over the bridge(s) we go

St. Paul's Cathedral

I bought "The Stage" weekly newspaper at The National today. It looks very juicy. I am excited to read it. I will probably pick it up every week, like I do The Spectator, a political magazine focused mostly on British politics that, oddly enough, also includes a rather large section of book reviews and stage information each week as well. Odd as these three concerns of life from an American perspective do not necessarily go together but they are all vital to the soul of English society.


The dogs are, from left to right, the PM Gordon Brown and leader of the opposition (and likely next PM) David Cameron

[I tried in vain to upload a pic of The Stage newspaper but this blog is just not having it for some reason]

I went to The National -- the theatre along the South Bank that was once owned by Laurence Olivier and houses three theatre's, and where a few months ago I saw Oedipus -- to buy tickets for two talks they are giving in the next few months, one on Casanova and the other that Alain De Botton is giving. I'm not quite sure what the latter is about but I remember reading Botton's "The Art of Travel" when I worked in a lawyers office in downtown Pittsburgh. It is one of those works that leave a lasting memory, not only the ideas it inspires but the feelings it engenders. It was about his travels through England in the 70's. Already then I wanted desperately to travel to England.

I didn't intend on walking toward the river to St. Paul's, but leaving The National I felt a sudden urge to do so. The sun was out. It wasn't cold. I didn't want to be stuck in my room reading the afternoon away.

I walked toward The Globe theatre, over the impressive Millennium Bridge, to St. Paul's Cathedral where I picked up a hot chocolate at St. Paul's Cafe. Then walked the entirety of Fleet Street, onto the Strand, over the Waterloo Bridge to home.

St. Paul's from Millennium Bridge

This fecking blog won't let me upload any more pictures, so perhaps some more that I shot today will be uploaded later.

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In the mean time, congrats to Derek Jacobi and David Tennant who jointly won Best Shakespearean Performance at the Critics' Circle Awards last week.

This kinda broke my heart. Excerpt from The Telegraph:

In accepting his award Tennant, 37, said: "When I was at drama school, I waited at the stage door of Glasgow Theatre Royal to get Derek Jacobi's autograph, after his breathtaking Richard II.
"I was utterly inspired by that night, so to be sharing a prize for Shakespeare with such an amazing actor means more than I can say."