DAY 10
Tour:
We were able to book one of the most exclusive tourguides around for Hampton Court, the site of Henry VIII’s extravagant palace and gardens. The grounds were impressive, the audio guides were not, but I found the most fascinating thing to be the Great Kitchens. These were set up in assembly line fashion in order to handle the massive amounts of food that came through here every year, and the authentic beef smell was recreated for the full effect.
Three Gems
The world's largest grapevine. Planted back in the 18th century, all of these vines come from one central stalk.
Henry VIII's apartment.
Show:
Aunt Dan and Lemon at the Royal Court
We sat in the third row at this posh theater for a performance of one of the more shocking performances of our trip. ‘Shocking?’, you may ask. Yes, in many ways. First of all, the style was very modern and unconventional. There were no pauses for set changes, and the story would jump from time to time and from one place to another instantaneously. The main character played herself at age five (or six or seven or eight), as well as her mid 40s without a costume change. Additionally, the graphic sex and murder scene did not leave much to the imagination. In America, I imagine there are some laws against showing that much in public. And finally, Lemon’s appraisal of and fascination with the Nazis, especially during the final scene, was shocking. From the third row, we could really see the crazed look in her eyes and the manic hysteria with which she expressed her horrifying points. Overall, the show was very well done and proved a nice contrast with the more traditional shows we have seen. (Important note- this play was written by Wallace Shawn, who made his film debut as Diane Keaton’s ex-husband in Woody Allen’s Manhattan).
Quote of the day – “Henry VIII, consumer of women and food.” -Audio tour guide from Hampton House
Wally Shawn is a way better actor in my opinion than playwright. INCONCEIVABLE! you say. But indeed it is not.