In my opinion, Regent’s Park is one of the prettiest places in London. The park is massive (410 acres) and is home to Queen Mary’s Gardens (+ thirty thousand roses) and the Open Air Theatre. The theatre was one of the places on my ‘to see before leaving London’ list and the weather is now perfect to enjoy plays outdoors. Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors was playing at the theatre last night so I joined my flatmate and her friend from home on a journey to Regent’s Park to catch an 8P showing.
One of my favorite things about London is the long days of summer. The sun is up at 5A or so and doesn’t go down until at least 10P. It makes the days infinitely more productive! Though we were at the park until 11P, it didn’t start getting dark until the play was nearly over. My other favorite thing about London? Student discounts! That’s not just a London thing, it’s a Europe thing. They cater to students much more here than they do in the US. Most places have a student discount or a student night and in some cases it’s pretty significant. I have gotten a pretty deep discount on every musical/play that I’ve seen this year and The Comedy of Errors was no exception! Though tickets normally retail for £20 – £40ish, our £36 ‘Band A’ tickets were only £15 with our student discounts (only available at the door with student ID in hand). Click here for the seating plan.
The theatre itself was beautiful! The place was kind of magical, actually. The twinkle lights were perfectly placed and the setting in the middle of the gardens made it kind of romantic. If I hadn’t been there with two girl friends, it would have been a great place for a date! I hadn’t read the play before going to see it (my sister would shoot me if she knew) and wasn’t 100% sure what to expect. Shakespeare, in general, I find a little hard to follow at times if the actors don’t deliver their parts well and I was a feeling a bit ashamed that I hadn’t read the Cliff Notes version before heading down to the theatre. Fortunately, it was really well done! I finally caught onto the play after the first 20 or so minutes and really enjoyed it! I’m looking at getting tickets for their production of Into the Woods. After seeing the theatre first-hand, another visit before I leave is a must!
If you’re in London while there are plays showing (I’m pretty sure they only take place in the summer since it’s outdoors!), catching a production here is definitely a cool way to spend an evening! Students, don’t forget your student ID — it saves serious cash (that you can better spend on the jugs of Pimm’s they sell at the bar)!
Lots of love from London,
