Since my days at Nido are over and the Hootananny Hostel does not have an internet cafe, my posts will now be slightly more retrospective...but I'll still try to keep them just as informative and fun as always. :)
I made my escape yesterday morning...I didn't think that I had acquired quite as much stuff as I had, so moving everything out was a challenge. Honestly, the only thing Nido really had going for it was the location, and I'm glad to be somewhere else that does not claim to be any better than it is. The trip on public transportation was interesting, to say the least. Imagine, if you will, a small American woman with a day bag slung over one shoulder, two grocery bags filled with household items clutched in one hand, and a rolling suitcase grasped in the other. Add a sweaty brow from the humidity outside and nearly teary eyes from when she inevitably took a wrong turn, and you have me yesterday around noon. I'm not sure whether my arms and shoulders ache from carrying all of my stuff or from sleeping in awkward positions. I will say, though, that once again I was able to depend upon the kindness of strangers...I found a pub in my wanderings, where they directed me to my hostel, gave me a glass of water, and made sure I had the pub's phone number before I left just in case I got lost again. (Later in the day, the memory of that moment actually moved me to tears. People can be much kinder than we give them credit for, especially when they can tell that you need help.) Finally, after one last bus ride (which, inevitably, left from the very place where I began), I made my way to the Hootananny Hostel, situated above a pub in Brixton. It is a pretty cool place, and after one night there, I suppose that I would recommend it. I am staying in a four person room (last night I was the only woman), which seemed like a better bet than a twelve person room. I slept decently last night...the guy on the bunk above me was snoring like a banshee, and there was noise from the pub when I was first falling asleep, but after the long day, I could probably have slept anywhere.
After I checked in at the hostel, I went to BAC for our YPT1 rehearsal. The kids were not as focused as last time, but it wasn't awful. We worked on some of the transitions between scenes and then attempted a stumble-through. We made it a little more than halfway through, but we should be fine for tech tomorrow. I'm actually back at BAC at the moment (yay for computer access) since I needed to do some prep for tomorrow, and Josh (our technician) is working on hanging all of the masking/fly stuff so that we can focus on lights tomorrow. The building is really quiet right now...I think that one group is rehearsing upstairs, but other than the duty manager, Josh is the only other person I've seen so far.
When YPT1 rehearsal ended last night, I scurried across town (relishing in my last day of my unlimited Tube pass) to Leicester Square to see "Hamlet" at Wyndham's Theatre. I loved it, and not just because of the star power. Jude Law was fantastic, pretty face aside. To be honest, I was surprised by his performance...there's always the possibility of casting just for the name, but he was very powerful and worked well with the ensemble as a whole. Penelope Wilton, as Gertrude, was wonderful...and she is a very sweet lady as well. I met her after the show as she was leaving, but she was willing to sign my program and seemed touched that I wished her well with the remainer of the run. Kevin McNally was Claudius, and for the first time, I did not feel as though that character was seething with guilt from the very beginning. Honestly, up until the confession scene, I would have assumed that the murderous plot was just the figment of Hamlet's imagination. I told Mr. McNally that after the show, and he said "I agree. He's a fine fellow until he confesses." So now I will never watch any of the Pirates of the Caribbean saga again without thinking of Shakespearian villains. The production as a whole intrigued me because Hamlet's descent into madness did not really have a clear breaking point...in fact, the opening sequence showed him alone on the stage with almost etherial lighting focused only on him and ghostly whispers as sound effects, almost alluding that he was either mad to begin with or that his father's ghost was only something he saw because he wanted to see it. (I have my theories about how I would approach this subject in general, but I won't bore you with them now.) It was an excellent production, especially considering that I had never seen "Hamlet" live before. (Nor have I seen quite that many screaming fans in a compact space either...Midwestern girl that I am, I did not shove my way to the front of the crowd to have my progam signed by Jude Law, but I did snap some photos of his lovely face before he disappeared inside again.) And apparently, Ken Branagh was there last night as well, although I did not see him...that may have sent me into Shakespearian overload. :)
One more fun thing: I met a Spaniard last night who spoke limited English, and I was able to use my minor again. According to this man, I speak Spanish very well (which makes me think that he was just surprised that I could speak it at all), but either way, it was nice to be able to make someone happy with my language skills. (We talked about how crazy Jude Law's fans were and how I was going to wait by the stage door after they left in case he came back...he didn't, but at least I tried.)
Today I slept in (although, technically, I don't think that I got any more sleep than usual because I went to bed late and woke up so many times in the night), then showered and had breakfast at the hostel. I had planned to go straight into BAC, but as I was on the bus, I passed St. Mary's Church in Clapham and decided that I should just go ahead and go to Mass at noon (it was about 11:30 at this point). I'm really glad that I did now...it was the golden anniversary for one of their priests, and I really enjoyed his homily and his overall attitude...very kind and welcoming. Of course, this led to me crying a bit again on the bus when I considered all of the kindness I have been shown here. Cynical as I am, I'm finding so much human kindness here, and the thought of leaving this place that has become another home to me is very difficult to swallow. I still have several days, though, and a lot to do before I head up North, so I am going to try to focus on the present rather than my impending departure. :)
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