We had a lovely breakfast of fried eggs and grilled tomatoes at a place we can see from our window called The Modern Pantry. Afterwards, we headed to the Tower of London. Because the subway was all messed up we took a taxi back to the hotel. The cabs here are so cute, roomy and old fashioned.
Today was our big theater day. We had a matinee of "The Mousetrap" and an evening performance of "Passion."
According to their Web site, "The Mousetrap" has been running for 58 years. I don't have a strong sense of smell but I swear the scent of moth balls and grandma's house wafted through the antiquarian theater as the curtain rose. Everything about the experience made me feel like Agatha Christie might very well have approved the staging. I can't recall ever seeing a mystery on stage but I was transfixed and intent on solving the case myself. I was amused during the interval as everyone in the audience discussed their suspicions. The only person within earshot who got it right was Michele!
Between shows we had a quick Mexican dinner then headed to the Donmar Warehouse for "Passion." Our seats cost 13 pounds and were row C in the balcony. Theater here is so cheap! The staging was economical and worked well in this space but would have to be reworked for a Broadway theater. As for the show... I love Stephen Sondheim but this show is dark. I know I'm talking about the man who gave us "Sweeney Todd" but this story is messed up and left me bewildered and empty. I like a musical that plants a song in your head be it about cannibalism ("A Little Priest"), murder ("Cellblock Tango") or love ("Seasons of Love"). Although there were classic Sondheim motifs in this show, not one note stuck with me. I am glad I saw it and I was thrilled to go to the Donmar but I'm ready for the next show.
HIGHLIGHT: Today, two New Yorkers spent the day conquering mass transit in a foreign city. I was telling Michele that I'm always impressed by NYC tourists who live in cities that don't have public transportation but muster the courage to take the subway. Well, today we were forced to forego the Tube and take the bus and I felt accomplished. We woke up this morning to find all the local/nearby train stations completely closed. I'm not talking about a specific line, it was several stations entirely! We decided to venture onto the London bus system to get to the theater. I was very proud of us for figuring it all out. My main obstacle was the fact that it is easy to catch a bus going the wrong direction since the traffic flow is opposite of the US.
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