Dirty Sexy Money
So, so quickly it is over and I look back at so much of what has happened!!!
I left you with my last day in London- which proved to be full of so much.
The day began with a queue at the Donmar Warehouse- I wanted to see their sold out Othello, tickets for which have been going for as much as 1200 pounds on e-bay, but they release standing seats on the day of performance for seven pounds fifty and it is those that I managed to get- three and half hours standing watching the Bard- went so quickly I hardly noticed- such was probably the effect on those who stand at the Globe I am guessing. But the privelege of seeing Ewen Macgregor playing Iago and Chiwetel Ejiafor playing Othello was truly wonderful and a highlight of my trip. It is the first time that I have seen the powerful role of Iago so neatly over-awed by the Moor- fits so neatly into the conceit of why Iago is ignored for the general and why the play is one of the great tragedies.
After that afternoon matinée I needed something a little lighter so I went to the half price ticket booth for a seat at Wicked which proved to be great fun and more complex than I was expecting. And to top off my trip to London which started with celebrity spotting in Town but almost falling over Nigel Planer in the street it seemed appropriate some how that he should turn up playing the Wizard of Oz in the musical. Funny that!
I came outside the theatre to hear about the plane crash at Heathrow which did little for my confidence about flying the next day. However as we taxied past the plane wreck on the tarmac I thought to myself that the odds for a safe journey have probably improved.
Flying over the ocean and then the ice and then the desert and mountains will remain one of the most amazing trips ever I suspect- nothing else speaks to the beauty, majesty and fragility of our world than seeing at once the perfection and the imperfection that we must endeavour to protect.
The States proved as daunting to arrive in as people had warned me about- the security they feel they must pad themselves with is infernal as it is inadequate I suspect- It only seems to engender that culture of fear that is the life blood of the truly inadequate.
However it is important to devolve the people away from the politics and it is there that America wins- its people are extraordinary in their diversity and colour- it is the one place in the world that I found myself needing people to repeat themselves before I understood what they were saying. But it is also a place where there is a vested interest in being of service.
My hotel in Vegas was just off the strip- a matter of ten minutes walk- I did a lot of this. Walking Vegas is a great way to take in both its grandeur and its Kitsch- Here is the epitomy of the great American experience- no one stays forever it is a place in flux constantly reflecting where we come to but not really reflecting in any real way the place we want to get to - unless money is an end in itself which no rational person would agree to. I loved it!
I saw six shows in Four days- was blown completely away by Cirque's LOVE where they have used original material of the Beatles to form a beautiful mediated version of the western world's recent history.
I also enjoyed the chaos that is the Blue Man Group, where audience participation converges on the full history of theatre and the Con- as preselected members of the audience were primed for their performance within the confines of the show.
Penn & Teller were good as was Zumanity but the show at Stratosphere that I saw last Bite impressed the hell out of me - but what can one say about topless vampires-Yay!
Suffice to say the highlight of this trip was also the day trip I took to The Grand Canyon- Alvin,
our tour guide was very good and told us much about the land, the Hoover Dam and other gems as he drove us to and from. We helicoptered down into the canyon, went on a boat on the Colorado River, heloed out and then went to0 Eagle Point to the Skywalk to wander out and look between our feet at 1000m of air before the ground returned= spooky.
After a lunch provided by the tribe whose land we were on (I can say it but spelling it is too much of a challenge) we walked to Guano Point to sit and stare at one of the great vistas of the world- outstanding.
I am extremely proud of the fact that in five days in Vegas I only lost $2 and that was in two completely different casinos- so no urgent calls back to NZ to John and Peter (Nice of you to offer!)
After the bright lights of Vegas I was let know that my trip was over as it rained for the entire two days of my stay in LA- my hotel was great but the song was wrong because when it does rain in Southern California it buckets down. Still I saw the sign and toured Universal so not all was lost.
The flight home was uneventful and as we were late getting I missed my connection. Luckily my Brother was there to say hello and we were able to visit our great uncle Ces and see Rob's partner Nikki for Lunch- lovely. It was so good to be home!
I left you with my last day in London- which proved to be full of so much.The day began with a queue at the Donmar Warehouse- I wanted to see their sold out Othello, tickets for which have been going for as much as 1200 pounds on e-bay, but they release standing seats on the day of performance for seven pounds fifty and it is those that I managed to get- three and half hours standing watching the Bard- went so quickly I hardly noticed- such was probably the effect on those who stand at the Globe I am guessing. But the privelege of seeing Ewen Macgregor playing Iago and Chiwetel Ejiafor playing Othello was truly wonderful and a highlight of my trip. It is the first time that I have seen the powerful role of Iago so neatly over-awed by the Moor- fits so neatly into the conceit of why Iago is ignored for the general and why the play is one of the great tragedies.
After that afternoon matinée I needed something a little lighter so I went to the half price ticket booth for a seat at Wicked which proved to be great fun and more complex than I was expecting. And to top off my trip to London which started with celebrity spotting in Town but almost falling over Nigel Planer in the street it seemed appropriate some how that he should turn up playing the Wizard of Oz in the musical. Funny that!
I came outside the theatre to hear about the plane crash at Heathrow which did little for my confidence about flying the next day. However as we taxied past the plane wreck on the tarmac I thought to myself that the odds for a safe journey have probably improved.Flying over the ocean and then the ice and then the desert and mountains will remain one of the most amazing trips ever I suspect- nothing else speaks to the beauty, majesty and fragility of our world than seeing at once the perfection and the imperfection that we must endeavour to protect.
The States proved as daunting to arrive in as people had warned me about- the security they feel they must pad themselves with is infernal as it is inadequate I suspect- It only seems to engender that culture of fear that is the life blood of the truly inadequate.
However it is important to devolve the people away from the politics and it is there that America wins- its people are extraordinary in their diversity and colour- it is the one place in the world that I found myself needing people to repeat themselves before I understood what they were saying. But it is also a place where there is a vested interest in being of service.
My hotel in Vegas was just off the strip- a matter of ten minutes walk- I did a lot of this. Walking Vegas is a great way to take in both its grandeur and its Kitsch- Here is the epitomy of the great American experience- no one stays forever it is a place in flux constantly reflecting where we come to but not really reflecting in any real way the place we want to get to - unless money is an end in itself which no rational person would agree to. I loved it!
I saw six shows in Four days- was blown completely away by Cirque's LOVE where they have used original material of the Beatles to form a beautiful mediated version of the western world's recent history.
I also enjoyed the chaos that is the Blue Man Group, where audience participation converges on the full history of theatre and the Con- as preselected members of the audience were primed for their performance within the confines of the show.
Penn & Teller were good as was Zumanity but the show at Stratosphere that I saw last Bite impressed the hell out of me - but what can one say about topless vampires-Yay!
Suffice to say the highlight of this trip was also the day trip I took to The Grand Canyon- Alvin,
our tour guide was very good and told us much about the land, the Hoover Dam and other gems as he drove us to and from. We helicoptered down into the canyon, went on a boat on the Colorado River, heloed out and then went to0 Eagle Point to the Skywalk to wander out and look between our feet at 1000m of air before the ground returned= spooky.
After a lunch provided by the tribe whose land we were on (I can say it but spelling it is too much of a challenge) we walked to Guano Point to sit and stare at one of the great vistas of the world- outstanding.I am extremely proud of the fact that in five days in Vegas I only lost $2 and that was in two completely different casinos- so no urgent calls back to NZ to John and Peter (Nice of you to offer!)
After the bright lights of Vegas I was let know that my trip was over as it rained for the entire two days of my stay in LA- my hotel was great but the song was wrong because when it does rain in Southern California it buckets down. Still I saw the sign and toured Universal so not all was lost.
The flight home was uneventful and as we were late getting I missed my connection. Luckily my Brother was there to say hello and we were able to visit our great uncle Ces and see Rob's partner Nikki for Lunch- lovely. It was so good to be home!
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