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I always imagined London as described by Conan Doyle and portrayed by Basil Rathbone: a place of cutpurses and ruffians...

London

Hank Shiffman
2003-11-26 17:16:52

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now playing one of Daddy Warbucks's servants. And for another, the evil Miss Hannigan is portrayed by a transvestite by the name of Lily Savage. What, there aren't enough roles for men on the legitimate stage?

Speaking of transvestites, London is also where I saw The Rocky Horror Show five times, completing its original seven year run at the Comedy Theatre. This marquee is from a revival at the Picadilly which, although fun, just wasn't the same. And I could have done without the audience participation. I wish people would save that stuff for the movies.

And as long as we're talking about theatres (and we were, weren't we?), I took a trek across Southwark Bridge to see actor Sam Wanamaker's dream: the reconstructed Globe Theatre. It's a brilliant recreation of Shakespeare's professional home, using original materials and techniques. With a few additions, like a sprinkler system in the thatched roof to prevent history from repeating itself. And a new location about three hundred yards from the old, giving it a nice view of the river. Sad to say, the new Globe's open roof means it's a warm weather facility like the original, so I didn't get a chance to see a performance. But one of these days...

(Is it a coincidence that Shakespeare's historical legacy owes so much to Americans? It was P.T. Barnum's attempt to buy Shakespeare's Stratford birthplace and move it to the States that finally got the English to come up with the money to rescue the place from the ravages of time. And it had to be an American who led the effort to give us a new Globe. Sometimes I'm kind of proud of my countrymen. Not often, I grant. But sometimes.)

This unimpressive door belongs to Number 10, Downing Street, the Prime Minister's residence. Not exactly the White House, is it? To be fair, the doors to any of the Queen's homes are probably a lot more spectacular. I was lucky to get this shot on my first visit. Nowadays they don't let you get nearly this close. Something to do with people who have an extreme approach to expressing their political views.

A little excursion to Dover, two hours by car from London. Famous for its White Cliffs, the Channel Tunnel (which was only a dream when I was there) and this little piece of architecture, Dover Castle. By the way, I finally got my chance to to take Eurostar through the tunnel on my way from Paris to London. What surprised me about the journey is how commonplace it all is. Just a pleasant little train ride that happens to be the culmination of a hundred year old dream.