Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Anne Hathaway Cottage and Les Miserables


     Today we started off with a tour of the childhood home of Anne Hathaway in Stratford-upon-Avon. Much to my dismay, it was not the home of the talented actress, but rather of William Shakespeare's wife. The house has been lived in by the Hathaway family since the 16th century. It was the house where Anne grew up in, and then left to be with Shakespeare. On ground level there was a kitchen, laundry, and parlor. Upstairs they had the bedrooms set up to reflect the many generations that had lived in the house. However, the house was only a tiny portion of the property. The rest was taken over by a huge garden. There were beautiful sections of neatly trimmed hedges, others with lavender and colorful flowers. It was truly as wonderful experience to walk through.




Later that night when we returned to London, some of us went to see the play Les Miserables. The play is set in 19th century France, post revolution. Many are sick and poor, and have to do what they can to survive. The play centers on a thief who is released from prison for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his nephew. Years after this, he learns from his ways and takes care of and raises a young girl under the wish of her dying mother. All of this takes place under the rebellion of schoolboys who want to fight for a better future for the people of France. Having seen the movie already, I had an idea of what I was walking into. I was not however prepared for the heartfelt emotion casted by the actors, as their singing was top notch and professional. Even the two young kids carried their weight amongst the older actors. Overall it is one of my favorite plays I  have seen so far.


3 comments:

  1. Matt, I match your relative disappointment surrounding the different Anne Hathaway, even though I am sure Shakespeare's wife was okay and all ;). I was blown away by the artistry of the players in Les Miserables. I have long loved the movie, and was expecting a lot. Luckily, I was not disappointed, even in my "cheap" seat! I was delighted by Javert especially, because he is a character who is easy to hate, but his player was so talented, I couldn't help but love him! What do you think?

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  2. I'm so glad I wasn't alone when I was thinking about Anne Hathaway. I was too embarrassed to admit that haha. The hedgehog love there made up for my disappointment, and I guess the gardens were pretty cool.

    I'm so glad Les Miserables was a great show. This is one show I have not seen yet but is still on my bucket list to see!

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  3. I've always wanted to see Les Miserables; the film adaptation had some of my favorite actors in it. The cottage was a peaceful place and experience. I stupidly and originally thought that this was Anne Hathaway's (the actor) cottage.

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