An Evening at the Theater (or is it Theatre?)

Josh and I have officially proclaimed the London movie experience “The Best in the World”—a very coveted and sought-after honor. We came to this conclusion last Wednesday when we decided that the incessant rain and darkness was becoming far too depressing and we needed to get out. Among the movies playing, we chose to see 127 Hours (no spoilers here) at the Rich Mix Cinema. It was between that or The King’s Speech, which is based on the true story of King George VI of Britain who struggled to overcome his public speaking problem/speech impediment during World War II. While intrigued, I think we’ll wait for that to come out on DVD.

Now get this, when purchasing your tickets, online or at the theater, you get to pick your seats in advance! That means you can show up right before the movie starts and still avoid the front row. And when you meet up with friends, you don’t have to throw your coat over four chairs and yell, “seat’s taken!” like Elaine Benes every time someone comes near your territory. Why is this not a universal amenity?

Upon arrival (about 15 minutes before the show) we checked in at the ticket counter. Directly behind us was a cute little café that served fancy coffees and gelato, and in front of us were a set of doors, which lead to the theater. We walked to these magical doors, opened them and surprisingly found ourselves in the middle of a music venue complete with a full bar and jazz band. And this wasn’t your daddy’s jazz band. The music was an upbeat medley of top-40 pop tunes played on trumpets, trombones and saxophones. The crowd ranged from college students to thirty-somethings and beyond, who all sang, danced, lounged and laughed. Forget those over-priced arcade games and Slushies; this lobby was bursting with liveliness and the type of post-work freedom one longs for on a weeknight.

The best part is that even if you’re there to see a movie and not listen to the band, you can still partake in the bar festivities. Forgive me, but this bears repeating. You can actually take your drinks (beer, wine, Grasshopper) into the theater with you! Now is it me, or is that unheard of (at least in the States)? Maybe I just happened to miss all of these incredible bar-jazz band-theaters in my lifetime, but I’ve personally never been to one that was this cool before. I know it sounds very sixteen-year-old of me to be excited because I can throw a few back during a movie, but the whole evening was actually rather sophisticated. I felt so civilized listening to jazz tunes, and then taking a glass of wine to my reserved seats. Sure beats a bladder full of soda and neck strain!  

Call it a fluke, but people were actually quiet during the entire film to boot. Not once did I have to mentally shout at someone for talking or roll my eyes because the person next to me chewed popcorn like a cow. (Okay, so I’m a bit noise sensitive, but it’s easy for me to lose focus.) Anyway, that didn’t happen this time. At first I wasn’t exactly sure why I left feeling like I’d been to the spa, glowing with the contented pleasure of having just thoroughly enjoyed myself. Then it occurred to me that the movie experience was simply flawless. Comfortable, quiet, exciting with surprises at every turn—it was a cinematic adventure of for the avid or novice moviegoer!

So here’s my Londoner’s note: I highly recommend that after you take a spin through the Abbey, breeze around the Eye and sneak a peek at Parliament, you go to the movies! It may sound very blasé, but believe me it’s not.

A few more topics of note:

      1.)  The dueling Gemini twins in me were very busy this week. One working feverishly on the new Life As A Londoner Facebook page (please Like me!), while the other signed up for advanced nutrition training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I only noticed that both sides of my brain were working on different projects when I posted a FB message about school, and then an hour later posted another about my travel/blog page. Maybe one day, all sides of my psyche will learn to work together.

      

      2.)  Josh and I embarked on another European excursion this weekend. We visited our friend Risa, who was in Madrid on business. While we didn’t accompany her to any seminars on buying high and selling low (or is it the other way around?) we did have an indulgent afternoon in one of the greatest food markets in Europe, Mercado de San Miguel. And while our favorite Spanish restaurant, Casa Lucio, was booked for the entire day, we found another restaurant for dinner and plenty of fun things to do! More details and pictures on that trip to come…