Week 5 - Bath and Bristol

We went on a roadtrip to Bristol!!!!!!! Along the way we stopped at Stonehenge, Avebury, and Bath.

Gotta love this wind

Being from Little Rock, it's hard to turn down a good rock photo op

Bath is gorgeous. It reminds me of Paris. 

Roman Baths

This was my favorite part of the Roman Baths. People would write curses to the gods, because they got SUPER mad when people would steal their stuff. It's all super petty things like, "this person stole my cloak and they must pay for it with their own blood." 

This is a tree that's in the movie, Persuasion. Jane Austen fans understand. 

Not really sure where I took this, but SO MUCH GREEN. YAY. 

Also in Bath. 

Mini Vlog

We went to Bristol to see A Monster Calls. This is my favorite show of the whole trip. We saw their 5th preview performance, so they hadn't even officially opened. It will eventually transfer to London and I would not be surprised if it makes it to West End. The story is based on a book, and the book is actually based on the ideas from a female author who was dying of breast cancer. The show is about a mother and son; the mom is dying of cancer and the son has nightmares in which he is visited by a monster. It explored the ideas of hope and realism in ways that felt very familiar to me. The ensemble is instrumental in the storytelling; they use each other to explain emotions that cannot be expressed by a single person. The acting made this story tangible; it went straight to my soul. However, my favorite element was the music. There is music backing almost this entire show, though it is not a musical. The music wasn't sentimental and it didn't tell you exactly how to feel, but it did shape and influence each scene significantly. They had two musicians performing in this box upstage left  (you can see it in the picture) that was clearly visible to the audience the entire show. I loved that they presented this music visually; it contributed to the genuine nature of the show. 

I cry a lot in shows. (and movies and life). But this is the first show that I felt peace with at the end and then three minutes later I just had a relapse - I couldn't process how deeply the show connected with me. It's five days later now, and I still keep thinking and pondering this story and how it was presented. I love theatre. 

Rebecca