Theatre NIghts

May 17-18:  Major sightseeing over, but we attended two theatre performances.  On Tuesday, it was a quiet day getting prepared for our next leg of the journey.  We had an early supper in, and then walked over to the South Bank, National Theatre, expecting to meet the Third Rail Theatre Group (Carolyn and Betsy).  It turned out the show, while produced by the National Theatre had shifted to the Wyndham Theatre, near Leicester Square, West End.  In panic, hailed a cab, and rode through dense traffic to the theatre.  Carolyn and Betsy were outside waiting for us, but no one could find the 2 tickets for us.  The group organizer worked with the theatre staff to figure out which tickets stubs were not being used and just before showtime, we got seated in row C.  The show was called People, Places and Things, which are the triggers for addicts to relapse.  The plot was about a young actress trying to conquer her demons and her "support group" of other addicts.  It was well performed and the set was clever.  I bought ice cream in a little paper cup at intermission, a very nice tradition in British theatre.

Wednesday morning, which was wet, we watched the annual opening of Parliament, the Queen's speech to the assembled House of Lords and Commons and the accompanying pomp and circumstance.  The hoopla was occurring not far from our flat but we decided to stay in and had a better view on TV.   There was grand parade from Buckingham Palace to Westminster with carriages for the Queen and Prince Charles (and their consorts), Horse Guards and infantry, all in bright costumes.  We got a view inside Parliament, seeing the handling of the Ceremonial Crown and other symbols of state (including the 'Cap of Maintenance' and State Sword).  Protocol was strict and formal, except for the members of Parliament, who laughed and talked among themselves.  The Queen read the speech, which is written by the government.  The  Conservatives seemed to be fighting among themselves over "BREXIT" (Britain's referendum to leave the EU), so there was not much substance.

That afternoon, we did a brief visit to the Tate Britain and enjoyed a 50-minute guided tour of selected pieces of modern art from the last 100 years.  We also viewed most of the Turner collection.

Mid-afternoon, we traveled to the Mentone Hotel to drop off some our of luggage for storage.  We will returning to this hotel on June 30th.

Then we walked across Regent Park to the neighbor called Swiss Cottage.  We had dinner in the Swiss Cottage Pub and then went to the Hampstead Theatre for a play called Lawrence after Arabia.  The plot recounted T.E. Lawrence's struggle with his fame just after the WWI and the Arab Revolt.  The cast included a number of actors who we had seen on British TV in the States, including Geraldine James (A Jewel in the Crown).