An Extra English Day

Monday started out pretty quietly; I slept in while Jon got tickets to Half a Sixpence for that evening. Then we wandered around Covent Garden for a bit of shopping. We especially enjoyed Rokit, a cute vintage store.

That afternoon we had traditional afternoon tea reservations at The Ritz. We got there early and spent a little time in Green Park:

The park certainly lives up to its name.

The Ritz hotel is absolutely stunning!

The Palm Court, where afternoon tea is served.

The walls are mirrored, so even those who aren't facing the room can enjoy the elegant view.

The food was pretty tasty, and beautifully arranged.

We started with champagne and sandwiches; the desserts also come out then so that you can gaze at them longingly.

We also had a bonus slice of strawberry cream cake!

After our sandwiches, we had our tea and scones.

There was also live piano music during the meal, which was a really nice touch. We sat next to an English couple that overheard us sounding American and asked if we were there on "holiday." They were impressed that we were able to get a table (you need to book reservations pretty far in advance--we made ours a week before we came to London, and availability was already limited. Fortunately I like planning things!) We had a lovely conversation with this couple; they live in the countryside and the husband works in London. We told them about what we had been doing while on vacation, and the woman shared that London now feels too overwhelming to her and she much prefers the country. The next time we come to England, we'll have to try out being country mice as well as city mice!

On our way out, we traded photo-taking services with a family.

This dress was my grandma's. Thanks grandma-ma! <3

We then went to see Half a Sixpence, which was incredibly charming. It's about a young man named Arthur Kipps (played by adorable newcomer Charlie Stemp) who becomes rich over night after he learns his estranged grandfather has left him a great deal of money. He falls in love with a pretty rich girl; her family can't stand him because he doesn't say his h's and has no clue how to act like a rich person, but they want him in the family because of his money. He's also reunited with his childhood sweetheart, who works as a maid and understands him more than the rich girl ever can, and a love triangle ensues.

The story is cute enough, but the production is extremely delightful. All of the songs are so catchy and lively--even the love songs are relatively upbeat. The choreography is impressive--balletic while still being fast-paced, and at times acrobatic. I was tapping my toe through the whole performance (although it wasn't until the second act--during a particularly enjoyable number called "Pick Out a Simple Tune"--that Jon got really into it).

Typically in a musical you see strong singers in lead roles, and the bulk of the dancing work is on the ensemble. Half a Sixpence included equally demanding choreography for most of its leads, and I was really enchanted by Charlie Stemp's dancing in addition to his singing and acting (and he plays the banjo a little too!) I also always enjoy watching British stories about class and class mobility. In America we say that anyone who works hard can be successful--that's the "American Dream." In the UK, you're supposed to be in the class you're born into, and bad things happen when you move up.

After we saw Lady Day on Friday, we realized that all three of the plays we'd seen so far were about Americans. We were glad to have finally seen such a quintessentially English play, especially since we preceded it with traditional afternoon tea!

xo
Hannah