The Number Field

Some of the most memorable events of the past summer were the live theatrical performances we attended. Elena and Roman have always done a great job of adjusting to the changes involved in moving around so much, and we probably don’t recognize and reward that as much as we should. When we saw that Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom was going to be in town just a few weeks after we moved back to England, we thought it would be nice to take them to see it. Ben Elf and Princess Holly are the stars of an animated childrens TV show that we’ve never actually seen, but Elena did have a Ben and Holly umbrella for a while. On the one hand, the performance itself had a self-contained plot, so we were able to enjoy it even though we didn’t know all of the back story. On the other hand, we would probably have done a better job singing along during the audience participation segments if we had been as familiar with the songs as many of the other audience members appeared to be. All in all, the costumes and props were great, the performance was lively, and both Elena and Roman had a great time.

The next show was a rare treat for Jenny and me. It’s been two hundred years since Pride and Prejudice was first published, which provided the spark for celebrations of Jane Austen and her work all year long. One theater company toured the countryside with a new stage adaptation of Pride and Prejudice that they performed at many of the great houses across the land. We were lucky enough to attend the performance at Chatsworth House, which was one of the inspirations for Pemberley (as I’ve mentioned before). Since Chatsworth House is two hours away from our house, we were especially grateful to be able to make that night our half of an exchange of babysitting services with some friends. When we got there, we were impressed again by how well the British know how to picnic, and felt very unprepared and American. We had fast food for dinner at a rest stop along the highway, and had only brought a blanket to sit on. Each and every one of the thousands of other people had lawn chairs, wicker picnic baskets with full dinners inside, tables set with real dishes and silverware, strawberries dipped in chocolate, and all kinds of beverages whose corks popped festively into the air.

We couldn’t have pictured a more perfect night for the performance. The setting sun lit up the gilded borders of Chatsworth, which made a glorious backdrop for the stage. We were not among the earlier arrivals so we had to sit rather far out, but we were still able to enjoy and appreciate the performance. One thing I didn’t realize until at least intermission was how small the acting troupe was; most performers was fulfilling two or three roles, often taking on different personas in quick succession. I think that I picked up on this indirectly when I noticed that some of their accents seemed somewhat strained; I think this was one method used by the actors to differentiate their characters. Incidentally, I have resigned myself to the fact that I might never be able to understand the nuances of British accents, even if I am starting to be able to recognize some of the differences. My overall impression of the performance was that it was a very good effort to do justice to the original, even though they had to make some sacrifices due to time constraints, for instance by reducing the number of Bennett sisters (sorry Kitty). I am impressed with how well the underlying story has been molded into many different retellings, even while being reminded of the wonderful literary details that are only present in the original novel. Best of all, Jenny and I were able to spend a wonderful evening together, and I don’t regret the wrong turns I made on the trip home that sent us up and down little windy roads in the hills above Sheffield and considerably lengthened the drive.

Our next theatrical outing was rather different from the previous two. It was the British Pageant in Preston, a production by our church which told the story of the first missionaries from the church who were sent to preach in the British Isles, and the converts that heard and followed them. Before the show there were activities for the whole family–games, crafts, and photos in old-timey clothes. In addition to the characters with speaking parts, the production had a chorus of hundreds, all volunteers. Two of the current apostles for our church attended the same performance we did, which must have inspired the performers.

Since much of the action portrayed by the pageant took place in the vicinity of Preston, we spent the next morning exploring a few of the sites mentioned, including the town square with its iconic obelisk, where the missionaries first set out their soap boxes to preach. Interestingly enough, we were approached by a Muslim missionary on that very spot. Later, we visited Avenham Park, through which the River Ribble runs, where the first baptisms took place. We had been told that there was a stone monument to that event somewhere in the park, but we didn’t see it until we had given up and decided to return to the car. Elena and Roman were far more interested in the playground we on the river bank while we were searching. No matter where we are or what reason we have for being there, they’re always happy to see a playground and will always plead for just a couple more minutes. It’s always a sure way to feel more like locals than like tourists.