On Saturday, June 2, Susan and I went to see Equus.

Click here to read about the first time I went to see it:  https://hkvlayman.tripod.com/harrogateblog/index.blog/1703798/equus/

It all started on our trip to Alnwick, when I was telling Susan all about seeing the play the first time. She was very interested, and wanted to go before she moved back to the States. Before I knew it, I blurted out that I would see it again with her!

I have to admit, I had a bit of an ulterior motive. The first time I saw it, I wanted to get Dan Radcliffe to autograph my Equus program, but I chickened out. So this time around, I had a mission! And of course, having an avid interest in performing arts, I wanted to see how (or if) one performance varied from the other.

Saturday morning I dropped off Ryan at Natasha's, and met Susan at the train station. I saw an SUV in the parking lot (or "car park," as they're called here), and thought, "Isn't that Kim's?" I rounded the corner only to be greeted by Kim and her husband, who were heading to London on the same train Susan and I were!

Once in London, Susan and I went to Harrod's. Susan wanted to get in some shopping, since it would be her last time in London before her move to the States. I love Harrod's. http://www.harrods.com/Cultures/en-GB/History/
It's got to be the most incredible department store on earth. (And probably one of the most expensive. However, they stock enough fairly reasonably priced stuff that tourists can come away with some nifty items without losing their shirts.) I did indulge in a few things, since I didn't know when I might get to Harrod's again. I also picked up a couple of plush toys for Savannah and Lauren, and a bag for Natasha.

Harrod's is definitely somewhere you could fall in and not surface for days. And I'm not even that big a shopper!

After shopping, we got a quick bite to eat before heading to the theater. Unfortunately, there's nowhere to check bags at the Gielgud, so we had to take them with us to our seats. Luckily we didn't have too much (and we weren't the only ones with shopping bags). Speaking of seats, we were only three seats away in the same row from where Kim and I had sat!

As the play began, I felt such a sense of familiarity - and not because I'd been there a couple of weeks before. It was rather a feeling of ease, and oddly, of belonging. I felt at home there in the theater.

The first time I watched the play, my mind kicked into overtime, note-taking and observing in almost an academic way. This time, I forced myself to quiet my head, and just relax and take the play in as a whole. I did notice though that there wasn't much difference between the performance I was seeing, and the one I'd seen previously.  I read online reviews from audience members who had seen performances farther apart, and the consensus was the play evolved quite a bit from its opening to its closing. I'm sure it must have, and probably the reason I didn't see much difference was because the performances were relatively close together.

At intermission Susan and I got ice cream. I love that you can get tiny little tubs of Haagen Dazs right there at the end of the aisles! It was a lovely,  warm, sunny day, and the ice cream went down nicely.

Before I knew it, the play was over. It seemed to fly by. As the actors came on stage for the curtain call, I noticed a very sparse and reluctant standing ovation. I feel a little bad, because I didn't stand this time. (I stood last time, however.) I heard later that standing ovations aren't so much a British thing to do (it was probably mostly Americans standing that afternoon). I don't know how true that is, but I hope that would explain it. I couldn't tell, but I think the actors may have been slightly disappointed.

After the show, Susan and I headed for the stage door. Unfortunately we were met with a hand-written sign that announced that Mr. Radcliffe and Mr. Griffiths (the other lead) do not come out after matinees. Ah well. Once I thought about it, it made sense. I was disappointed, but actually not surprised. We decided to get some dinner before heading back to the train station. On the way, I formulated a plan to mail Dan Radcliffe my program with a nice note, asking him to sign it.

Susan and I found a little hole in the wall Italian place. The food wasn't bad, and the service was exceedingly friendly. (It made me think of an old Saturday Night Live skit with Kirsty Alley at an Italian restaurant where the waiter's friendliness devolves into quite an overt display!)

When Susan booked our train tickets, she managed to find a train that got back to Harrogate around 10pm, I think. It was nice to be back a bit earlier. (We didn't have to walk around the block to get to our cars, for one thing!)

Honestly, I was a little embarrassed at first that I went to see Equus twice. However, the more I talked to people, and the more I looked around online, I realized that it's very common for people to see shows multiple times. Nothin' to be ashamed of. There was actually a lady who would not give an exact number, but she did say she was on a first-name basis with the ushers at the Gielgud!

I love the internet. I was able to find some very well-written thoughts and reviews from other people who went to see Equus. It's great to feel a part of a bigger community, and to be able to share thoughts and feelings about a common experience.

I did mail off my program. I was surprised to get a package back exactly a month later. The good news is, I got my program back. The bad news is, it wasn't signed. I got the stock photo and newsletter, and a polite notice saying that enclosures can't be signed. Oh well. It was worth a shot! I found an article online written by someone who did get to have their program signed. It was fun to be able to read about someone else's experience.

All in all, I had a great day, and lots of fun going to London, shopping, and seeing the show. Even if I had known ahead of time I wouldn't be able to get my program signed, I would have seen the play again in a heartbeat.