London 2012 Means the OLYMPICS!
Are you crazy about the Olympics? If not, then you’ll be fine with the fact that we’ll be in London for only 3 days of Olympic insanity, but if the thrill of competition and the excitement of different countries and cultures coming together in the name of sport and healthy competition (as opposed to strife and enmity), then those 3 days of overlap will give you the chance to be part of something rather wonderful.
While tickets to the Opening Games are quite pricey — $300 for the cheapest ticket, over $2,000 for the good seats — you may be surprised at how affordable are other options. For example, on June 28 and 29, you can get grounds passes for tennis matches at Wimbledon for just $40; tickets to Centre Court & Court 1 are pricier, at around $65. That’s quite a bargain considering you get to explore the glamorous All-England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, where the Wimbledon tournament is held each summer, in addition to seeing some of the world’s best tennis players on the grass.
Tennis not your thing? How about beach volleyball at Horse Guards Parade (with Buckingham Palace & the Mall in the background)? Tickets available for $40 there, too. Swimming events at the new Aquatics Center are also on sale for $40, while you watch cycling events down the Mall for the same price. Or pop out to Greenwich for the Equestrian events, same price.
Everything will be quite busy, but if you don’t mind crowds, and you welcome the chance to enjoy a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity, then make plans now to attend the Olympics. You can order tickets in the US before we leave!
Shakespeare’s Globe: 2012 Season
The 2012 season for the Globe has recently been announced, and it appears we have a real winner this year. Going with the classic tagline “The Play’s the Thing,” the Globe is boasting two powerful histories and one of Shakespeare’s funniest (and most frustrating) comedies. Reprising his role as “Hal” from Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2 during the 2010 season, Jamie Parker steps in as King Henry for Henry V. Be prepared to hear theatre-goers whispering along when Parker reaches Henry’s most famous speech, usually known as the St. Crispin’s Day Speech. Next up is the hilarious and disturbing Taming of the Shrew, which follows the story of Kate and Petruchio, the former sworn to independence and the latter sworn to “tame” her as his wife. For those who love their histories, Richard III begins mid-July, in plenty of time for us to make another trip to the Globe. All three plays offer something wonderful for our trip this summer.
Shakespeare’s Globe: 2010 Season
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre recently announced the 2010 season of plays, which they’re calling “Kings & Rogues“. This year’s slate of plays present some fantastic opportunities for us as theatre-goers. While we’re in London, we’ll have the chance to see both Macbeth and Henry VIII, two plays that showcase both kings and rogues.
It is perhaps hard to think of the theater and not think of the famous Bard. No doubt, this summer’s other offerings will also offer us tremendous insight into Shakespeare’s work, the workings of theatre, and the joy of watching great literature performed on stage.
No doubt we’ll be have a great time this summer as we stand like Groundlings and watch the plays!
Books of the Noughties
Brian MacArthur has just listed the “100 Books that Defined the Noughties”, which makes for a fairly interesting read. It’s no surprise to see one of the Harry Potter books top the list, but what might be surprising are some of the lesser-known books which MacArthur suggests have had a significant impact on the current decade. How many of these books have you read? If it’s “not many”, then perhaps you should pick up a few!
Read the full article here (Telegraph).
Shakespeare’s Globe: 2009 Season
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre recently announced the 2009 season of plays, which they’re calling “Young Hearts“. This year’s slate of plays present some fantastic opportunities for us as theatre-goers. At the “heart” of this year’s theme, no doubt, is the much-loved and often-taught Romeo & Juliet, that well-known play of star-crossed lovers. In fact, those of you who pay attention to these things may remember that the Baz Lurhmann’s film verion of Romeo & Juliet (with Leonardo & Claire) includes Kim Mazelle’s wonderful song “Young Hearts Run Free“.
It is perhaps hard to think of the theater and not think of the famous Bard. No doubt, this summer’s other offerings will also offer us tremendous insight into Shakespeare’s work, the workings of theatre, and the joy of watching great literature performed on stage. Perhaps no other Shakespeare play offers the fun and frolic of the mistaken identity quite like As You Like It. Love awry and hilarity ensues! Sadly, we won’t be in London for Troilus & Cressida or Love’s Labors Lost.
No doubt we’ll be have a great time this summer as we stand like Groundlings and watch the plays!
England’s Funny Place Names
In the New York Times, Sarah Lyall’s story “No Snickering” reports on the strange (to us, at least) place names that you’ll find throughout London and the English countryside. It’s hard to argue that our different words for different things can cause confusion. Certainly, no one in the U.S. would want to live on “Butt Hole Road”, though it appears that this “butt” is some sort of water container or resevoir. Go figure …
Give NYT article a read!
“An Eccentric’s Guide to London”
Interesting article from the Guardian about lesser-known London sites.
Oh Miss Dusty …
Seriously, I remember where I was when Dusty Springfield died. That was a major event … the passing of a singing legend. And not just because she did wonders to the Burt Bacharach songbook; in fact, Bacharach once noted that Dusty was the singer for “The Look of Love”.
Sure, Dusty Springfield may be best known for her iconic rendition of “Son of a Preacher Man” (video). It is one of those truly great songs of the mid-/late-20th Century, and it’s return to us in Pulp Fiction helped awaken a whole new generation to its poignant and searing vocals.
[audio:springfield_preacherman.mp3]But it’s a diva-worthy performance on “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” (video) that will also make Dusty Springfield stand out as one of the great back-combed divas of the 1960s and 1970. (You simply can’t get that level of lift in hair with out a lot of teasing and Aqua-Net … or a wig.) With “Say You Love Me”, Springfield shared with the world some ache, tinged with the upbeat movements that make pop pop.
[audio:springfield_sayyouloveme.mp3]Recently, the standout star of the British TV show “The One and Only” (an American-Idol-styled show for aspiring singers) offered her cover of Springfield’s classic tune. Not too shabby!
Also memorably for folks today is “Wishin’ and Hopin'”, which you’ll remember from the Julia Roberts film My Best Friend’s Wedding.
[audio:springfield_wishin.mp3]Regardless the song (or even the genre), Dusty Springfield made it her own. She’s a true treasure of the British Isles, and was even named to the OBE, though she died on the day she was to accept her honor at Buckingham Palace. Currently, there’s a bio-pic being made of her life, rumored to star Kristin Chenoweth.
Shakespeare’s Globe: 2008 Season
We couldn’t be any luckier for our 2008 trip! Shakespeare’s Globe (virtual tour) has just announced it’s 2008 season and headlining the group are one of the Bard’s best tragedies (King Lear) and (if it matters) one of my favorite comedies (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). In fact, I’ve seen Midsummer more than any other Shakespeare play, and had held out great hope that we’d have the chance to see it at the Globe.
Also on the bill this summer will be a Shakespeare “sit-com”, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and one biting satire, Timon of Athens.
It is perhaps hard to think of the theater and not think of the famous Bard. While I’d be the first to say not all Shakespeare plays are great, I’d have to agree with those who find both Lear and Midsummer to be among his best in their respective genres. In Lear, we have an aging monarch, contemplating his waning years and the values (or lack thereof) of age and power; in Midsummer, we have the converse: youth, ah youth, and beauty, and love, and, well, a lot of “power” and “age” turned topsy-turvey in the “green world” of a forest near Athens. What Lear asks us to ponder about our mortality and the value of family and our lives, Midsummer calls us to ignore for a few minutes and to wonder, instead, about the follies of youth and, at times, the capriciousness of our own lived experiences.
No doubt we’ll be have a great time this summer as we stand like Groundlings and watch the plays!
In keeping with the humor of Midsummer, I offer you the Animaniac’s rendering of A Midsummer Night’s Dream …
A Listen to Lilly Allen
Last week, we looked at one of the queens of British music, and to do so, we went “old school” to gab about Vera Lynn. Fast forward a good 50+ years, and we find ourselves this week looking at Lilly Allen, a recent alt-pop phenom to come out England. Sure, most new Brit acts have been swept under the Amy Winehouse carpet, especially given Winehouse’s recent Grammy sweep, but for some of us, there are still others out there who may need just as much “rehab” as Miss Amy … and whose music offers us a little “rehab” from the flotsam and jetsam we get from much of America’s pop.
This week, we’re showcasing Lilly Allen’s third release from her first album, Alright, Still: “Littlest Things”. “Littlest Things” offers a look at the after-effects of a bad relationship … we’ve all been there, of course.
[audio:lillyallen_littlestthings.mp3]But if you’re feeling a bit more upbeat, be sure to sample Allen’s “Knock ‘Em Out“, which says exactly what many of us have wanted to say to some wanker who comes up to us in a bar:
[audio:lillyallen_knockemout.mp3]There’s also “LDN“. Who knows what it’s really about, but it’s peppy, fairly vapid at times, and contains one of the worst rhymes imaginable:
[audio:lillyallen_ldn.mp3]There was a little old lady, who was walking down the road
She was struggling with bags from Tesco
There were people from the city having lunch in the park
I believe that it’s called al fresco
In a few weeks, we’ll come back Lilly Allen’s song about her brother as we look at the impact Equus is having on the London stage.
