Harry Potter?
Caught that did you? The fact that there’s Harry Potter sites to see in Oxford? Well, what about the Warner Bros. Studio in Watford Junction, which has an amazing tour of Harry Potter sets, props, costumes, and all the Butter Bear you could ever ask for?! That’s right: you can sate every one of your HP desires by taking one of the tours. We went two years ago and had way more fun than we thought we would, and then last year, the tours had gotten so popular that they were sold out for all of July by the time we got there. If you want to do the Harry Potter Studio Tour, you’ll want to book early. We can help you do that and get a group together. It’s way more fun with friends!
But That’s Just the Beginning …
While we’ll do some of these things together as a large group, there are so many other wonderful day or afternoon excursions you’ll want to enjoy. It’s a simple trip to grab the train at Paddington and hop over to Windsor for an afternoon to tour Windsor Castle and see the town. Or if it’s Henry VIII you’re interested in, go to Hampton Court Palace. The tour of the palace is wonderful, but you can actually the hedge-row maze for free! If Stonehenge and Bath are more your speed, then there are very inexpensive coach (bus) tours that pick you up in Central London and spirit you around to cool places, all in a day. Students over the years have really enjoying putting together afternoon or all-day-Saturday trips to Stonehenge-Bath-and-Oxford.
If you’re interested in “the Continent,” then now’s a great chance to go. From London’s 4 airports, it’s easy to grab a cheap ticket on RyanAir or ValueJet to Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, or really anywhere in central Europe. Put a group of 3 or 4 together and get a room for the weekend. Since we don’t have classes on the weekends, you can escape on Friday afternoon and stay until late Sunday. You’ve got your passport, you’ve got friends, why not see more of Europe, Ireland, or Scotland?? Now’s the chance!
London Plays 2015
COMING SOON: Below is the information from 2015 to give you a sense of how our travel worked then. This stays fairly constant from year to year.
Not everyone loves a musical, as hard as that is to believe, but we defy you to give the London theatre a chance and not come away liking plays/the theatre a little more than you did before. We have seen some amazing actors and some amazing shows over the last two decades in London, and each summer surprises us with another gem. Sometimes, we have to go searching in the smallest theatres around town for them; other times, the great show is playing on one of London’s most famed stages. This year is already shaping up to have a little something for everyone!
For some reason, London remains fascinated by the culture and literature of the American South: three years ago, there were four or five Tennessee Williams plays running; since then, we’ve seen a number of writers from the American South show up on the big stages. This summer, a staged production of To Kill A Mockingbird will be showcased on the main stage at the famed Barbican Centre, one of London’s premiere spaces for theatre and music. No doubt, you read Harper Lee’s classic novel in school, but if not, you should. The story centers around a young girl, Scout, and her brother, Jim, and a fateful summer when a South nearly 70 years away from slavery still can’t quite deal with the reality of black and white citizens living together. It’s a heart-breaking story, but one that continues to offer hope for change to readers. We can only imagine it will be a beautiful story to share on stage!
The National Theatre, which consists of four different stages/individual theatres, is always a good bet for excellent theatre. Recent shows that have taken New York by storm (War Horse; One Man, Two Governors) got their starts at the National, and both are still playing in London’s West End, as well. The National does good work! This summer, one classic 18th Century farce and two new shows sound really interesting.
George Farquhar final play, The Beaux’ Stratagem, promises to be a “carnal comedy,” typical of the farcical shows we often get from that time period: “The ‘Beaux’: Mr Aimwell and Mr Archer, two charming, dissolute young men who have blown their fortunes in giddy London. Shamed and debt-ridden, they flee to provincial Lichfield. Their ‘Stratagem’: to marry for money. Lodged at the local inn, posing as master and servant, they encounter a teeming variety of human obstacles: a crooked landlord, a fearsome highwayman, a fervent French Count, a maid on the make, a drunken husband, a furious butler, a natural healer and a strange, turbulent priest. But their greatest obstacle is love. When the Beaux meet their match in Dorinda and Mrs Sullen they are most at risk, for in love they might be truly discovered.” Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Dr. Taylor has taught this play many times over the years and promises us we will have to stitch ourselves up after we explode with laughter!
Of course, it’s hard to go to London and then not see anything at the Globe Theatre, a contemporary reproduction of the theatre Shakespeare spent most of his time writing for and performing in. Located on the South Bank in Southwark, the Globe Theatre is a wonderful place to catch a show. The breeze from the river help keep you cool in this outdoor theatre, and even the noise of that 8:20 British Airways jet overhead is kinda cool. This summer, the Globe is showcasing a two histories (King John and Richard II) and two comedies (As You Like It and Measure for Measure). Most likely, we’ll see one of the comedies as a group, but once you’ve gotten a taste for the Globe, you’ll probably want to go back on your own to another show!
The first of the new shows, The Mother**cker with the Hat (what a title!), will be finishing it’s run in the Lyttelton Theatre in our first week. According to the website, “Steven Adly Guirgis’s play received six Tony nominations on Broadway. Poetic, profane and hilarious, this whip-smart look at love and addiction finds light even in the darkest corners of New York City.” The second, The Red Lion, will be wowing small audiences in the Dorfman Theatre. The Red Lion explores “the dying romance of the great English game [soccer] – and the tender, savage love that powers it.” If you’re into sports/football, this is your year for London theatre!
Another West End option for Summer 2015 is the new(ish) play The Audience by Peter Morgan. When it opened in 2013, we couldn’t get a ticket! Helen Mirren originated the role and every night was sold out. This summer, acclaimed actress Kristen Scott Thomas will be reviving the role of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, in this smart and interesting play by one of London’s best living playwrights. The Queen has famously met with each of her Prime Ministers on a weekly basis for her entire reign; at this point, that’s over 12 different prime ministers, starting with Winston Churchill! Can you imagine what those conversations must have been like? While the unwritten rule is that neither PM not Queen will repeat anything from those meetings, playwright Peter Morgan imagines what those scenes must have been like in a charming, witty, and utterly absorbing play that shows history through some of the great personalities to have lived it.
In keeping with the theme of “great actors on stage,” this summer puts Simon Russell Beale back on stage at the Donmar Warehouse in Temple, a new play by Steve Waters. According to the website, “On 15 October 2011, Occupy London makes camp outside St Paul’s Cathedral. On 21 October 2011, a building that had kept open through floods, the Blitz and terrorist threats closes its doors. On 28 October City of London initiates legal action against Occupy to begin removing them from outside the Cathedral … Steve Waters’ new play is a fictional account of these events, set in the heart of a very British crisis – a crisis of conscience, a crisis of authority and a crisis of faith.”
London Musicals 2015
COMING SOON: Below is the information from 2015 to give you a sense of how our travel worked then. This stays fairly constant from year to year.
The new year is upon us and shows are starting to appear on the London theatre websites, letting us know what sort of fun shows are showing up. Are you into musicals? Okay, let me rephrase that because, seriously who isn’t into musicals. How much do you LOVE musicals?? I know, right! Here are a couple that are launching this summer or making a glorious return to the various stages around London.
The big new shows this year is a musical-dance version of the young adult film Bend It Like Beckham, a story of two young women – one white and English, the other Punjabi and English – who live in Southall, a small suburb of London, which features constant airplane flights overhead (it’s next to Heathrow). Both girls love football (soccer) and David Beckham, but Jess comes from a traditional Punjabi family and football isn’t their idea of what a daughter should do. We’ve been looking forward to this show for a couple of years. If you’ve not seen the movie, do it ASAP and then get ready for a great show at the Phoenix Theatre in July! Even better, tickets are selling as cheaply as £15 ($22), so you will NOT want to miss this show!
London’s also planned for a few classic musicals that you’ll want to add to your list: Gypsy and High Society! Gypsy is a THE musical in so many ways, the story of Mama Rose and her desperate desire to make her daughters into stars. Mama Rose is the archetype “show biz mom”; those women on “Toddlers and Tiaras” have nothing on Mama Rose! Every great musical actress has played (or wanted to play) Mama Rose, from Rosalind Russell, Bette Midler, and Bernadette Peters to Linda Lavin, Betty Buckley, and Patti LuPone. You’ll recognize the amazing songs of Jules Styne and Stephen Sondheim: “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” “Some People,” and “Let Me Entertain You.” Gypsy heads into Savoy Theatre after a successful run in Chichester and stars everyone’s most hated Harry Potter figure, Delores Umbridge: Imelda Staunton! We can’t wait to see her on stage and we hope you’ll join us!
This radio interview of “Late with Kate” interviews Imelda Staunton on her new role:
Like Gypsy, the Cole Porter musical High Society is chock-a-block (know your English phrases!) with wonderful musical standards that you’ll recognize or, if not, that you’ll want to. You’re invited to the wedding of the year, the “IT” event for everyone in high society, what a great party it will be! Based on the film The Philadelphia Story (what? you haven’t? OMG, go watch it immediately!), High Society involves a posh socialite, Tracy Lord, her fiancé, her ex-husband, and now a gossip reporter who wants in on the action, all on the weekend of Tracy’s wedding. A classic “who will she choose” comedy with fun songs like “True Love,” performed beautifully by Bing Crosby here:
http://youtu.be/PAO8vlvPS88?t=3m26s
Over the next couple of months, we’ll have many more that show up in addition to long-running musicals that you may also want to catch, including Billy Elliot: The Musical, The Book of Mormon, Les Miserable, Let It Be, Lion King, Matilda: The Musical, Miss Saigon, or take in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the wonderful Regents’ Park Open Air Theatre!
