Les Miserables :)

  My whole family has practically been waiting for Les Miserables since December. My Mom, I think, was the most enthusiastic person about it. She wanted to watch on the first day of screening! Initially, we could't because of her work schedule and that disappointed her quite a lot so we decided that we wouldn't rush it and watch in the weekend :)

  However, on the day of first screening, Mom calls from work and is like "OMG! No one came to my class! Let's go watch Les Mis." And suddenly not having any students attend your class was a good thing...

  So there we went rushing to watch Les Miserables. We bought more movie snacks than any movie we ever watched in the cinema before.

  I have to say, this movie followed the book more than the stage production. For one, Marius' grandfather was included, which I think is important because we know that Marius comes from somewhere, right?

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  Though, an important part, in the book; Marius and Cosette had been meeting each other each night for quite some time but in the movie and musical, it showed no hints of that. Only one meeting (A Heart Full of Love) and then letters, which would be kind of creepy in real life.

  Also a movie adaptation of a musical always brings out the serious side of it. The movie portrayed 19th century Paris in a very realistic way while on stage it was more colorful.

  I know a lot of people have been saying that the live recording they used for the movie made it more "realistic" but not for me :( I think it was a bad idea. In the beginning, I expected to hear a big bang of music in the song 'Look Down' which, I think makes the whole thing more exciting. Instead, I got a very subtle introduction. The lack of loud, "exciting" music stripped the movie of the musical's magic...

Les Mis at Queen's Theatre, London

Les Mis at Queen's Theatre, London

With Dad and little sis, Ashley at Queen's Theatre, London.

favorite places

★ Tower of London
★ Shakespeare's Globe
★ Richard III at the Apollo Theatre
★ Matilda at Cambridge Theatre

These are some of my favorite places and shows we've watched here in London. So far...

  Dad and I went to the National Theatre yesterday. We were looking around at their beautiful bookshop while waiting for their Backstage Tour to start. All the books there were about acting, Shakespeare, dance, and plays. I actually sat down on the couch there and was almost to the end of Act 1 of Terence Rattigan's "The Deep Blue Sea" when the tour did start.

  Our guide took us around two theatres, the Olivier and Lyttleton Theatres, and backstage to the workrooms of the building. The Olivier Theatre (named after Laurence Olivier) was really impressive. The stage was so versatile and the seating convenient for both performer and audience.

Dad let me buy a book afterwards and instead of chosing "The Deep Blue Sea" I chose "In-depth Acting" by Dee Cannon which I think could be a real essential in training for acting (which I am slowly diverting to).

  Today, We finally paid a visit to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. The lady at the reception area was very friendly and accomodating. Visitors are not allowed inside the campus, though, so we only got as far as the booking office at the opposite side of the building where I got a printout of the school's 2013 prospectus (which is available for download in their site).

  Having a lot of time in our hands, Dad and I went to a near-by bookstore which was just as good as the National Theatre's. They had a whole shelf of books on dance and dancer's bios. Also,  a section on Drama.

  So yes, it's a happy ending for me! I was able to get my hands on "The Deep Blue Sea" + more Rattigan plays (for a better price).

  My reading list is all fired up!