Another Week

Although Paris was one of my favorite places I’ve been to this semester, it was good to be back in London. We started the week with the stage production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Adelphi Theatre featuring Michael Ball (Recognized British musician and actor) as Sweeney Todd and Imelda Staunton (Professor Umbridge in the Harry Potter series and well-known actress who’s appeared in numerous films and theatrical productions) as Mrs. Lovett. I enjoyed the stage production of Sweeney Todd, yet, I made the mistake of seeing the Tim Burton adaptation for the screen staring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter when it came out in 2007.

Per usual, it can be tough to view an adaptation from a book to the screen, or from the stage to the screen because you may have preconceived notions and expectations which will be unreachable. This was the case for me. I knew I had to go into the performance with an open mind, fully knowing it would not be the same. However, I just couldn’t get on board after having seen the film… Which is rare, because there’s only so much Tim Burton I can stomach. Burton’s “Sweeney Todd”, “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, and “Beetlejuice” are some of the few movies that I could probably watch if they popped up on TV.

But that’s neither here nor there. The stage performance was good. I thought Michael Ball made an intriguing Sweeney Todd while Imelda Staunton brought an unusual sense of humor to the dark, sinister story. I didn’t think the humor quite fit in… But that’s simply another consequence I faced having seen the film before the stage musical.

The collaborative philosophy of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.

Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Since we saw Sweeney Todd on Monday night, we didn’t have any theatre to attend on Tuesday evening. So Tuesday was pretty laid-back, as I organized my portfolio to turn in on Friday. The only class I have on Tuesday is History of British Pop Music, which, as you’d imagine, is a blast. Over the past nine weeks, we’ve explored the bands and the music of Britain since the 1950s. The class on Tuesday and even the week before was dedicated to the 80s. These were the classes I had been looking forward to since the beginning of the semester. This past class went into detail about the history behind Joy Division, New Order, and The Smiths.

I’m not too familiar with Joy Division, having only listened to a few singles, but I’m definitely going to pick up some of their music when I head back home. I’ve only listened to The Smiths’ “Meat Is Murder” and “Strangeways, Here We Come”, but I hope Dennis and Vivian will let me get some of their respective Smiths collection when I get home. Finally, you can never have enough New Order. And you know what? Rob only played “The Beach” during class that day. One New Order song is better than none, though. I’ve got my work cut out for me in terms of what tunes I need to pick up when I return home. Rob did recommend listening to New Order’s “World In Motion”, which New Order recorded for England’s 1990 FIFA World Cup campaign. I dig it, ‘cept for the terrible verse towards the end performed by England footballer, John Barnes… Just ruins it for me. Next Tuesday, I expect we’ll continue on to the 90s and discuss Oasis, The Prodigy, Blur, and Radiohead. We could always throw New Order in the mix… They had an album or two in the 1990s, didn’t they?

On Wednesday, the group took the overground to Richmond, where we rode bikes along the Thames to Hampton Court Palace. We had gorgeous weather – Clear skies and blazing sunshine – for our 8 mile ride.

Post lunch nap. (Tell ’em I just want my naps! Naps on naps, on naps.)

A shot of some homes on the Thames.

A small portion of the group along the Thames.

Standing on a lock just off the Thames.

We stopped for lunch at noon and continued just up the trail to Hampton Court Palace, which was beautiful. It was an impressive building for its time period and exemplified just how wealthy the royal families were. We were lucky to have the gorgeous weather that we did, because it always makes the Wednesday trips even more enjoyable.

Hampton Court Palace

The main entrance to Hampton Court Palace.

So here I am writing this post at the BBC Broadcasting House at Portland Place, just next to Oxford Circus. I was presented with the opportunity to go behind the scenes at Radio 4 and was able to sit on an editorial meeting for “You And Yours”, a consumer affairs program, which I will watch go out live at noon. So far, it’s been an incredibly exciting morning as I was briefly shown the inner workings of one of the world-renowned media outlets. The editorial meeting consisted of the “You And Yours” team sitting down with an outline of the program and making any last-minute alterations to the segments, switching out news stories, and running through how the show will be executed. It’s a humbling experience listening to, and being around professionals who speak about their work with such vigor. After I watch the show go out live, I’ll update on how the rest of the morning went and be sure to include some pictures of the day’s adventures.

A view of the brand new floor which will serve as BBC’s base of operations when it opens in the near future.

Radio 4’s office space located in the Broadcasting House.

Inside the on-air studio with Peter (The host of “You And Yours”) getting ready to record a podcast.

Back at school to finish this post and get started on some final assignments. Watching “You And Yours” go out live was fascinating. The studios and facilities I was able to see were beautiful, and only rivaled by the equipment I’ve used at IPR and WCRD. Inside the production booth was a flurry of activity as producers organized the guest callers for their respective segments while other employees ran in and out of the studio handing everyone a copy of the script for the next segment, containing cues for cutting to audio clips and the on-air phone calls.

Watching Peter (The host of “You And Yours”), Jon (My contact at Radio 4), and the rest of the Radio 4 team work was both impressive and inspiring. Watching how professionals move so seamlessly throughout the preparation process and executing the program was certainly an exciting learning experience. Being in the studios at Radio 4 made me miss my shift and my fellow employees and friends at Indiana Public Radio and WCRD, and had me really looking forward to returning come next semester.

The original entrance to the Broadcasting House.

The new entrance on the recent addition to the Broadcasting House.

Don’t know what the plans are for the weekend, yet. Definitely going to take advantage of the warm weather while we’ve got it! I’ve got a fair amount of work due next week, and I’ll probably end up getting started on those projects this weekend, that way, I’ll be able to enjoy the final weekend here without any additional pressure of finishing schoolwork last minute.

Thanks for reading, everyone!