We've seen our third London musical, Billy Elliott, and thought it was time to make some observations about London theater. Of course, we know that we may see something completely different tomorrow when we see Wicked and then War Horse, but for now.
London theater is different from theater we see at home. The theaters we've been to so far have all seated fewer than 1500, with two at about 1000. There are some very large theaters that hold 2500, but they are not the norm. Tonights theater, the Victoria Palace, will be 100 years old in November and is beautiful with its 3 tears of seats.
London Theater during the week at least, is more casual. No one appears to have changed from whatever they were wearing during the day. Even the live orchestra is dressed in black golf shirts. There's much less pretension about everything. Not every actor is gorgeous or thin. This evening's production actually had dancers who were plus sizes and who moved with the rest of them. It's a refreshing change and takes the pressure off of trying to be perfect.
The theatres have multiple bars and encourage beer drinking. You may bring your beers and champagne or wine glasses into the auditorium but not your coffee cups. During intermission, in addition to having 6 or more open bars spread throughout the various lobbies, there's refreshments sold within the theater. Ice cream cups are a favorite. One night Hagen Das gave away free samples prior to the performance.
You have to earn the standing ovation, it's not automatic. Something we Americans should rethink.
The pubs, which are everywhere, share customs. It is the norm to go to the bar for your drinks, even if you happen to be lucky enough to have a table. Many, perhaps most, of the patrons drink standing up. There's no smoking inside the pubs any longer, but you may bring your beer or wine outside with you. Walk down any street in the evening and there will be crowds outside the pubs standing around, drinking, talking, socializing. It may be that apartments are so small it is not so easy to have friends inside, so you meet at the pub. This was certainly the case when I lived in Belgium and the local cafe/bars were where people hung out (families including dogs were invited). It is actually quite pleasant to see all the people milling about, not drunk and disorderly, just socializing. What amazes me is that there is such a lack of toilets and with all that beer drinking one has to wonder. Most of the pubs are housed in buildings that are 200 plus years old so toilet facilities have been added, generally very small one seaters downstairs somewhere. Today we passed the King George (pub) which was established in 1609 and probably was frequented by Shakespeare, as it is in his old neighborhood by the Thames.
Today we did some more exploring searching for the London Bridge market. We arrived, alas, a bit late but enjoyed the site and had another lovely outdoor market lunch. Stu's paella was cooked in a pan that was at least 3 feet across. We wandered from the market to the Globe theater where Stu had the chance to be a peasant and stand in the open space before the stage for the opening of Hamlet.
We are loving the bus system and are happy to hop on and off the buses using our Oxi pass and its unlimited travel for the week. We've fallen into a routine, touring about in the morning and early afternoon, then home for a power nap before dinner in the apartment and a show in the evening. We are feeling more like Londoners daily as some of the accents no longer sound strange.
Until tomorrow dear friends, Adrienne and Stu
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