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I woke up this morning indescribably excited, having waited for this day for weeks. Tonight I was going to see one of my many celebrity obsessions, James McAvoy, in the West End production of Three Days of Rain at the Apollo Theatre.
Still, I ventured out for a long awaited visit to the six-story Waterstone’s book store in Piccadilly Circus. For a book lover like me, it was a great way to spend the afternoon, browsing and even picking up a book or two! I went back to the flat to shower and change, making sure to look my best since I had every intention on ‘stage door stalking’ after the show.
I made my way to the theater to pick up my tickets and purchase a playbill to get signed before taking my seat, waiting eagerly for the show to start. The minute the curtain was raised and James McAvoy stepped on stage, I was enthralled.
The show was absolutely incredible. Each member of the three person cast was so talented, especially considering the challenging nature of the show. The actors each play two distinctive parts: “themselves” in ACT I and the previous generation’s equivalent of “themselves” in Act II. For James McAvoy, this meant playing the emotionally distraught son of a famous architect in Act I, and then his own father in Act II. To make it even more difficult for the actors, the play is set in New York, requiring all three of the British actors to master an American accent, something James McAvoy has never had to do before, according to his interview with Broadway.com. In addition, his character in the second act has a severe speech impediment, an uncontrollable stutter. His performance was flawless and inspiring to watch. It seemed hard to believe that I was sitting so close to such a critically acclaimed actor, watching him perform live. Everything about the show, from the relationship the characters develop through the plot, to the special effects (yes, it did actually rain on the stage) were breathtaking. It was a theatrical experience I won’t soon forget.
As the show came to a close, and the lengthy applause had died down, I exited the theater and made a dash for the stage door, which I had already found before the show started for easy access. I waited outside for about ten minutes with my fellow fans until a member of the theater’s staff appeared to set the “ground rules.”
Unfortunately, we wouldn’t be able to get pictures of ourselves with the actors, although we could take as many pictures as we wanted during the signing. Before I knew it, my leg started shaking in anticipation and nervousness as James McAvoy walked out of the building right up to us. I waited on my side of the line, snapping pictures until he came over near us to sign playbills. It was in that moment, remembering the excitement of my friends back home, especially Rosetta, that I realized I needed to do something crazy. I needed to get a hug!
I had seen him turn down other requests, but I figured, if I tried hard enough, I could do it. I don’t know from where the courage came. I usually freeze up when I meet celebrities I adore and say something stupid - like the time I reminded Josh Groban who he was (i.e. “You’re Josh Groban…). Even so, I thought of what I was going to say in my head, and hoped for the best.
Initially, when I asked for a hug, I felt that I was going to be turned down, but I quickly spoke up again, asking him to “hear me out”. When I got a nod from him asking me to explain, I told him that I was studying abroad and was in London alone for Valentine’s Day since my friends on the trip went to Barcelona. I told him, I was really missing my friends from home, and they’ve told me on several occasions that they’re living vicariously through me and all of us would really really appreciate it if he gave me a hug. After considering my proposal for a second or two, he looked at me and exclaimed “well, you’re persuasive aren’t you?” and gave me a hug.
At first I didn’t realize what was happening….JAMES MCAVOY WAS HUGGING ME! It was one of the best experiences of my life, and I walked away from the theater more giddy than I’ve ever been before. Definitely the best Valentine’s Day I could ever have!
At the beginning of this week, I realized that all three of my roommates were going to be traveling either to Barcelona or Amsterdam, leaving me completely free to relax and do whatever I wanted for three days. Without any real time to myself since we arrived here, I couldn’t wait and decided to take full advantage of the opportunity given me. So of course, I decided to spend my weekend at the West End, starting with Avenue Q, a show I’d wanted to see for a while.
Since I usually chose to go to the grandiose and occasionally depressing musicals (remember all the death in Les Miz?), I was excited to see something lighthearted and upbeat while having a few laughs as well. The show was exactly the good time I hoped it would be, and I even got a hug from one of the puppets when they came out into the audience!
Sort of Like Sesame Street, but Not Really.
I was surprised and pleased to discover that the show, while certainly having its fair share of moments of irreverent puppetry, also had a strong message of love, friendship, and finding one’s purpose in life. The show closes with a reminder to everyone that anything bad happening in our lives is “only for now,” and that with a little help from our friends we can get through anything. What a great way to start off the weekend!
Monday (Day 36): Do you hear the people sing?
Since our Monday class, Britons at Work, continues through the duration of our internships, we have the next few Mondays off! To celebrate, I had a wonderful morning sleeping in until noon - one of the first times I’ve been able to "sleep in" since arriving. It put me in a great mood to see one of my favorite musicals, Les Miserables, with VU mates Tuche and Ajay. This was the most excited I’d been for a show so far during my time in London, even though I knew that seeing the production would make me miss my friends back at home more than ever.
Memories of my summer spent at the Barn Theatre were fresh in my mind. The friendships I made and the shows we put on were priceless. It was bittersweet somehow to see the show without them. Even so, I was delirious with excitement as we approached the theater and took our seats, all but squirming with anticipation for the show to begin. Ok, so maybe there was some squirming involved. I was even more excited considering Tuche had never seen Les Miz and only knew a small selection of the songs. I couldn’t wait for him to be amazed, even overwhelmed by the power of the show - as I always am. The lights went out, the overture started, and I relaxed in my seat - thankful for the opportunity to do something so amazing on a weeknight. As each musical number passed, I counted every song as a favorite.
Click here for fond memories and good times.
The talent of the cast was absolutely astounding - each role perfectly cast. Still, I can't help but recall that Robert and I were funnier as Madame and Monsieur Thenardier. But in truth, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a professional production so close to perfection as this one. I’ll even admit to tearing up during Bring Him Home! Tuche and Ajay felt the same way about the show, and even though we were disappointed when it was over, we left with the feeling that we had truly seen something really special, something that none of us will soon forget.
Sunday (Day 35): Chronicles of a Harry Potter Dork
All tired and groggy from a late night, our group boarded a bus this morning for our day trip to Blenheim Palace and Oxford. We slept for the entire hour and a half ride, and awoke to the beautiful scene of the grounds of Blenheim Palace in the snow. The bus parked near the far gate, and we embarked on our hike to the Palace. (Good thing I decided to wear my rain boots!)
We passed endless fields, streams, and lakes, before finally making it to the palace, where I noticed one lake that looked vaguely familiar. I shrugged it off, thinking that I was probably making it up, until our tour guide announced that the lake we were standing by was one of the lakes used for the Black Lake in the filming of the Harry Potter movies. Further, it was the lake used for the scenes in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in which Harry accidently sees Snape’s worst memory during his Occlumency lessons. 
For those of you who know me well, my reaction will not come as a surprise.
The minute our guide said the words “Professor Snape”, the entire group turned to see me jumping in anticipation. Suddenly I turned to Krista and gasped “ALAN RICKMAN HAS BEEN RIGHT HERE!” before taking an inordinate amount of pictures of the lake. While the rest of the group took advantage of the scheduled bathroom break, I ran down the hill as fast as I possibly could with Andrew and Tuche to get some more close-up pictures. I was in Harry Potter heaven as I looked around, trying to find the tree that younger Snape is reading against in the film. I’m almost positive I found the right one, and am planning on studying that scene closely the next time I watch the movie.
After walking back up the hill and around the rest of the grounds of the Palace, we were given the opportunity to visit the church where the Churchill family is buried. The cemetery was starkly beautiful covered in snow. We spent some time there looking at the pictures of Winston Churchill that were set up in the vestibule of the church. The group grabbed a cup of tea before getting back on the bus, excited to visit Oxford, a little over seven miles away.
As we drove through the town, our guide pointed out things of interest like The Eagle and Child Pub, where J.R.R Tolkien and C.S Lewis had meetings along with their fellow members of Inklings, the Oxford literary club. It was certainly turning out to be a productive day for me and my obsessions! The bus dropped us off, and we were given some free time for lunch and shopping before meeting up to walk to Christ Church College, where more Harry Potter filming took place!
We ate lunch quickly to make sure we would have time to pick up some Oxford shirts, hats, ties, and sweatshirts before joining the group to continue the tour. We entered Christ’s Church College to be greeted by a corridor used in the filming of Harry Potter and the Sorcerers’ Stone. Just as the group (mostly the girls) recovered from our first-rate squealing, we entered the courtyard also used for several scenes at Hogwarts. Before we even had a chance to stop being excited, we turned left to see the grand staircase used in all the Harry Potter films.
My heart stopped as I recalled all the important conversations that happened on these very steps, the brilliant actors that have walked on them, the fact that Alan Rickman himself has touched the banister. It was a beautiful moment for all of us Harry Potter nerds as we walked up the staircase into the room that inspired the Great Hall. The movie wasn’t actually filmed in this room, but an exact replica was created in the filming studio. It was eerie walking through the room, seeing the long dining tables, making our way towards the teachers table and knowing which chairs the teachers would have sat in had the movie actually been filmed in that room. We suddenly realized how amazing it must be for the students at Oxford to essentially eat in Hogwarts every day.
After walking back down the staircase, we visited the college chapel, with its beautiful statuary and stained glass. When the tour was over, we all begrudgingly got back on the bus, wishing that we could stay at Hogwarts forever, before falling asleep for the rest of the journey home. Truly, an amazing day.
