Another Day, Another Dollar

This week... :) Working possibly the craziest gig we have had since I have been here: hand-modeling. I constantly think of Seinfeld episode with George and the hand modelling and "Friends" with Joey. We had to ask people if they or their client had good hands and most people acted like they had no clue what I or anyone else was talking about. My boss was making jokes about it, calling it the "hand job." I could not stop laughing. After spending the day booking, we had auditions the following day. I was holding the post by myself, which I thought was pretty cool after only being here for two-ish weeks. We had about 150 people come in from 11am-5:45pm. Near the end of the whole casting, we had a very attractive Welsh guy come in. We had a horrible pouring rainy day and he comes in to log in and says, "God, it's a horrible rainy day." in which I reply,"Isn't it always a horrible rainy day in London?" I felt a little more comfortable talking to the people in the audition room and asked them British customs and why they do things like a scotch egg (look it up, it's disgusting) and who certain artists are. The Welsh guy tells me that he bets that I will never guess where he's from and I tell him to try me. He tells me he's from Wales and I reply, "You see, unlike most Americans, I'm smart. Here's England (put my right hand up) and here's wales (put my left hand up). He says, "Good job." I reply, "Yeah..... Isn't Wales an inbred country?" Everyone in the waiting room begins to laugh. This weekend, I had tea with an old friend from my very FIRST college (Shorter). Erin McCulloch and I met at the Muffin Man (who lives on Wright Lane in High Street Kensington) and I had my first proper tea and went shopping to get a few things that I needed like a new pair of shoes since my sandals broke. I also had my friends here decide to see "Les Miserables" in the standing room for £10 instead of waiting for me to get to Leicester Square to get some discount seats, so I went to see "We Will Rock You" at the Dominion Theatre, which makes my third West End show. I sat in the second to last row, but the theatres are small. I ended up buying a Pimm's for the first time and enjoyed it and I went down to the front of mezzanine during intermission because so many seats were empty! Honestly, I do not understand why they just don't put people closer instead of gouging people for the price of admission. Honestly, it wasn't until the third song that I realised I was at the Queen musical and not "Rock of Ages." Laugh all you want, but I felt like an idiot. The musical was alright. The vocalists were all strong, but the story line and book were full of cheesy lines and the plot had a great idea but it did not flourish to me. Kudos for it being in Europe for so long, but seriously, there's a reason why it's not on Broadway. They rushed to write an ending and that was just... bad. Honestly... They grimmed it... to the people who understand that joke. As for the rest of the week, we went to a concert yesterday where as my roommate said, "I've made shit sounds better than this." It was avant garde, instrumental improvisation. During the third piece, I was laughing so hard that I was crying and snorting. My two friends sitting next to me were hitting me to stop. I also went to Primark for the first time. It is full of curry city and the clothes are SO CHEAP! I'm talking like you can walk out with three outfits with accessories and shoes and spend about £30. It was amazing! Hope all of you are amazing!

My First West End Shows

So, this weekend has been crazy in London. For the American reading this and are unaware, England/The UK celebrated The Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The Jubilee celebrated Queen Elizabeth's sixty year reign. The only other diamond jubilee was Queen Victoria, so it is a big deal to have been here to be a part of it. While this is taking part in Downtown London, I decided to take advantage of the four day weekend and see some West End shows. For those that do not know, I have had a few pen pals from England since I was thirteen. I met one of them this weekend and we decided to go to see some musicals! Absolutely thrilled, we took the tube to Piccadilly Circus and went to a half off/discount ticket booth and decided to do a double header of shows. We decided to see "Sweeney Todd" for the matinee and "Shrek" for the night performance, and let me tell you.... I was more than excited! As we walk into the Adelphi Theatre for "Sweeney Todd," I am filled with excitement, but I notice a few differences. One: Programs cost money. They do not give them out for free and they are not cheap, so I opted not to buy the first program for "Sweeney Todd." Two: The theatres in the West End are bigger than on Broadway from what I remember. I think they hold a lot more in their house than in the US. Now, three years ago, I saw "Sweeney Todd" with my good friend, Caleb, at the Fox, so I was expecting to see the same minimalistic staging with actors playing instruments, but no. The set was very.... industrial. The minute you sat in the audience, the actors were on stage cleaning or working like they are in a factory. People were mopping the floors, forming an assembly line,etc. The lights dimmed and a woman pulled a lever where a smoke signal goes off and "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" began. I am on the edge of my seat with anti-ci-.... PATION! When they revealed Sweeney, a light appeared up center from a garage and he sat in red barber chair. ABSOLUTELY LEGEND! I could not get over it. Now..... For you Harry Potter fans, or as one of my friends says, "'Arry Ottah," Imelda Staunton aka Dolores Umbridge played the role of Mrs. Lovett. SHE WAS OUTSTANDING! Great comedic timing and voice. Michael Ball played Sweeney and I found out who he was and I saw him in the Royal Albert Hall of "Les Miserables" on TV. He was the Original Marius in the West End and his transformation from normal look to Sweeney is astounding. I could not get over his range of talent. IMPECCABLE! Now.... going to see Shrek, I was even more excited. This past fall, I music directed a revue at Emerson where we sang "Who I'd Be" from "Shrek." To make it even more exciting, the theatre is on Drury Lane, and the entire time, I kept asking my friend if we could find the Muffin Man. The vibe for Shrek is obviously different than Sweeney Todd... thank God! I was expecting to see a family fun show, but it was cop full of Adult humor and musical theatre references from making fun of Lion King to Dreamgirls to Wicked. Highlights of the show was the dragon's song, "Forever" I was lucky to see all these people perform this and let me tell you.... I was in awe! From the ensemble to the leads, everyone was spot on and I LOVE it about this show. Everyone was showcased! One thing that really bothered me was that in both theatres, no one gave a standing ovation. I asked my friend why and he did not have a clue. I really wanted to get up and show my appreciation for their hard work. I guess it takes a lot to get Brits to get out of their seats. To say the least, I am going to see more shows in the West End while I am here. So, while all the younger 19 year olds in my group go to the pubs, I will be heading to the West End to see: Les Mis Phantom of the Opera Matilda .... and whatever else I can see!

Oh NO! What Happened to SoHO!?!

My roommates wanted to go for a drink and I did not. My father has been joking with me since I got food poisoning this past weekend that I really had the brown bottle flu. I wanted a coffee, so we walked around Soho yesterday and it's cold and pouring rain. My roommates finally pick a bar, and we walk in and I immediately notice that we're the only girls and looking around... it was the biggest closet gays in one section that I have ever seen and I mean like the football jocks hiding that they are gay. I start laughing and I mean really laughing and I look at one of our guy friends and he knew exactly what I was thinking. One of my roommates was upset, because I did not want a beer, which I already established, so I told them I'd leave them here while I went across the street to get a coffee. As I get to "Costa" which is a competitive coffee store to Starbucks in the area, I get a call from my other guy roommate asking where we were, and knowing how he is, I laugh on the phone and say, "If you're craving a cosmo, they are in a bar called Admiral Beacon, and if you bend over, you'll get a great tip if you catch my drift." He told me he'd come over later. So, I get my coffee, and a chocolate/caramel shortbread and sit outside under a canopy at this coffee shop in the rain and I look around. We already passed an alley way of "I'll make you feel better" spas and strip clubs with Armenian men smoking outside, but on this corner, this corner was exquisite. Directly across from me was a clothing store and a Vietnamese restaurant called, "Nam." (Leave your Agent Orange and war jokes at the door, please.) But.... at the street perpendicular, was the gay bar next to a clothing store with a sex store in the basement that was so commercialized in neon in the window, and a bar entitled "G-A-Y" with "Jersey Boys" (The Musical) at the end of the street. So, as I drank my coffee, I watched the men outside at the coffee shop and skyped with my sister and Larry on my iphone showing the streets of London and laughing my ass off. So now, I call London's SOHO, "Pimp, Pimp, Cheerio!"

First Day in Londontown!

First week in London has yet to hit me. I have felt as if this place is another home. If I were to describe London, it would be the best parts of New York City and Boston with a splash of history. From the names of the cities and neighborhoods to the tube stations to the random theaters in the West End, this city is something amazing. The first day here, I went through customs, got my suitcases, and opted to take the tube with my evil twin, Ramona (aka my book bag), my purse, and my two 35-45lb suitcases. Unaware of where I was going, I waited in the queue and asked where I needed to go. I was not ready to buy my Oyster card (that’s like the Charlie Card for fellow Bostonians), so I took a one-way pass from Heathrow to wonderful West Kensington…. Which was 5.4 GBP, which is equivalent to $7. Shoot me now! On the train, I kept thinking about how crazy my week was and how far I have come to get where I am. This is it. I am in my final semester as an undergrad and I took a plane by myself to London to do an internship. This girl has some moxie. I had to switch from the Piccadilly line going to Cockfosters (yes, I added that because I was giggling to myself the entire time on the train) at the District Line. The most polite thing anyone has said to me is this tube. “Mind the Gap.” “Thanks,” I say to myself. I have two older ladies help me switch trains with my suitcases and I get off at West Kensington. With two suitcases in hand, I look up these stairs that I have to carry by myself. Men take the other stairs and run up and down not even catching my eye. So far, my impression of men in this country is fabulous! I take one suitcase and push it up three steps with my shin and drag the other. When I reach the top, the man working the station opens the gate for me. I was extremely grateful. As I leave the station, I check to see which direction to go and walk up half a mile towards my flat… well, hoping it is the right direction to my flat. Everyone told me this was a posh area, and I start to think what Brits define as posh. It’s dirty and not amazing, but definitely not a ritzy area. I make it to the flat and it’s gated. Jenna, my advisor at school, helps me up to the top of the apartment. There aren’t any elevators, which I’m used to, but I am thankful that I only have to climb three flights instead of five. My roommates are great! I share a bedroom with two other girls and the boy has a single room. We have a living area, with a full out kitchen, washer dryer, and two bathrooms. First night, we went to a local club called “The Albion.” They just finished trivia night and all of us decided to grab a beer. Looking around the bar, it’s amazing how different bars are in different areas of the world. In Georgia, the beer is cheap, the music is either country or rap, and there are so many pool tables. In Boston, the songs are classic rock and nights are college/sports driven. In London, it’s quiet. People are talking and Oasis’ “Wonderwall” is playing in the background. There are also board games that are available to play in the bar. That’s a first for me, and to be honest, I like it a lot. Within the first few days, I have already taken a ride on the Thames and seen Big Ben, London Bridge (which is not impressive), Science Museum, part of the British Museum, the London Eye, and Tower Bridge. I am excited to see more of this wonderful country and city! I just finished my second day at my internship and I can already tell that I am going to learn a lot. I have been sitting next to Mark Summers, who is the owner of the company both days and he has been guiding me and telling me multiple stories of the entertainment industry. Today really was an eye opener. We were casting for an Audi commercial. The first day was for Infiniti but we only had to audition and cast a male and a female. This time, we had to cast for six parts: a British guard, a German tourist, a Cougar, a clumsy man, and an Audi salesman, and a young man looking to buy a car. Each scene had it’s own vignettes and the range of how people look was astounding that walked through the door. One thing that Mark taught me was that many agencies now use this database from castingnetworks.com. It is a database that has an actor’s information with pictures. When someone auditions for a specific role, they are put in a pool with all their information. Mark told me that one person was seriously considered for a $30,000 commercial deal, but lost it because his profile lacked photos. To the director of the commercial, it came across to him that the actor did not care as much because his profile was so scarce, so he cast someone else. A man came in today complaining about how in America people lose their copyrights if a commercial is filmed in Europe and the actors lose their rights and pay. He also complained about how poor SAG/AFTRA is and that really fueled Mark and the other actors in the waiting room seemed to be in a bit of a disturbance. The man was older and was trying to start be like Harold Hill in “The Music Man” telling of the troubles in River City, which Mark squashed and told the man to just not audition. Later in the day, Mark asked me what time the man came in, and he pulled his name from the database and called his agency to inform them of their client. Mark told me that people who represent an amazing company should not work in this business. I know that if that happened in America, someone would have been fired, trampled on, or worse. My lesson for the day: “If you try to start a fire, someone is going to hose you down and black list you.”