sidebar: Pride & Prejudice at Regent's Park

So I think I have officially decided on my paper topic for my research that I'm supposed be doing whilst traveling about the English countryside: Jane Austen.  It's an excellent opportunity for me to research and write about something I am passionate about.. and it helps that this is the 200th anniversary of the publishing of P&P, my absolute favorite of her novels so there are lots of extra events and exhibits about her, her life, and her work.

Take, for example, Monday night (7/8), where a few of the girls from my class and I ventured to Regent's Park Open Air Theatre for the play, Pride & Prejudice.  It was such an excellent play, and very well done.  And there was not a bad seat in the entire round theatre; our seats were quite spectacular.  As this was an open air theatre, there wasn't really a backstage area, and instead there was a lot of extra stuff going on in the background, but it did not in any means take away from what was going on in the front.  The set changes were very neat, and as the stage rotated, it was really a character in itself.  I also appreciated that it was a true-to-book interpretation, and they didn't go off on some crazy tangent.  One of my favorite things, and if you've read the book or seen the movie this might surprise you, was the actor who played Mr. Collins.  His interpretation of the character was, by far, the best one I have ever seen; he was hilarious, and really played it up.  It was a fantastic play, and I am so very happy to have had the chance to see it!