Episode 19: I Have The Scream of A Preteen Fangirl Who's Spotted Edward Cullen

Oi, my feet are sore. But today was a rather fun day in my opinion. It started off with class for theatre at 10 this morning. I made it on time, this time with travelcard in hand. And it was really fun to workshop Comedy of Errors, the Shakespeare play we're going to see at the Globe on Wednesday. Patsy cut the opening section into eleven parts and then we walked around the room, each with a piece, reading it in order when our cue came (because originally, the plays weren't made with a copy for each actor. You just had your line and your cue). To make it even more fun, you had to stop someone and get them to listen to your story. And if that person didn't feel like they cared, they could just walk away and you had to find someone new before continuing. Poor Montana stumbled over some of the unfamiliar words and kept having people walk away from her.

Then, we were put in pairs and given a piece of script, which we were to read through, and figure out what's happening. Mostly I think we were just looking at the wonderful wordplay of Shakespeare. I love the puns and little plays on words. They're so fun. And he has such a lovely rhythm to his words once you find it.

Then this musical guy, Simon Greiff, came to talk to our class for a bit. He is actually the resident director on We Will Rock You and he got me even more excited to go see it next Monday. He was actually a really nice guy, unpretentious and easy to talk to. Plus he's been all over the theatre industry: acting, singing, dancing, directing, record producer. He was a neat guy.

Then we were sent off to the West End for a theatre quiz. The only rule? No internet. You have to find the answers by asking people and going to the theatres. And you are only given the vaguest of directions. Oh well. I set off with optimism. It was almost like an Amazing Race task. Fun!

Got all the way to the start, Charing Cross, and met up with some people from my class. I decided to do the quiz with them and they already had some answers from one of the guys on the train. But first they were hungry, so we stopped at McDonald's. Which I was fine with. I could wait while they ate. But then one of the girls realized she had wifi and a phone with internet, so she went online to find some of the answers. Which kind of killed the joy of it for me and made it feel dirty. Plus it was about 2:45 already and we had to meet at the theatre at 4. So I bid them adieu and decided to strike off on my own (yes, I am sorry Mom. I know I could have been kidnapped and compared to not following the rules of a quiz that's not even graded, maybe I should have stayed, but it was tainting the fun of the quiz).

Almost immediately outside, I met a nice older Scotsman (or Irishman, I sometimes have trouble telling the difference in accents). I passed him by and he called out something about my getting sunburned if I wasn't careful. Just a kind of passing "look after yourself now ya hear?" sort of statement. So I turned back around and asked if he knew one of the answers to my quiz.

He personally did not. But he stopped some people and asked them. He was a rather boisterous fellow and very animated. He kept telling people "answer this question and you win an all-expenses paid trip to Afghanistan with this lovely lady". Although he was a little touchy-feely. He put his arm around me (not in a "she's with me" way but almost the way an uncle or grandfather does) a couple times and touched my arm once or twice. It made me a little uncomfortable, since normally strangers don't touch you. But it wasn't at all threatening or trying to lead me to a secluded area where he could make me disappear.

His friend pointed me towards The New Player's Theatre, which he accompanied me to and then asked one of the people he was meeting there if she could help me. I got one or two answers from her and then asked where Shaftsbury Avenue was since it seemed like quite a few of the questions I had left seemed to mention it. Always answer the questions that have place names which give a sort of marker first. Then you can try and find out about the harder ones. Often you can ask at the places you've found with actual names.

I, uh, sort of got lost along the way. First I turned the wrong way and had to backtrack to Trafalgar Square. Then I asked a bus driver if he could point me in the right direction. Actually, I said "Can I ask you a question" and he replied "Sure. I don't think I'll bite." Then he told me how to get where I wanted to.

Actually, come to think of it, I never made it to Shaftsbury Avenue. I started to wonder whether I was going the right direction and found the theatre where we'd gone to see Enron. So I stopped in to ask if I was still going the right way. The box office lady said I was and I left. But then I went back and decided to see if she could help with any of my questions.

And she did! She helped me finish up my quiz and was very nice. Maybe I just give off this "please me nice to me" air. Maybe it's just that I look like I'm expecting a harsh word when I ask and it softens people up. In any case, I got the quiz done by about 3:15. Yippee! I even knew where I was, so I caught the tube to Covent Garden, where the theatre we were supposed to meet at was. And I looked around for a little because I have in mind what I want to get my dad, but I have to find it, which is proving to be somewhat difficult.

I got directions to the theatre around 3:50 and headed toward it. I knew it was showing Oliver, so when I saw the marquee, it wasn't hard to find. I planned to just go there and wait for our tour, but right across the street from the theatre, was a little candy shop called Hope and Greenwood. I'd never been in a candy shop in London and it looked so sweet and inviting, so I went in.

I didn't really plan on buying anything, even though a lot of it looked delicious. Especially the truffles. But the guy at the counter was so nice to me. He chatted with me a little about what I was doing in London and where I was from and whether I was enjoying my classes. He was just such a nice guy. Well, and he was kind of cute. Cute and sweet. So even though I'd left, I went back and bought some chocolate covered raspberries I'd looked at.

There were also these geranium truffles he had out for people to try since the couldn't be sold as they'd gotten too hot and "bloomed". They were rather odd. It sort of reminded me of the time I ate M&M's that had been mixed in with Mom's Home and Garden Party candles. I'm not entirely sure whether or not I liked it. But it was certainly interesting.

The tour at the Drury Lane Theatre should be added to every tourist book there is, because it was more than a simple tour. It was a fun experience. The two leaders change back and forth and dress up as different characters from the theatre's past. Plus they were so engaging and hilarious; I laughed almost the entire time.

Except for when I screamed like a terrified heroine in a slasher movie. Okay, so the guy had talked about a ghost once and then the woman popped through the door and startled a couple people (yes, a little shrieking, but this time I did not participate). But then the woman took over and led us down into the tunnels under the theatre (at one point we just kept going down and I figured eventually we'd just end up in the Phantom's lair).

So we're in the tunnel and she turns down the electric lighting so that it's mostly dark, just a little glow from an emergency light at each end (warmer and less bright than fluorescent lighting). Then she starts to tell us about some of the ghosts of the theatre. She starts off with a helpful one, but then talks about a guy with such a temper that he drove a blunt walking stick through another man's eye over a fight about a wig. She said, "every now and then people hear him whisper 'keep quiet'" and then started to say something about exactly where under the stage we were.

Now, when she started talking ghost stories, I expected something. I thought, something's going to tap my should or, more likely, he's going to drop into the grated section with rubble in it that we could see through a hole in the tunnel wall. Or even, maybe someone would whisper "keep quiet". I was ready for something to happen.

But then the guy just pops through the other end of the tunnel, not even in a manner intended to scare us, and we all lost it and screamed out heads off. I wasn't even aware of screaming at first. We made quite a piercing sound though. The guy was like "I think I've lost my eardrums. I had them when I walked in here; do you see them anywhere?"

I loved this whole tour and when I come again with my family, we are totally doing this. It is absolutely fantastic. And the people were wonderful and interacted with us kind of, not just playing a set script. So. Much. Fun.

Montana, Rachel, and I then walked back to the Underground. Well, kind of. We sort of got talking and ended up a little lost. But I have a good radar/sense of direction so we took a couple of turns, asked someone on the street and then we made it. Although we had to stand all the way back to Surbiton since the train was so packed. But at least it was the train that went straight to Surbiton.

Then we walked all the way home. And I am now admitting defeat; I can keep up the charade no longer. I am a slow walker. There, I said it. I walk slowly and get out of breath trying to keep up with most people. But I had a nice talk with Montana and Rachel. They're really nice girls and I like them. Even if they both used to be dancers and like to jog for fun/exercise. I suppose I won't hold it against them ;)

Today's lesson: People in London can be very nice to young girls (not in a pervy or creepy way!) who simply need to work up the courage to ask for help. Ciao