June 2nd - The Work & The Play In London
Continuing with my London travel journal, we find ourselves in the middle of Day 2, Friday, June 2nd.
Friday afternoon were the interviews with the stars and director of “V for Vendetta.â€? Once again I can’t discuss the content of said interviews yet, but everyone was very generous and gracious. Portman and Weaving as well as Director James McTigue were generous with their time and put up with all us reporters with our stupid questions.
Once the interviews were finished, the business portion of my trip was over. Six of us headed over to a local pub (“No fucking chain pubs, alright? They’re bollocks,â€? said one of the English chaps who joined us.). There’s something rather fantastic about getting your drunk on at 4:00 in the afternoon and having it be perfectly acceptable. In England that’s just what you do. In the States that’s just what you do if you’re an alocholic. Interesting. As you all know, having a pint is just part of English culture. Plus, with pubs closing at 11:00, getting your buzz on early is a neessity. They don’t have the luxury of starting at 9:00 pm with a 1:30 am last call.
After the drinking it was back to the hotel for dinner with Daniel, Paul and Alejandro at the hotel, then Daniel and I headed off to the Gielgud theater to catch a showing of the David Schwimmer starring “Some Girl(s).â€? Daniel and I arrived about five minutes prior to curtain. Now, the last time I was in London I saw Sir Ian McKellan on stage in “Song of Death.â€? Well, just before the curtain went up in walked Sir Ian with a friend and he sat about 10 feet away from us. Apparently I can’t see a play in London without Sir Ian near by.
The play itself was fantastic. It’s about a newly engaged 30 something year old man, played by Schwimmer, who decides to revisit four ex-girlfriends located in disparate locations throughout the United States. Schwimmer plays a succesful, A-Type personality who’s just a mess with his social life. He’s a succesful looser, much like Ross on “Friends.â€? He’s really not a good guy, going around to all these women to “make sure they’re not mad at himâ€? or to “make sure he’s not missing out on something better.â€? It’s an amazing character piece and the women who starred with Schwimmer were all penomenal. It’s a wonderful look into the dark psyche of an overconident and dishonest (with himself at minimum) man.
After the play I walked around Lecster Square a bit. This is the portion of London filled with pubs and clubs and movie theaters and is, in my opinion, a waste of time. It’s a giant tourist trap, really. It’s like Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, but really not as good. What was interesting, though, was being there at 11:00 when all the pubs closed and people stated to file out into the streets. The place was completely packed. At its busiest I skipped inside a Virgin Megastore and picked up a copy of the BBC documentary “State of Playâ€? on DVD. Then it was back to the hotel for some rest. That ended Friday.
Return tomorrow around noonish for part three of my trip to London, this time covering the activities that took place on Saturday.
