2005 WPTC LONDON THEATRE TOUR
by Diana Stugger

How do you recreate a memorable trip? You take the trip again. For those who have never taken the Weston Playhouse London tour or have not taken the tour for several years , I highly recommend this theatre tour. WPTC Producing Director Steve Stettler’s daily emails to the London Tour Directors have become legendary for their thoughtful oversight and attention to details. Both Steve and the Tour Directors use feedback to refine and improve the next year’s tour.

2005 London Tour Group

Lunch at the Wallace Collection

Claire Price

The past two years’ accommodations have been at the Cavendish St. James Hotel, a 4-star luxury hotel in the heart of the West End - across from Fortnum and Mason, a block from Piccadilly, easy walk to the Parks and palaces, on a quiet corner street of art galleries, fine clothing shops, several restaurants and the ubiquitous English pubs. The staff is friendly, the rooms comfortably sleek (the high tech designer bathrooms take a moment of engineering skill but once mastered function well), and the ample morning buffet breakfast is a leisurely time to visit among the group and exchange views on the previous day’s performances.

Our group was not only made of WPTC supporters but we were also joined by a California couple who found out about the trip on the Internet. Friends encourage friends to join. Daughters bring mothers and vice versa. Couples who both have a passion for the theatre and couples for whom only one does and the other is good-naturedly in tow mix easily with those whose spouses are not on the trip. We all, new and previous WPTC travelers, quickly formed a companionable group.

One of the reasons is Steve, who is a gracious and warm host. He expresses his thoughts, observations, and knowledge of theatre with a clarity and ease that draws everyone into conversations and the discussions. Some of the most astute observations come from people who don’t have a theatre background; some of the most interesting conversations evolve from people who ask questions rather than express opinions; some of the most stimulating discussions are over the sharing of diverse opinions.

Another reason is the Tour Directors, the popular Giles Ramsay assisted by Jonathan Bonfiglio. Tour Director may be a misnomer because they are actively involved in theatre arts as teachers, playwrights, artistic directors, directors, lecturers; they come with an extensive background and connections in the British theatre scene. Giles and Jonathan, cell phones, weathered briefcases and the day’s program in hand, not only get us on time to and from the day’s events on comfortable buses, they are our private concierges, they impart their insight into the day’s performances or events, they smooth the way so no one is inconvenienced, they engage us in discussions, and with wry wit they divulge the latest insider information (i.e., gossip).

The main reason is the Theatre. Prior to our departure Steve makes sure that we all have copies of the scripts for the plays which we will be seeing. Some don’t read the plays in order to experience them first hand. Some read before they leave. Some cram during the trip. Our first performance was a matinee of Schiller’s’ epic Don Carlos directed by Michael Grandage, known for bringing clarity to complex plays. On the airline flight several rows of us spent the 6 hours reading the play. Packed with political intrigue, plot twists, and power struggles, we were amazed how such a young writer could weave a web out of the illusiveness of truth and capture the nuances of each character’s emotions and motives as the tragedy of the royal triangle unfolded. All of us were impressed and stunned by the brilliant, atmospheric and condensed production featuring Sir Derek Jacobi as King Phillip II of Spain. Jacobi had been reluctant to undertake the role because he thought he would be too soft. But his performance was emotionally powerful, his presence commanding, and the production visually stunning with the opening pendulum swing of the censer, the towering walled set, the somber lighting, muted costumes colors juxtaposed against the thrilling chant music, the dominating red robes of the Grand Inquisitor and the shimmering corseted gown of the young Queen who was the fiancé of Don Carlos, Phillip’s son and heir.

Since we had all shared the matinee experience, the "Welcome Dinner" in the boardroom of the Guinea Grill was more a "Get Together Dinner." The atmosphere was convivial in the antique paneled dining room above a quiet old (1755) English pub in a quaint mews off Berkeley Square.

The next morning we met for our first Discussion Session. Steve Richards of The Independent brought us up to date on the major issues in the British government, Europe and the UK/US relations. He suggested that the relationship between Prime Minister Blair and his Finance Minister Brown was Shakespearian in the friendship gone sour and the role reversal of mentor and pupil. The exquisite Claire Price, who played the Queen in Don Carlos and is an engagingly lovely and effervescent actor, treated us to her insights into the production and acting. She does not internalize but works from the text because, in the classics, words are ladies’ means of defense and protection against arranged marriages, rape, death threats, false accusations and political ploys. Steve Stettler followed with an introduction to theatre appreciation. Theatre is about everyone’s responses, he said. Theatre holds a mirror up to our own lives. The play or production doesn’t always have to be good. The more you attend, the more stimulating theatre becomes. The more you share your thoughts the more you are enriched. Then he enumerated the three points of classical criticism: 1.) What were the artists trying to do? (Plays are most successful when a director has a vision.) 2.) Was it worth doing? 3.) Was it done well? Plays are not written to be read; they are a blueprint for the performance. We build the performance in our imagination.

That evening we went to a preview performance of Billy Elliot the Musical,at the Victoria Palace Theatre, a large Broadway style theatre. The music was composed by Elton John. It is a tour de force for the three young boys who switch evenings to play Billy Elliot. Each boy has to sing, act, do gymnastics, ballet, tap and jazz. We were all impressed with the boy’s feats of talent but were disappointed in the music and production. Even so we all gathered back at the hotel over drinks to discuss into the wee hours how we thought the musical could be improved. Back in the States, Steve emailed us that the British critics raved about the Opening Night production. We wonder what we missed.

In between performances the tour schedules free time to sightsee, shop, write cards, dine, enjoy an English tea, catch up on email, relax, catch an extra show on one’s own. We would go off in our own directions. and invariably run into each other, which made London seem like our own special neighborhood. I had talked my 85-year-young mother into coming this year. She had hesitated about keeping up with a scheduled tour. I had assured her that there was ample free time for her to nap, read a book, relax. But she was so exhilarated by the group and the tour that she never stopped to rest or miss a moment.

Our third performance was Eve Best in Hedda Gabler at the Almeida Theatre’s newly renovated theatre in Islington. This intimate space created the feeling that we were sitting along the wall in Hedda’s drawing room. Not everyone was excited about seeing Hedda Gabler who, traditionally played as cold, calculating and ruthless, makes one wonder what drives her to kill herself. But Eve Best’s iconoclastic performance exposed the raw nerves of a woman trapped in angry despair and consumed by thwarted passions. We don’t like her any better but we do finally understand her.

Performance Four was a matinee of Stoning Mary by Debbie Tucker Greene at the Royal Court Theatre, which focuses on new playwrights in a classic theatre. For this production, the theatre expanded the stage into the audience space to create an epic space where the audience bears witness to the stoning of the title. This play was difficult to follow at first. There had been no script to study, the play being so new. The language, incomplete sentences, rhythmic line and the characters mirroring each other were confusing. In spite of not being sure of what the play was about (in flashbacks we learn that an alienated young woman has killed a young man during a robbery and we see the anguish that she and the victim’s family suffer before she is convicted and publicly stoned to death for the crime), we reacted emotionally to it and recognized the accomplished ensemble acting and staging.

Fortunately, the director, Marianne Elliot, was a Discussion Session guest. She was genuinely unassuming and articulate about the play, her directing process, and the young black playwright’s anger at political apathy. The play is set in Africa, but the playwright had wanted the actors to be white to make the situation more immediate. We felt that the actions would have been less confusing with a black cast. Ms. Greene confirmed that the play was a challenge to understand, even for her. There were no stage directions, just the rhythm of overlapping lines and phrases. She talked the characters through with the actors, did improvisational work, tried slowing the lines down for clarity but it took away the energy. In response to our confusion , she said "If you didn‘t get it, I didn‘t give it to you." She thanked us for our enthusiasm and responsiveness. We realized that, although we did not understand the play, the real experience was learning from soft-spoken Maryanne about the importance of attempting new works and supporting new voices in the theatre.

Sunday we attended a chamber music Coffee (and sherry) Concert by the Czech Herold String Quartet at Wigmore Hall in the late morning. Then we walked around the corner to the Wallace Collection. In a large sunlit courtyard we lingered over a leisurely Lunch at Bagatelle. Wine flowed, conversations and laughter filled the warm spring air. We were then escorted through the finest private collection of French 18th C pictures, Catherine the Great’s 900 pieces of Sevres porcelain, 93 gold snuff boxes, and Boule furniture as well as 17th C paintings and an armory. What made the collection even more remarkable was its Cinderella history. Originally acquired by the 1st Marquess of Hertford, the collection eventually passed to the 4th Marquess whose mistress, Agnes Wallace, gave birth to his illegitimate son. The Marquess employed his son as secretary for his art collection. Upon the Marquess’s death, the son was surprised to learn of his heritage and inheritance. He, in turn, married a French shop girl and continued to enhance the collection. Upon their death he bequeathed the collection to the British Empire, never to be loaned or sold.

The next day focused on the Royal National Theatre where the Production Managers, both young women, gave us an inside look at the theatre’s technical side. PM’s tend to come from stage management or design backgrounds. They have the overall production and technical design control. They are assigned to a production and work with the creative team to determine if the design concept is achievable and within the budget. They gave us a backstage tour of the sets for The House of Bernada Alba and The History Boys, which we were to see that evening. The afternoon was free to stroll along the Thames to the nearby Globe Theatre, Tate Modern and Saatchi Gallery, ride the London Eye (which Steve assured us was worth the view of London even if you had vertigo), or take a boat ride on the river.

Alan Bennett’s The History Boys directed by Nicholas Hytner was well performed but did not live up to our expectations about a rivalry between a charismatic and erudite older history master who teaches to inspire and a young master, (pushed by the headmaster seeking prestige from his students to win scholarships to Oxford or Cambridge) who teaches to past tests. Although well performed we did not feel that the boys took a journey that led to the opening of their minds or passing on great lessons of life.

The last production at the Old Vic, Dennis McIntyre’s National Anthem with Kevin Spacey, Mary Stuart Masterson and Steven Weber, the one for which we had the least expectations, was a powerful production with excellent acting and staging. We felt as if we had lived through the evening in the suburban Detroit home. It is a 1980’s play about the failed American dream which still resonates in 2005. We were surprised and proud that the young British audience responded so enthusiastically to an American theme and to the three superb and physically demanding performances. We met with Steven and Kevin after the show. Both were engaging, accessible, down-to-earth and articulate about the play, their performances and the Old Vic. Steven was thrilled to work with Spacey for his first time on the British stage. Spacey is passionately committed to rebuilding the Old Vic and choosing contemporary plays to draw a regular audience. He reveres the Old Vic’s history and believes it can serve as a cultural bridge between the US and Britain. He always wanted to run his own theatre of journeymen actors, writers and directors. He is a stage actor first, but films allow him to continue his goals for the Old Vic, which include a $16 million renovation. In 10 years he hopes to pass the revitalized Old Vic to a successor. Although he does not have a vision of what the Old Vic will be, he quietly told us that "you have to follow your heart."

Our final day we gathered to discuss the plays we had seen. Steve no longer had to encourage our participation but rather direct the spontaneous flow of our comments, insights and opinions. The throughline was that many of the productions were better than the plays they served. Then Theatre critic Benedict Nightingale of The Times shared his reviews of the plays as well as insight into the life of a critic. He had been obsessed with theatre and studied journalism in university. Critics don‘t usually have a career plan; their interest becomes their vocation. He worked for the Sunday NY Times where critics are invited to previews. In Britain critics go to opening night. In London, where word of mouth is important, critics have less power than NY critics. A critic always fears that he’ll miss the next great playwright. He felt that there has been no new distinctive voice since 1975. Where are the new talents coming from? Irish productions and playwrights are the renaissance nourishing the British theatre. American classic playwrights such as Miller and Williams do well in Britain.

The afternoon was a last chance to shop, take an early matinee, pack. At 4:00 PM the bus left for All Saints, Fulham, an 1154 C. parish church on the Thames where the group was treated to a private recital on the church’s 18th century organ as well as the trumpet playing of our own Corky Stewart. At our farewell dinner at Mirabelle, the late Princess Margaret’s favorite Mayfair restaurant, we reminisced, took photos, thanked Steve, Giles and Jon for a memorable trip and Rita Silton, the tour originator, and enjoyed our last moments together. Early next morning we boarded American Airlines for the flight home and back to our regular lives.

Ever since our return, I’ve been regaling friends and new theatre acquaintances with the 2005 tour and encouraging them to sign up for the 2006 trip. Bravo and thank you, WPTC!

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>> 2005 WPTC LONDON THEATRE TOUR by Diana Stugger

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