March 2, 2003

High Places

Those of us studying theater under Britain’s own Professor Andrew Wyllie – most of the group, in fact – were treated this week to our first live play. Shakespeare’s The Tempest featured Derek Jacobi of Gladiator fame as Prospero and was staged at the renowned Old Vic Theater, where the likes of Laurence Olivier and Peter O’Toole have entertained audiences for nearly 200 years.

Tough to imagine that the Old Vic has recently been under threat to become “a themed pub or a lap dancing club” (in the words of the program notes) due to financial problems. But I gather that all looks well for the foreseeable future, and can only hope that our class’ other outings are as enjoyable as the first. We have quite a variety of shows ahead of us – should make for an excellent introduction to theater in London. Perhaps by the end of the term I’ll be able to offer up some intelligent commentary on each production! On second thought, I think I’ll spare you.

And then there are some cases where words can hardly be expected to do justice. I roamed St. Paul’s Cathedral for several hours Saturday, trying to get my mind around its importance to Britain (and to Britons) over the centuries. A cathedral devoted to St. Paul has stood on the site since 604;