May 11, 2011 Hampton Court Palace and The School for Scandal

Oh. My. Hampton Court!!! What an amazing experience there today. I don't even know where to begin!

How about the beginning...?

Base Court

God, I'm cheesy.

We started out in the medieval Great Hall of Henry VIII and Prof. Tim pulled a few of us aside and told us about how the halls were used not only to eat in, but to watch plays in as well. And that Shakespeare put on many plays for the royalty at Hampton Court! Amazing...

The Tudor Kitchens

So, we walked through the hallway that Kathryn Howard still supposedly haunts and saw the awesomely humongous Tudor kitchens. It was a big ordeal and process preparing meals for the whole court. Like, a multiple room, multiple assembly line process.

So many chimneys

Little known fact: to the Tudors at Hampton Court, meat pies were just a different way to prepare meat, nothing more than that. Just a little variation. I must have a meat pie before I leave.

Though we packed a lunch, Andy and I decided to split a Cornish Pasty. Yum yum yummity yum.

After our lunch, we went to the Chapel Royal. Wow. I was brought to tears by the incredible beauty of the place. I felt so...connected, so  a part of a something bigger than my little world. I looked up toward the ceiling, toward the heavens, and realized I was looking at the same ornate ceiling that Henry VIII and Mary I and Elizabeth I looked to so many years ago. The energy of all their past hopes, dreams, and fears surged within me and...it was overwhelming...and enlightening.

I lit a candle in the Chapel Royal for my family and all the people in my life that I love.

Palimpsest at its best: Edwardian attached to Medieval

Andy is becoming quite the little photographer: I believe this is William of Orange's bed chamber

The view from King William's bed chamber. Photo credits: Andy

River along the gardens

The Medieval fades into the Edwardian

Gorgeous tree we found in a secret garden in the wild gardens.

A rose garden out of the blue! 

Andy in front of Hampton Court after a long and very well spent day there.

After we were exhausted from a day at Hampton Court, Matt and Andy and I broke off to go see School for Scandal, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, at the Barbican Theatre. It was awesome. But, I must say, there was a fashion preshow with all the characters and really loud music and I got nervous. But, it was a great and incredibly innovated production of a restoration comedy. 

If I could write an equation to best explain this production, it would be:

Brechtian staging (could see in the wings and, occasionally, the actors changing) + Restoration costuming + modern props and phrasing = THE BARBICAN'S SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL!

It was a little slows in some places, but we saw it the second preview night. Nothing a little time can't fix. Also, Harry Melling was in it! What?! He played Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potters. He played the fop in this and was amazing!

Well, that's all I've got for today. Sorry about being behind...it's been a busy week.