10-24 It's all about the arts

We enjoyed the Paris Brest pastry so much that we decided to go to the bakery for a carb-loaded breakfast. Chai Latte for me, cappuccino for Bruce. Bruce had a pain au chocolat, I had an almond croissant and we split a plain croissant. These bakers really know what they’re doing. We went our separate ways, Bruce to pub crawl, me to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The V&A is one of my favorite places in London. It’s not a traditional fine arts museum, though there are a few paintings and some sculpture. Rather, it celebrates art, design and performance. There’s fashion, jewelry, silver, glass, theatre, as well as a vast collection of Eastern and Middle Eastern art. They have special exhibitions which are always amazing. I’ve seen exhibitions on food, from an artistic and ecological perspective, Mary Quant and her influence on fashion and culture, Beatrix Potter and her work preserving the land and culture of the Lake District, Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear and a few others. They’re always thought provoking and usually very compelling. Entry to the V&A is free, except to the special exhibitions which frequently sell out. If you’re a member, however, you don’t need a ticket and you can skip the line. I joined a couple of years ago, so I breezed into the two special exhibitions, Gabrielle Chanel, Fashion Manifesto and Divas.

The Chanel exhibition looked at her upbringing, her early life and first forays into fashion, her work for the Germans during WW2, her merchandising genius, and her older years. Having read several Chanel biographies, it was a case of been there, done that. But, happily, there was a vast collection of her fashions. What I found interesting was how some of her styles seemed timeless (even dresses made in the 30s could be worn today) and some of her designs were so outré, so dated and really unappealing.

Her designs from the 1970s, in particular, made me think of things you used to find in thrift stores. Of course, that’s just my opinion and I’m happy to admit that although I studied costuming, I would never describe myself as a fashion expert. The best part of the exhibition for me was the last display of her formal wear. A plexiglass stairway of gorgeousness!

The Diva exhibition “celebrates the power and creativity of iconic performers, exploring and redefining the role of ‘diva’ and how this has been subverted or embraced over time across opera, stage, popular music and film.” It was a multimedia extravaganza. There was audio of actresses on stage, numerous clips of opera divas, film clips and pop music recordings. Among those celebrated were Ellen Terry, Sarah Bernhardt, Theda Bara, Clara Bow, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, Maria Callas, Ella Fitzgerald, Miriam Makeba and so many more. The costumes of every pop diva you can name were displayed on the second floor of the exhibit: Beyonce, Rihanna, Cher (lots of her costumes) Pink, Adele, and some men as well: Prince, Freddie Mercury, Elton John. And if you're talking divas, you have to include RuPaul. It was a feast for the eyes!

After the special exhibits, I had to check out a couple of my favorite galleries: silver and jewelry. I’ve visited these galleries many times and I’m always drawn to the same pieces, while occasionally finding a new piece to fall in love with.

Center: sterling silver miniature paintbox, late 18th century

Miniature mosaic brooch

Necklace designed by Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co; gold, blister pearls, opals:

Rene Lalique:

Rene Lalique thistle pin:

J. Russells bracelet designed by Felieke van der Leest, 2008

Vanity case (rather like a compact, but with more little compartments inside)

Vanity case:

The evening was reserved for the theatre. We took the tube to Hammersmith and found a pub for a bite beforehand.

It was The Swan, a very noisy spot that had really excellent food. Bruce had a boar and chorizo pie with mash and vegetables and I had halloumi fingers. We traded bites, BTW, so I got to taste the pie & veg. Yum!

Off to the Lyric Theatre to see “The Empress”. To quote the theatre, ”Transferring directly from the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon and directed by Pooja Ghai, Artistic Director of  Tamasha, this new production of The Empress will take you from the rugged gangways of Tilbury docks to the grandeur of Queen Victoria’s Palace, whilst unveiling the long and embedded culture of British Asian history.”

The Lyric Theatre itself is a beautiful old theatre and this production was equally beautiful.

It’s rare to find a production with an Asian perspective; colonialism seen through the eyes of those colonized, whose culture and people were dismissed and degraded by the colonizers. It’s a well constructed play with memorable characters and excellent acting throughout. Tanya Katyal as the heroine, an ayah (nanny) was sweet and vulnerable and totally believable. Alexandra Gilbreath as Queen Victoria was a hoot. I'm sure liberties were taken, biographically speaking, but I loved her character. I was a tiny bit disappointed at the end as I'm not a big fan of happy endings and "everything will work out", but that's probably because I'm a jaded old lady.

As I've seen in many theatres, the Lyric had special theme cocktails. I treated myself to the Chai Latte White Russian which was creamy, decadent and delicious.