Today was a big day. I had lots of work to get done in the morning, then class in the afternoon, and I decided I needed a big trip to the grocery store. That means going all the way to Sainsbury's, which is quite a hike but cheaper than the closer grocery, Waitrose. I brought my empty backpack and a big grocery tote with me and got all the essentials I'd need for the next week. I came home and made a wonderful dinner for myself: pan-fried chicken breast marinaded with garlic and ginger, and mini portobello mushroom caps with the same marinade. It turned out amazing! SUCH a good meal!
After dinner we had a play to go to at the "Young Victoria Theatre," or the "New Vic" as it's called (as opposed to the "Old Vic," which we'll be seeing next week). The theatre was really interesting. At first I didn't know what to think, but after awhile I really liked it. It had long padded benches with backs instead of individual seats, but the benches were comfy and well made, so that wasn't a problem. The stage juts out into the audience on three sides, so the actors get up close and personal, and we were in the first three rows, so they were really close. The funnest part was that patron's names had been inscribed into the backs of the benches, and etched into the one in front of me was "Patrick Stewart, OBE" (Order of the British Empire), who is my all-time favorite actor. He's well known for being one of THE best Shakespearean actors of this time, as well as starring in several popular movies and of course my favorite of all his roles: He plays Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise in "Star Trek: Next Generation," the best of all the Star Treks.
I was not excited to see the play. Our theatre professor had given us a plot summary ahead of time so we knew what to expect, and it was about the aftermath of a fictional high school shooting in Texas. The plot basically revolves around a 17-year-old whose best friend was the gunman who had killed a bunch of classmates and then himself, and now the best friend, the only survivor, is thought to be an accomplice, and must clear his name, but no one will believe that he is innocent. I have to say, I appreciated the quality of the play, but I did not like it one bit. It was full of pain and suffering and I just don't like that. It's billed as a "dark comedy," so a lot of the reviews talked about how funny it was, but personally I didn't find making jokes about horrible, tragic events to be funny in the least, and the vast majority of my classmates agreed. Maybe we also were slightly offended by the American stereotypes the play presented. It showed all Americans as being gun-toting rednecks who swear constantly and aren't smart enough to see the truth or compassionate enough to care. It was a very disturbing play. On the other hand, it used music in a very interesting and compelling way. The dead shooter friend would come on and sing a lot, and the actor was absolutely incredible. He did a lot of popular American songs, everything from Johnny Cash to bluegrass gospel. I think the wonderful music made the play palatable for me. I won't go into the details of the show, because I don't really want to remember it long-term, but the talent was good, I just didn't like the show. Also, it was pretty funny to see Brits attempt Texas accents. The bad guy got his spot-on, but the main character, his mother and other main characters really messed up a lot.
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