The Veil Descends, Tuesday 3/7. [photo: none taken today in the rain, so here is a view from Trafalgar Square back into the theater district with the London Coliseum’s globe (it lights up and revolves at night) in the distance.] It began to rain this morning, lightly but at 40 degrees you feel every drop. We decided to go in to the theater district and try out the half-price ticket sellers. Alice had her eye on a play starring Jeremy Irons, but this one was not on their lists for the discount. We went to the theater itself and bought tickets at full price for that night, but we also found out that for senior citizens (60+) one can buy rush tickets at many theaters – we’ll be trying that next time.

Then we got back on the tube and went to Leighton House where we knew there were going to be piano recitals a la the Chamber Music in Historic Homes we have in Los Angeles. The guide did not say “Closed on Tuesdays” which it was, but luckily one employee had come in and gave us a brochure. We’ll pick one and use the telephone. Since the rain was getting harder, we went to a bus stop, bought sausage rolls in the nearby shop, and went back home until theater time.

The play was “Embers”, ostensibly a 2-man and in reality a 1-man play (Jeremy gets 80% of the dialogue) from a Hungarian novel of, “love, friendship and betrayal set against the backdrop of war-torn 1940s Europe …” For those who prefer answers to life’s persistent questions, listen to Guy Noir. Here it was more important to know the question than find out the answer. It was very well acted and worth the trip, but it really was more like a novel than a play. We saw a short play by Edna O’Brien a few weeks ago and it had the same ‘problem’ – more musing than drama and plot. Fortunately the actors were top-class and were able to carry it off.