Who Could Ask for Anything More?

You know those days where everything goes right, and the world feels like it was just designed for you? Saturday was one of those days.

It didn’t start very well. I left the hostel just before ten and headed for the Wyndham Theatre for a ticket lottery to see another version of Much Ado about Nothing. It was very exciting, right up to the point where I didn’t get a ticket, and then it became very disappointing. I was quickly revived by the suggestion of the woman next to me in line. She’d just seen Richard III with Kevin Spacey at the Old Vic, and she said I should head there and try to get same-day tickets. I promptly got on the tube and headed for the Old Vic. But when I got there, the doors were locked and a sign announced that they wouldn’t be performing again until after August 3^rd. So I was 0 for 2, and starting to feel like the world was against me. I headed for my back-up plan, trying to get student tickets for Crazy for You at the Open Air Theatre at Regent’s Park. I was more excited about the theatre than the musical, but the student tickets were only 15 pounds, subject to availability. I was pretty worried I’d get there and find out there was no availability. But at the box office in Regent’s Park, my luck changed.  

The man at the box office regretfully informed me that while there might be student tickets, the queue wouldn’t start forming until about 12:15, and the tickets wouldn’t even be available until 1:15. I sat on the grass in front of the box office to wait for the queue to form. A few minutes later, he started gesticulating wildly towards me from the box office. Tickets had just opened up for seats in the grass. I was apprehensive, but they turned out to be the best seats in the house. The day was beautifully sunny, which is nice if you have sunglasses, a hat, and sunscreen. I only had one of these things, and it wasn’t sunscreen or a hat. Half the audience was in direct sunlight, but I was in the shade. It was beautiful. I was nice and cool and pretty comfortable, considering I was sitting on my sweatshirt on the ground. The poor audience was overheating in the seats. One man passed out during the first act, causing a huge commotion that I completely missed. (I heard about it at intermission) I was so engrossed in the show I didn’t even notice. It was amazing! I have to admit, when I decided to see the show, it was mostly because I thought it would be cool to see something in Regent’s Park. But the show turned out to be something I would have been thrilled to see anywhere! It was so fun and so funny and so lively. I wanted to get up on stage and tap my shoes, I wanted to sing along, I wanted to dance. Of course I did none of these things, but it was pretty fun anyway. The dialogue was very witty for a musical. Two of my favorite lines were:

“What am I going to do?”

 “You could build a casino”

“But who’d come to Nevada to gamble?”

And

“It’s a mess in here. It’s like the London Olympics!”

I realize that line wasn’t in the original musical, but that’s part of what made it so funny.

During intermission I had a nice conversation with two men next to me. I mentioned that I wanted to see a show that evening but I didn’t have tickets yet. They told me to see Lend Me a Tenor. They said it was closing early so I’d be able to get cheap tickets. But they also told me that everyone they knew who’d seen it said it was very good. I was a little wary after the Richard III debacle, but I decided to take their advice. After Crazy for You, I headed back to Piccadilly Circus to buy a ticket for Lend Me a Tenor. I got a row-K seat for 25 pounds, and then went in search of dinner. That morning, while I’d been walking to the ticket lottery, I’d passed a crepe shop. I retraced my steps and found the crepe shop. I had the most delicious crepes I’ve had since I left France! A strawberry and dark chocolate crepe with whipped cream has to be one of the best desserts in the world! Everything was going well for me!

Then I saw Lend Me a Tenor. It was hilarious. I defy anyone to watch it without laughing. I haven’t heard that much laugher in the audience in any show I’ve seen in London, and the theatre was less than half full. I defy anyone to see that show without laughing. Crazy for You was funny and sweet. This was absolutely hilarious. I can’t believe that it’s not doing well. I heard it’s only going to be in London for another week. The only explanation I can think of is that it’s a relatively unknown musical. Perhaps people just aren’t giving it the chance it deserves. It’s set in Cleveland, for goodness sake. It can’t help but be funny!

After I left Lend Me a Tenor, I walked to Piccadilly Circus and stood outside marveling at how lucky I am! The air was cool, the lights were bright, and I have never felt more alive! I felt invincible! Of course, a creepy man chose to sit next to me on the steps of the monument. He asked me something I didn’t understand, so I replied, “désolée, mais je ne parle pas l’anglais.” He asked where I was from, so evidently he didn’t speak any French, so I just said again, “je ne parle pas l’anglais,” and he left me alone! I’ve always wanted to pretend I don’t speak the local language, and I finally did it and he believed me! This never worked in France, because whenever I pretended I didn’t speak French, the creepy guys would just switch to English. But here the creepers are evidently monolingual, which can be used to my advantage! I want to learn some Russian because I think the language sounds really sinister to anyone who’s seen too many spy movies. That would really scare off the creepers.

As if that wasn’t enough to prove I was having some of the best luck in the world, I decided to leave Piccadilly Circus and go to Paddington about 45 minutes early. When I arrived at Paddington I learned that there had been a fatality on the tracks, the schedule was all messed up, and I should just get on the next train to Oxford. Minutes later, a train opened up. I ran for the train, at the forefront of a stampede of other people running for the train, and I got a seat! I really had the best luck! If I had been five minutes later, I’d have missed the train. If I’d tripped while running, I’d probably have been trampled. But instead, everything went right. It was a wonderful day!