London, June 2025
non-Faraday Cage, Evita, Beatles, etc
Hullo, I’m in London.
I believed a Google maps thing that said there was “the original Faraday Cage” even though I don’t know what a Faraday Cage is because it had a bunch of 5 star reviews but it turns out it’s just a boring device locked in a box and the reviews were all for the London Eye across the river anyway a Faraday Cage is a thing but this isn’t it.
Evita
Sarah and Cassie and I watched Evita starring Rachel Zegler. It was terrific, mostly because of how incredible Zegler is. Her being in a musical should be enough of a reason for anyone to watch.
But reviews are focusing on a gimmick in the show.
See, the big show-stopping number in Evita is “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” — in which the main character Eva Peron goes on a balcony and sings to the people of Argentina that she has triumphed.
But for this production, Zegler leaves the stage, goes out to the actual balcony of the theater and signs outside to the people on the streets of London, while it is broadcast indoors to the theater on a big screen.
That’s all anyone wants to talk about. The price of a gimmick.
I happened to love it. The effect is that Zegler sings to an ACTUAL ADORING CROWD who are all WAITING IN THE STREETS for her. It’s a real re-creation of the story moment in the musical.
But even if you hate it, you still get to see Zegler tear it up, which is worth twice the price of admission, in this reporter’s opinion. Headline: She’s the best.
Other London Things
I went to the place where the Beatles had their rooftop concert (also their former offices and music studio). It’s in a swanky part of London near a lot of fashion designer’s retail outlets.
Went to the Sherlock Holmes museum, which is fun. They have a series of busts of the actors who have played Sherlock. The Robert Downey Jr. one missed the mark, IMO.
There’s a statue of Winston Churchill near Big Ben, and right next to him is a statue of a guy named Ian Smuts.
Sarah came with me to Abbey Road Studios where we failed to recreate the album cover.
Kate and I saw a rarely-performed musical Stephen Sondheim wrote the songs for called The Frogs. I think this might be the first Sondheim show I’ve ever seen!
Also did a bunch of improv shows.
Also saw a show at the Soho Theater. And saw a sign on a building that said “Adjoining this spot stood the Stocks Market - 1282-1737” —- 1282?!?!?! Damn!
