It didn’t rain today!!! It was cold and windy, and rain threatened but never came. But with the forecast for rain, I changed my plans from a walking tour of the street art of Brixton to visiting two of my favorite museums.
My first destination was the National Portrait Gallery, recently opened after a three-year pause for repairs, re-design, and reconstruction. On my way there I stopped briefly in Trafalgar Square to say hi to Lord Nelson atop his column. Even early in the morning the area was packed with people, most speaking languages other than English—tourism is definitely on the upswing.
Because I was meeting with Sue, our friend Phyllis, and her husband Eric at noon, I only spent an hour at the National Portrait Gallery. I focused on contemporary portraits, some of which were extremely unusual. I was glad to see the re-modeled gallery but didn’t feel the need to spend more time there.
We ate lunch at a nearby vegetarian Indian restaurant, Saravanaa Bhavan. The food and company were great, the service not so much.
After we split up, I headed to the Victoria and Albert, my favorite museum in London. They currently have a special exhibit in the Fashion Institute, DIVA. It’s fantastic! I hope it comes to NYC so I can see it again. It’s got clothing, memorabilia, film clips, and photographs from the 1800s until now. When you enter the exhibit area you are given headphones. As you walk through the show, you hear music or dialogue appropriate for what’s on display. For example, while looking at some of Bette Midler’s costumes I heard a clip from “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” There were arias, pop music, Mae West saying “When I’m good, I’m very good, but when I’m bad, I’m better.”
Hopping on a bus, I made my way back to the Convent Garden area for dinner at @Pasta Brown, a terrific Italian restaurant. To get to the theater we needed to walk through Convent Garden. Last year I missed seeing the area lit up for the holidays, so I was glad that this time I had the chance. The Christmas tree is impressive and all the decorations festive and fun.
The show we attended was “Operation Mincemeat.” It’s a VERY British show based on the real events of a secret spy operation during WWII. It was hilariously funny and acted by some of the most talented performers I’ve seen. The five actors played dozens of characters and the split-second timing of changing costumes, props, and characters (including changing gender) was nothing short of breathtaking.