Curious Incidents

5/11/13
     Play this while reading if you want more of a taste of my experience for the day. Just turn the volume down some.  https://soundcloud.com/adriansutton/sets/curious-incident-of-the-dog-in

If you watch this first there may be better context for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9lEsUYlTU0

And I apologize if what you are about to read seems a bit over the top or dramatic, but it comes genuinely from the heart. Take it as you will. 

    Remember that time I said I was up and Good Morning London? Yeah..... well after that I then slept 'till 1 in the afternoon. Hahaha! But I didn't feel as bad because one of my roommates did the exact same thing. But the only reason I cared about it was the fact that we had a matinee that day! Luckily it was at 2:30, not 2 as I had originally thought. But I was NOT going to miss this show. This, outside of War Horse, was the one I had been waiting for since the trip was official. And oh my goodness.... I did not know what I was waiting for. But it was THE greatest play I have ever seen. And it's on both my best productions of all time and favorite productions of all time. And if you know me I don't throw out compliments on this sort of thing unless I think they are well-deserved. Friends - if you call yourself a theatre fan or if theatre is in any way a part of your life, or maybe if you are just alive and a human being - you must and I say MUST go see this show if the opportunity arises. It's only to your benefit.
    One of the things that I thought was so fantastic was how well I understood the show. I couldn't tell you a time that I understood a concept and the symbolism of a production so well. I was literally pulling things from the walls and the floor. And the spectacle of the show alone - the blend of movement work/dancing with the domestic drama and top of the line 2013 technology.... the production was absolutely... I can't find the right words. And I've never seen a production more appropriately and effectively use stillness (or contrast from fast-paced to stillness) and simplicity in a show. Which sounds a bit ironic after talking about so much technology - but that's just it. There was all of this unbelievable technology and then there were moments with two characters, a father taking off his son's shirt and shoes for bed, under a single spotlight, for several minutes. That was it. But that's all it needed. It was incredibly moving and powerful.  To say the very least, I adored it.
   The book is on my list of books to read but I almost don't want to because my experience here was so magnificent. Honestly, when I'm prompted to talk about the show, I kind of choose not to say anything. That may seem the opposite of the expected reaction, but it's because I feel that my limited vocabulary would belittle my experience. I don't want to box in the production with commonplace adjectives and their connotations. Because my experience was unlike any I've had. And for this reason this show is quite sacred to me.
    As well as this, the show was so impressive not only because of its expert direction and performances, but because of how deeply this production touched me - much deeper than I should believe or expect. I related an incredibly great deal to the main character, Christopher, who is autistic. Which of course I should, if the production is a good one, but it was the level and in what ways I connected. It I believe kind of scared me by how much and in what ways I connected with him. There were moments of this show where realizations or epiphanies would sweep over me unexpectedly, and I would be reeling over how strong my emotional responses were to the production. It's really difficult to explain how I was feeling because it wasn't necessarily just one emotion, like fear (which I do believe was a part of the reaction). The best way I've been able to describe it is that I discovered a new part of my humanity; a new door had been opened that I didn't know existed let alone had explored.
    I had a large amount of self-discovery while watching this production. I won't go into all of them right now, but I will speak about one. I recognized just how fortunate I was to be raised the way I was. Had I not been in such a loving home and atmosphere, and had I not been pushed to be social and to learn how to interact, I believe I would have turned out very differently, and by no means would this have been a positive thing for me. I think I am very lucky to have gotten to where I am today as a person - as a person who is able to function more than adequately in society and with other people. So I just want to take a second and thank a few people. To any educators in my life who would be reading this who have encouraged and uplifted me - especially those from GALACTIC and in the arts, thank you so very much. I hope you've always known I've been grateful, but I have an even greater appreciation now. And thank you especially to my family, particularly my parents. If you hadn't thrown me into dance, and gymnastics, piano, social interactions  etc... I'm afraid to think of what position in life I would be in. I have been so very lucky having been gifted with you. So thank you all. Saying that I have been blessed is an understatement.
     I wish I could properly express just how incredible and moving this experience was (and still is) for me. It truly touched the very core of my soul, and very deeply. If the rest of this trip sucked, it would have been worth it just for this.
 
   

     After the show, a group of us all went toWagamama's which is a noodle bar here in London. I had a pretty good mandarin and sesame chicken salad. It was a fun atmosphere - we went down a bunch of stairs and it was very brightly painted... it was like if Froyo met an old-school Speakeasy. We enjoyed laughing at my roomie's Chicken Ramen that she bought: the bowl was literally bigger than her face and they gave her a ladle to eat it with. A ladle! So that was entertaining. That and how one of the boys finished his meal, my meal, AND all of the chicken ramen. After dinner my room broke off with the others and did some very necessary grocery shopping (which is ALWAYS entertaining in a foreign country. For instance, orange juice is categorized by "smooth" and "juicy chunks"). And then we come home and crashed. But we're about to go elsewhere so I better sign off.

Cheers from London!