Wicked

I really wanted to go see a Liverpool football match during my two days in London, but by the time I got settled on Sunday, it would have been quite hectic to catch the train up to Anfield and then spend at least a hundred pounds for seats. I also didn't have my winter coat, and so the prospect of sitting outside in the wind for several hours wasn't the most thrilling prospect. Stevie G didn't play and the Kops were lucky to salvage a point. United is too good, this season's getting boring. Some day I will make it to a premier league match. In a move that many men would question, I decided to take my football money and go watch a show. I couldn't decide if I wanted to see Lion King or Wicked. Lion King was sold out and so I didn't have to make a decision. I had never been to a big show before and so it was quite an awesome experience. I wore my lime green shirt that Heidi gave me for Christmas to participate in the spirit of Oz, quite the contrast to wearing my football jersey with my LFC scarf. I'm proud that I appreciate both scenes. The set is beautiful and they change scenery quite frequently. Elphaba, the wicked witch, carried the show. Her singing voice was far and away the best in the show. I'm sure that it's intentional that her voice overshadows Glinda's, but I would have liked it a little bit better if Glinda had a stronger voice. The characters on the whole were very dynamic, and I love how the show offers a suggestion as to the alternative understanding and interpretation of who the characters are and how they became the way they are. I'm a sucker for good character development, so I really focused on that. 

Glinda has this desire to be popular and be loved, not to rock the boat, while Elphaba has this desire to be true to herself, her values and doesn't care that it will cost her her public image and that she will face scrutiny and opposition. The two are diametrically opposed from birth and originally loathe the other, but after they are forced to be roommates by a comic twist of fate, they grow on each other and influence each other. Ironically, there are a lot of comparisons between Glinda & Elphaba, the elder & younger son from the Return of the Prodigal Son, and Vicky & Christina from Vicky Christina Barcelona which I watched on the plane today. Maybe I'll write about that later. I loved Wicked, it would have been great to see the show with someone else, but between the colors, the costumes, the set changes and the music I was quite excited to be there. I could get used to London!   

• I walked across London Bridge, it did not fall down
  
• I went running through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, past the palace where princess Di lived and the beautiful memorial they created in her honor
  
• explored the tower of London
  
• walked along the Thames at twilight
  
• compared various Rembrandt portraits at the Portrait Museum
  
• walked around Trafalgar square and watched a magic show
  
• Read a bit of the Tempest outside the Globe Theatre
  
• Finished my Henri Nouwen book with a fabulous hand filtered Guatemalan cup of coffee in a quaint fair trade cafe in East London, best coffee in a long time
  
• learned a bit of Anglo Saxon history
• saw the internation headquarter's for the Sal
  
• browsed the markets in Notting Hill
• enjoyed some falafel at midnight