21 May: Like Patience on a Monument
I had a leisurely breakfast dreaming over the grounds. A pair of businessmen at the next table didn’t want to use the word b-u-g-g-e-r in front of a lady. They were so cute. Last Ellie Mae moment was when server found me sucking a smidge of stray yogurt off of my shirt. (Look, it’s the fastest way to get a food stain out before it sets – I didn’t have any extra clean clothes at that point…)
I got off to London with plenty of time. I needed to get the car washed, figuring if I’m going to have to explain the scrape, it might as well be on a clean car. If there’s anything more fun than going through the car wash while “Ride of the Valkyries” is on the radio, I don’t want to know what it is.
The guys at Alamo were very cool about the damage – one guy remembered selling me the extra insurance that makes me liable for only 50 pounds instead of 500 and jovially suggested me giving him a cut of the difference. It turned out that since I turned in the car early in the day, they refunded me the last day’s rental, turning the damage cost into almost a freebie. I’m a lucky, lucky girl.
At Heathrow, I caught a cab into the city, returning to St. Margaret’s for a last night in London before departing tomorrow. The ladies there were delighted to see me back – “It seems like you just were gone yesterday!” Signora unblenchingly rearranged someone else’s reservation to give me back my beloved 27A. I ran a few last errands and dashed over to Kensington for the special Jubilee royal bridal gown exhibition at the Palace – Victoria, Alexandra, Mary, the Queen Mum and the current soverign. The only problem was that nothing was labelled – you were supposed to listen to the audio tour to find out what was what, and I always turn up my nose at audio tours so I didn’t have the listening thingie. The final event of my stay : Twelfth Night at the Globe Theatre.
Of course I got lost, and end up taking the world’s shortest cab ride to get to the Globe in time. The theatre is enchantingly authentic – thatch and plaster and unvarnished wood. I was in the first gallery, comfortably slung over the railing, watching the groundlings below. They would be standing for three hours in the rain – the theatre sells cheap rain ponchos, but otherwise they are on their own. I expected the pit to empty out at intermission, but only a few pusillanimous souls departed before the final curtain – most of us singing and clapping along with the dancing and Feste’s song. The company called it the most authentic they’ve done so far – which means an all-male cast, and costumes produced using only Elizabethan technology – no zippers, no velcro, no buttons. Buckles and ties and just plain being sewed into your garments.
And what a magnificent production. Twelfth Night was the first Shakespeare play I’d ever seen, when I was about seven years old. It made such an impression on me that the next doll I was given, I named Viola. Okay, a little weird choice to make Count Orsino a geordie (“If mewwwsek bee the fewd uv luv, pley oon!”). I had no idea Illyria was in Northumberland. Viola was a bit of a weak link – a young actor who simply hasn’t internalized all the wonderful training he’s had, a very self-conscious performance. They did an amazing job of making the “twins” look alike – the first time I saw Sebastian, I was sure it was Viola.
Olivia was fabulous – after a very little while, I just plain forgot she was a man. It was a very funny and very nuanced performance. The Malvolio subplot was done very well, with Malvolio’s jail being a box with a grate for him to put his hand through – the cruelty and the comedy of it very well mixed. Feste was also played very well, with an weary awareness of class barriers and a resolute decision to make the best of whatever comes his way. We sang along with him on the final song, “And the rain it goes on….”
It was the most marvelous night to finish up on. And when you come out of the Theatre, there’s London Bridge all lit up, and all of us swinging along in the rain, with the music still swirling around our heads. I swooned.