Savion Glover, The Lord of the Rings?

Alright, so it's been a few weeks...my apologies. I've been in an end-of-term whirlwind. Our show is going up in a week and a half and I've had little time and head space for anything else except for lines, blocking, assessments, etc. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. ;)

Rehearsals are going well. I think we are in a really good place and I know that it's going to be a production that touches people. That's the important thing about this piece. It'll run for 5 performances from Wed. the 27th through Sat. the 30th. I'm really looking forward to it.

My friend, Will, from when I studied abroad at Goldsmith's College 10 years ago, visited me a couple of weeks ago. I've posted about him before and am thankful that he made the trek from his beautiful little village out to Essex! It was a lovely day and a very welcomed chat. On the subject of friends, I had a lovely date with my friend Daisy, also of Goldsmith's days...We ate cheap Chinese food in China Town, got Ben & Jerry's ice cream, strolled across the river and along the Southbank. It was very romantic! She is tops and I am so glad she's still in my life. I also had the pleasure of traveling to a picturesque village in Kent for a weekend. It was a perfect getaway and many thanks to Cliff & Stephanie for their hospitality! :)

Me & my Daisy

The past few weeks have been pretty quiet, theatrically. I was able to see an adaptation of the Maxim Gorky play, Philistines at the National Theatre and it was phenomenal. A real treat. I loved it! We sat in the 3rd row for 10 pounds. Ah, affordable theatre. *sigh*

I also attended the spectacle that its the musical, The Lord of the Rings. And it truly was, spectacular - visually. The story is ridiculous to try and fir into 3 hours. Yes, they tried to put all 3 books into one stage show. This resulted in virtually no fleshed out characters, no through-line and no heart. There are only about 5 songs, one of which is lovely and can be seen on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r_HgqohtM0 (it's well worth it - very sweet). I am glad I saw it for the sheer ridiculousness of how much money they spent on it - I think it was upwards of $25 million. Yes, it was as if money was burning on stage. Worth the 17 pounds that I paid, not much more than that I'm afraid.

The most important and exiting part of this post is yet to come (I know, you're all surprised - how could it get any better?)...SAVION GLOVER SIGNED MY TAP SHOE!!!! So, Savion came in concert here to London. I've never seen him live and as he is my tap idol, I jumped at the chance to see him for a song of a ticket price! To say hi was brilliant would be a gross understatement. I can't do him justice with my words so here's a London reviewer's instead, "But his feet ... Glover hears music through his feet and plays with it like an angel. He can tap out a bass rhythm with one foot and, with the other, lay out a fabulously complex riff. He can skitter between ball and heel so fast you feel his ankles must have an extra hinge. He can slur out a phrase on the inside or outside of his foot without missing a beat." It was a dream for me to see him on stage, feet away from me. With his 4 piece jazz band (with his feet as the added 5th instrument, no doubt) he sparkled and it was the show of a lifetime for me. To top it all off, I went to the stage door and waited for him to come out. Being the nerd that I am, I brought my tap shoes and a sharpie. When I finally got the chance to speak with him, he was so sweet and unassuming. I couldn't believe it. I asked him to sign my shoe, he said, "Absolutely." and told me my shoes were cool.

It doesn't get better than that for this little tap dancer...