Tuesday 4 September 2012

A Day Out in My World


On a day of tempestuous weather my  friend Rafe and I set off for a visit to the theatre, facing  a six hour roundtrip of 222 miles in the pouring rain,  between Valley's End in Shropshire and Bath in Somerset. When I told my friend Deborah during a skype chat, she gasped. "That's hardcore", she said.   Theatre Royal Bath was doing 'The Tempest', Shakespeare's late, great drama, with Tim Pigott-Smith as Prospero, a production I didn't want to miss. 

The route crosses the Severn Estuary which forms the boundary between Wales and England in this stretch. We're on the way home in the early evening here; by this time the rain had stopped and I could take a shot through the windscreen.

Second Severn Crossing - inaugurated in 1996
Ail Groesfan Hafren (Welsh name)


The wonky main entrance to the theatre was once part of the house belonging to Beau Nash, the celebrated 18th C dandy and leader of fashion, and master of ceremonies at the spa town. We had lunch in the handsome building on the right, according to a plaque on the wall the former residence of Beau Nash and now an Italian restaurant.

The plaque reads "This was the splendid home of Beau Nash, the 'King of Bath' and his handsome and faithful mistress, Juliana Popjoy. They spent the whole of the latter part of their lives here, until the Beau's death in 1761 at the age of 86. We preserve this building at the high standards Beau Nash set for Bath. We think that Juliana Popjoy approves. Indeed, she is occasionally seen here, dressed in grey, and we suspect she has an eye on whether we are entertaining our guests as well as she entertained the Beau's friends in the same rooms 250 years ago."

We both loved the production. A very elderly couple in front of us was occasionally shushed by their daughter, who must have been treating them to an unfamiliar outing - the woman's hearing aid whistled like a phone going off ("turn it off, Mum!")  and the pair scraped their ice cream tubs rather enthusiastically after the interval, then asking loudly what they should do with the empty containers - but matinees are like that sometimes; the action in the audience can occasionally be as distracting as the action on the stage.

We're only half a mile away from Pennsylvania here. Pennsylvania, the small village in South Gloucestershire, between the historic cities of Bath and Bristol, that is. The village was named after the US state by Quakers, and Wikipedia says it has a petrol station and at least one bed and breakfast. So all of you who will, no doubt, flock here now that I've mentioned it, had better book your room well in advance! The countryside off the A46 is very pretty indeed, even if Pennsylvania itself is nothing to write home about.

Another shot through the windscreen of the Severn bridge on the way home, driving at motorway speed.

Although this outing took us a long way from Valley's End, a theatre visit is very much part of my world, which means that I am offering this contribution to Our World Tuesday  with a clear conscience.                                    


55 comments:

  1. Hello:
    Live theatre is such a joy and, we are sure, was well worth the long round trip to see the performance of 'The Tempest'. In our Coventry days....many moons ago now.....we went to Stratford often and paid very little money for seats in 'the gods'. And, what glorious performances we saw. When Shakespeare is performed well, it really does reach into one's very soul we feel.

    The theatre in Budapest is uncharted territory for us at present. We have decided to wait until a play is advertised which we know well and want to see, then we might be able to follow!! Fortunately, for us, Opera transcends language barriers and is affordable still in Budapest!

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  2. What a day out. Was the Tempest any good? You loved it is not a ringing endorsement.
    It's the day that counts.

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  3. When in France a round trip to see a concert or a play was similar to yours...so not a frequent occurrence.
    Here, the ease of being able to get a bus to see whatever we want - and soon having a house in San Jose so that we can walk to the theatre - is a real relief!

    I think matinee audiences are the same world wide....

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  4. Thanks for taking me with you on this trip ... love the photo of the bridge, great perspective!

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  5. Oh! I have not been to the theatre in more years I care to remember... While I used to go quite often when I was still at school, in the past 20 years or so all such outings have usually been to the ballet or the opera. Now your account of the trip to Bath and back made me want to look up what's on stage in Stuttgart these days.

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  6. 'So all of you who will, no doubt, flock here now that I've mentioned it, had better book your room well in advance!'

    :)

    The second shot of the bridge is amazing. I would frame that.

    What a queer detail that Juliana Popjoy was always dressed in grey.

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  7. Wonderful captures. I like the perspective of the bridge.

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  8. I am certain that Flash Nash and Julie Popjoy would approve of such a civilized outing even though Julie, one would gather from the description, apparently served up joy by the pop! I wonder if she might indeed be featured in one of the Bard's creations.

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  9. Some times if the production you are watching is not that rivetting other members of the audience are an intersting distraction ... sometimes they aren't.

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  10. Oh how I envy you this outing. I love The Tempest, but it really has to have a good Prospero. I have seen it done well, and seen it with a terrible actor as Prospero. And I thought Tim Piggot-Smith had died. So pleased to know he is still with us. I'm sure the haunting Julie Popjoy was entertained.

    And I envy you a chat with Deborah! I see from a comment on the Duchess' blog that Deborah is about to post again. I'm looking forward to that.

    Lovely pics, as always.

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  11. Must have been a nice day ! Bath is on my travel list ! I wanted to see it this year while I was in Stonehenge, but unfortunately I hadn't enough time !

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  12. Great tour!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada,.

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  13. Now, that is what I call a great outing into your world. I envy your day. I must visit Bath. I've always wanted to go there.

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  14. Calling by from Our World Tuesday, what a lovely post this is from your part of the world, my homeland. A long trip to make for a day what a shame you were not able to make an overnight stay.

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  15. very cool...would love to spend a day at the theatre...even if the guests are a little unruly in front of you...smiles....

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  16. I spent a day in Bath about ten years ago. Fabulous place! Didn't see any theatre, though.

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  17. Dear Friko, this was truly a satisfying post. I felt contentment ooze through me as I read and at the end I sighed deeply. Life is good. Peace.

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  18. Your pictures say it all, Friko. I am glad you got to see the play and enjoyed the scenic drive.
    Bath, and I must once again resort to my fixation with the Regency Period, has always been a place of endless fascination for me. We hope to visit it some day, and have tea in the Pump Room!

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  19. Because I live in the eastern, rural part of Oregon our trips to the theater are similar. We drive 200 miles to Portland, but it is all freeway and along the very scenic Columbia River. It's worth the effort to hear live music or see professional theater. The few times I've been in London I was a glutton for theater. I would do both a matinee and an evening performance. The magic of the performances was enough to hold me for the months between opportunities for live theater.

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  20. Bath is one of my favourite places. Glad you enjoyed the trip.

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  21. I envy your outing :) forgive me...
    there is no one near to take special outings with me
    and I do not venture out alone for lengthy trips.
    How wonderful your day sounded
    and I love the pictures
    in your part of the world...
    To be clearer
    when I returned to my homeplce 3 years ago.
    Everyone I was close to years ago has passed on.
    Other's have sick mates they will not leave
    or they are not interested in what delights
    this One Woman :)

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  22. An interesting and rather uncommon day. It reminds me of how long it is since I went to Bath. Well, correction = I went last year, except that it was pouring, pelting with rain to the point I couldn't actually walk around and look at anything!
    The last shot of the Severn Bridge is brilliant.

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  23. It sounds like a wonderful day, Friko! Live theatre is such a treat and so is exploring different places. I loved sharing your adventure!

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  24. Oddly the striking thing about this travel story is all the familiar names of things reminding me how the Brits came to this country and named stuff after familiar stuff from home...then you told me that one of the names came from us!! Totally unexpected.

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  25. It all sounds wonderful. We were in Bath once, back in 1998 I believe. It was beautiful, but like all trips, we didn't have enough time there. And I do love your picture at the top of your blog... THAT'a a great shot!

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  26. Thanks for taking us along on your outing. I enjoyed the description of the people in front of you.

    But something has been shattered by this post. I always envision the River Severn as it was in the days of Brother Cadfael - no steel then. Sigh. This bridge, so modern, is completely out of character with my imaginings, but is needed to drag me into reality. Are there any quiet spots left along the river?

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  27. Wie schön, Wolken, Radfahrer, Theater. Die Lust zu unternehmen, selbst wenn´s so weit weg ist. Danke für diesen Ausflug. Hier: Polizei, Krankenschwestern, Ärzte, Apotheker, Richter in den nächsten Tagen im Streik.

    Alles Gute dir auf die Insel.

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  28. Thank you so much. This series of photographs of your world was fascinating - though I doubt I would be comfortable on the Severn Bridge, which is my failing not yours.
    And yes, the people on outings are always part of it - the joys and the frustration. So speaks a committed people watcher.

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  29. As I've written to you elsewhere, I think it's grand that you did this! I have already confessed to you the alarming gap in my education vis-a-vis the Tempest, but even given that, I would think Tim Pigott-Smith as Prospero was remarkable to witness. And as for Philadephia, that is indeed a fascinating fact! There are over here, of course, endless numbers of places named after British counterparts, but I had no idea of even one where the opposite was true.

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  30. Friko, your journey to the Bath theater and back makes me feel very, very lazy. Here I am so close to a wealth of NYC theaters and rarely attend. My continuing excuse is the ticket prices which I find outrageous.

    Years ago, when first in New York, and on my many visits to London, I saw so many fabulous performances of mostly very serious plays. These occasions have spoiled me. It takes quite a lot to get me to a ticket window now. The last play I saw here was Jerusalem, with Mark Rylance, who thank goodness did win the Tony award for that performance.

    Now I read about the upcoming season and wonder if some show will tempt me. I do mean to see an opera this fall. Which one is yet to be decided.

    xo

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  31. I love the Severn bridge. There's something about the cables of these beautiful new bridges that makes my heart sing. We have one very near that's a suspension bridge, and all the cables have been painted the most wonderful lemon chiffon pie yellow. On a foggy day, they fairly glow.

    I saw you referred to Beau Nash in some places, and "the" Beau in at least one. Is Beau actually a title? Now that I think of it, I remember Beau Brummel, so perhaps it is.

    In any event, a delightful recounting of what must have been a lovely day!

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  32. Frico, I've read this Shakespeare's drama, I'm glad you crossed 222 mls to visit this theater! the pics of bridge are wonderful.

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  33. I have a soft spot for Bath. Glad you felt the round-trip was worth it.

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  34. I'm impressed by your expertise with the camera in a moving vehicle. My shots always turn out rather impressionistic.

    I'm glad your theatre trip was worth the long journey.

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  35. Well, I was going to read all the comments on my way here, but there are so many I gave up. I'm so glad you had a good outing, and the views of the sky once the rain stopped were interesting. I hope to make it to Bath someday. Thanks for bringing me along! :-)

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  36. Ah, The Tempest — my favourite Shakespeare.

    Sunds like the audience was every bit as entertaining as the play, Friko.

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  37. A lovely trip you had. The theatre in Bath looks like the building used in the next-to-the last filming of 'Persuasion'.

    I can't get enough of English actors, and Tim Pigott-Smith is one whose career I have followed ever since he starred in 'The Jewel in the Crown.' Furthermore, 'The Tempest' is one of my favorite plays. I have even memorized some of the lines, for the heck of it.

    "Five Fathoms Down Thy Father Lies, Of his bones are coral made, ....." I learned these lines when everyone on this side of the pond kept talking about a 'sea change." It became a hackneyed phrase and they misinterpreted it, of course. What would we do without Shakespeare?? Dianne

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  38. Getting hardcore about theatre is admirable, especially when it means a visit to Beau's place. My favorite thing about British theatre is, in fact, the ice cream at the interval; we Americans could use to catch up on that score.

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  39. Glad to hear you had a great trip to the theater. Your pics are very beautiful. Enjoy the rest of your week.

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  40. Wonderful... a round trip of 222km is often worth the effort despite pouring rain and suchlike.

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    Replies
    1. Oh dear... I should have ensured that I linked to my other blog...Lockwood Sasons... Sorry!

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  41. Driving in the rain is comfortable to me....but in the pouring rain and over a long distance it wears me down terribly.

    Glad all went well for you.

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  42. Thanks for taking us to your wonderful and trip.

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  43. Love the theatre although don't 'make it' as often as I would like. Understand re matinee performances - lady very loudly clacking hard boiled sweets next to me marred the play...

    Thanks for sharing your adventure.

    Anna :o]

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  44. Oh, I love the theatre! Sounds like a great production. And your shots are fab too.

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  45. No matter how good the BBC's productions are , there is nothing to match the magic of live theatre .
    But why can't they come up with non-whistling hearing aids in this day and age ?

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  46. What an interesting post. And I love the fact that you mention that sometimes it's the activities in the matinee seats that rival the stage... Too few people relax enough to let the world flow around them, preferring, somehow, to letting it rush in and affect their perceptions.

    Pearl

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  47. I generally have no patience for shushing daughters. I cannot wait until they are being shushed. It will be quite the different story then. ~Mary

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  48. Really enjoyed this jolly outing! Well presented. then I saw "Pennsylvania" I started! I was born in the Quaker Pennsylvania. You also showed Pendle Hill, a while back I think Friko? The whole area has a strong tie to the history of the Society of Friends obviously. Fascinating, fun, homey description of the off-stage action at the matinee.
    (not manatee!)

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  49. What fun that must be to go off to see nearby Shakespeare productions.

    Hope the older couple were able to enjoy that theatre experience to which their daughter was trying to treat them. If the woman's hearing aid was screeching, either it wasn't fit well in her ear(s) or the volume was turned up too loud. Can be so difficult for individuals with hearing loss, even if they use hearing aids, to clearly understand in many settings and especially in any situation other than face-to-face 1:1 situations. Also, for some when they talk they are unable to self-monitor the loudness of their voice. Too many hearing people and sometimes, even the hard-of-hearing themselves don't understand the circumstances under which they can best hear, and what situations that may well create dissatisfaction and frustration -- not only for the person, but those who care for them, and others.

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