I meet Andrew, my producer, at the Theater today. We continued on to have lunch with the other principles of the company. I met the publicist, the company manager, and Andrew's producing partner Peter. They are really great people and I am blessed to be with such a supportive, creative and delightful bunch. I don't know if it is the British attitudes that are so compelling to me or if this just happens to be a unique and great group of people. Either way the energy of the bunch feels wonderfully correct. We had lunch at a private club down a single file alley between two theaters called the Two Bridges. It was once a private club for actors whom years ago would not be served in a "normal" establishment. It has changed clientele but is still protected by a locked door which is accessed only by speaking the correct name into an intercom. Not unlike some Chicago speakeasies in the 1930's.

To get to the theater, and ultimately the speakeasy, from my apartment you walk along the Thames, make your way past Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square several other West End theatres and there it is, the Arts Theatre. It was like a highlights tour of London a tourist might take. I did not anticipate I would be living so close to so many icons of Britannia.

I saw our new London logo on the marquee on the side of the Arts Theatre.

I am not sure how one can describe that feeling. This is the picture that I immediately took. But you can only photograph an image not an emotion. By the way, Sandi and the boys gave me a new digital camera for Fathers Day. It is small and much more powerful than my last digital. I have decided to take a lot of pictures of this adventure and post them here. I know this may cause the blog to load a little slower, but it is a better way to document my experience.

It is an old theatre, and very intimate. There are several smaller stages in the same building, along with rehearsal spaces. They tell me that it is always buzzing with activity; there are different shows coming into the small stage and people coming for auditions in the rehearsal space. There is also a pub that they say used to be inhabited by the likes of Noel Coward. I think it will be really great for our show. I assumed the feeling would be like the Helen Hayes, but it is most like our run at the Arts Theater in Cambridge. Funny that the name of the theaters is the same. But walking through Harvard to get to that Arts theatre, and walking through Westminster Abbey to get to this Arts theater is very similar.

I am tired, and so glad that Sandi will be with me for the next few weeks. She is the best at establishing roots and setting up a normal routine. Our little apartment is great. Much like the apartment I had for the Broadway run. Tonight we visited the market on the property and bought some food for the little fridge. We put the eggs in the egg holder which is what you do, after all. When we closed the door all the eggs smashed on the top of the unit. The tops were either taken off completely or cracked beyond saving. The egg holder had been replaced incorrectly. Needles to say, had eggs for dinner tonight.

I promise that the blog will be filled with more information than just the menu I had for dinner, but for now, that is the first day. There are many to come. Thanks for reading.
As you were,
Jay