The Official Blog of the International Asian Sloot Spy

“Nice one, Aim. I like a thinker (pronounced “thinka), and you’re a thinker!” - John

Sloot Journal
1145 hrs.


Yesterday was amazing. It was the start of my final week – which is really depressing.
What I’ve learned to do was to just get off at Tube stops and walk around – which is kind of what I did. I went to Leister Square to run to the Prince Edward Theatre to get Mary Poppins tickets. I was surprised I could buy them before noon, and extremely happy. I then took the tube to Covent Garden to run to the Adelphi Theatre to get Evita tickets – but I got a little sidetracked on the way. I went into a few stores and the Covent Garden Market before finally backtracking to the Evita Theatre (I got a bit lost, but remembered I had seen the theatre on the way to Homestead).
I stopped in a tourist-y shop and grabbed lunch at rred (yes, double r). That place is amazing. I had potato and leek soup and a jacket potato with chicken, mayo, and sweetcorn. They gave you so much, and I saved the loaf of bread they gave with the soup. Hahaha.
From there I stopped in the Theatre Museum. I’m so upset that it’s closing, but I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to visit it. I bought a poster for 50 pence and then asked where the Jubilee Market was.
I went to the Jubilee Market and bought a really cool ring to remember this day by. I walked around Covent and took a picture of the igloo for Tricia and Krista (yeah Arctic Music).
It was starting to be 1:15ish PM, so I ran to the Prince Edward Theatre. I waited at the stage door to see if I could catch Gavin Creel before the show, but someone informed me he had already gone in to warm up.
I went inside the theatre, bought a bunch of stuff, and anxiously awaited the show. The lights dimmed and once again, I felt like a little kid. Gavin opened as Bert – and if you’re in London, PLEASE see it before he leaves (in May, I believe he told me). He is Bert and he rocks that part – I hope they invite him to reprise his role in NYC. The show was a little darker than I expected – as many of my friends have told me. I think it really successfully portrayed the ideals of society back them – ie mens’ and womens’ roles – and it really illustrated the importance of George Banks and his relationship to all the characters. The thing that depressed me most was the relationship between Bert and Mary. Perhaps I’m just a hopeless romantic, but I really did want them to kiss by the end. It made me sad that they couldn’t. The set was so impressive – but I thought that it was perfect for the show. I’m afraid of what New York City has done to it. The cast seemed really tight and they looked like they were having a wonderful time. The show was actually spectacular, and it is now on my top show list. LoL.
After the show, I went to the stage door to try and talk to Gavin. I wasn’t sure if I would recognize him – after all, I had never met him nor seen him perform in person. I’d only seen him in the Thoroughly Modern Millie CD cover and his head shot in the Mary Poppins program. When he came out, I figured the guy looked enough like him, so I asked, “Gavin?” He signed my program and we took a picture, but then we had a wonderful, insightful conversation about the show, theatre (here in London and in NY), and just being in London. It’s weird, but I just really appreciated talking to another American who really appreciated theatre (not that I don’t get to have conversations with my friends here at Goldsmiths, but just hearing the opinion of someone whom I had never met before). I was probably a babbling fool in front of him because I was so taken back that he would stay and talk to me, but I really appreciated it. It also kind of made me a little more homesick – let’s be real, watching Mary Poppins really made me miss my mom! But in a way the conversation gave me peace that I was so fortunate enough to have this opportunity to see all these shows here and that I would be all right with going home. Is that really weird? Sorry this sounds like such bs, but I guess that’s how I felt. The cast was waiting for Gavin so they could go to their Christmas party, so I shook his hand and said goodbye. That will be one of my favorite London experiences…


So then I walked off on cloud nine and called my mom to tell her about the show and the stage door convo. I got a bit lost trying to get to Covent Garden, but I finally found a tube station. I went to Russell Square to take a picture in honor of Will Morris – because that’s where his flat was when he studied abroad here – and then I went to the Jubilee Market again to pick up something for Jane. I walked around admiring the Christmas decorations again and then went to the theatre.


I waited to go up to the Dress Circle. To be completely honest, I got cheaper tickets for Mary Poppins and had a wonderful seat. My seat for Evita was absolute crap – I missed all of stage right – but it was okay. And to add to my honesty, I was never truly a fan of Evita – until I saw this production. I always thought concert versions of Evita were better, but I thought the sets and staging were extremely fitting – especially the blocking of the last scene. A+ Mr.Director. Elena Roger, who played Evita, truly embodied the character of Evita. This production was a groundbreaking production since Elena is also Argentinean, and she really felt the words she was saying. Sometimes her accent made it a little difficult to understand her singing, but her acting was phenomenal. I thought the guy who played Che was great – what an amazing range – and the guy who player Peron was really great to. The choreography was fun and the cast seemed like they were enjoying it.
So I really enjoyed both shows. I also really enjoyed Avenue Q – and so did my flatmates and friends. The show was a little slower at first, and I felt that sometimes the audience did not pick up on the American humor, but I thought the cast was wonderful. Plus, they had wonderful American accents. I was really impressed with the actress and actor who played Kate/Lucy and Princeton/Rod.


So that’s my London show update. I’m going to see Wicked with Katie on Tuesday – we’re doing rush to get front row tickets. I’ll update you then! TTYS!


Our Flat Nicknames:
Ed – The Pimp
Jade – Indie Kid
John – The Rimmer
Amy C – Pingu ((<~ the animated Penguin on the BBC))*
Mary - Palin
Tagz - Shoe whore
Amy W - Twiggy ((the Crack Whore))
Ruby - The Libertine

*My flat always associates penguins with me since I'm obsessed with Penguin Bars!

posted by ~* An Asian In London *~ @ 5:55 PM