And now for something completely different

[Cambridgeskip 658]

So I thought I'd share one of my troop's more unusual trips out that we had just before Christmas.

 

A trip to the ballet!

 

Now if  you have just raised your eyebrows I few got raised this side of the Atlantic as well. It went really well though!

 

Back in September we had a PLs council and one thing I asked them to come up with was some kind of pre Christmas outing. The answer I got was a trip to London (50 mins on the train from here) to go to the theater. Understandable, London at Christmas is quite special! 

 

What show I asked? Kids sometimes need some prodding. And they said the more child friendly ones like Wicked and We Will Rock You.

 

So I checked ticket prices etc and found that this was not going to happen. You can't get a London theater ticket at Christmas for much less than £40 (about $60), throw in the train ticket to get there and we were looking at asking parents for £50 for an evening out. Most of our weekend camps cost considerably less than that.

 

So I went back and said they'd need a rethink and gave them a suggestion. I knew from previous experience with a previous generation of scouts that the cheapest ticket in town is to be found at The Royal Opera House, which typically does either opera or ballet at any given time. It can also be the most expensive with seats in the stalls going for £230+ but there are cheaper seats for as little as £12. So I suggested that if they did want a theater trip why not try the opera or the ballet? I was initially met with some skepticism. "ballet?" they said? "Seriously?" they said.

 

"Trust me" I said. "The nutcracker is on, you'll love it" I said.

 

"We'll go for it" they said. Tickets available at £20, we went for it. And it was a cracking night!

 

Partly its the setting. I don't know how many of you are familiar with London but ROH is not any old theater. Do a google image search and you'll see what I mean. We had some big "oohs" and "wows" going through the door. It had a proper sense of occasion. I'd had a few gripes before hand when I'd asked for smart uniform (mine are professional scruffs). Those without uniform trousers were told smart dark trousers or skirt. No jeans or trainers. They all though admitted to understanding why when we got there. Even the scruffiest in the audience had a collared shirt and smart trousers. Most were in suits with a few dinner jackets and ball gowns on display!

 

The kids that went were a mix of those who properly wanted to go and those who were told by mum and dad that it would be good for them and they were getting the experience whether they liked it or not! To a boy and a girl though they loved it. Most had never seen professional ballet before and didn't know what to expect. And they were impressed! I had a group of 3 of our youngest boys being a little bit annoying in the first half with lots of whispering. i exchanged notes with the adult on their row at the interval and found it wasn't what I'd feared, restless boys prodding and poking but actually they were really impressed with what they were seeing and were constantly wanting to talk about it. It seemed a shame to have to separate them in the second half but we would like to be welcomed back

 

A few piccies on our facebook feed if you scroll down a bit.

 

So if you or your scouts are ever looking for a "something completely different" outing I'd certainly recommend it!

 

 

[Cambridgeskip 658]

PS - albeit London ROH may be a bit of a trek for most of you chaps!

[skeptic 1004]

I would have one for sure that would go in a second. He is in his third or fourth year of dance, though it is currently tap and similar style, but he and the other scouts have talked once or twice about how impressed they are with the Irish dancers most have seen in some manner. Suspect most would like it at least a bit, and many would find it very impressive. Good job.

[CalicoPenn 729]

Loved the pics but Good Lord, man - don't you folks ever get any sun??? 

 

What an awesome trip - and I can probably safely say that your Scouts, all in uniform, were probably talked about (in positive terms) by the other audience members as much as the ballet was.

[blw2 433]

Hey, thats for sharing that!  Eyebrow raising idea for sure, but a good experience for sure.

I like that you could see down into the orchestra pit from those cheap seats.  Another angle of interests for any musicians in the group.

[Rick_in_CA 401]

Sounds like a great trip! I first saw the Nutcracker when I was young, and I remember really enjoying it.

[Krampus 696]

I thought this was going to be a thread about Mr. Arthur Frampton.

[SSScout 1616]

The expectation from the title was perhaps Spamalot or  Eric Idle and company.  

I was  always at odds with my family ( when I remarried, a 9 year old daughter, twin 11 year old stepsons, later another boy) with taking them to a "serious" theater..  The King and I was appreciated by the boys and not the girl (go figure), but everyone liked the Flying Karamotsov Brothers (jugglers par excellance).  Nutcracker was "okay".  I think your Scouts were well served with the experience.  

When I was growing up, my mom had already been playing music of many kinds on our phonograph.   As a treat, my dad took me to see the Doy'le Carte company when they toured the states and came to Washington.  Boy, that was something for an 8 year old!  Pirates of Penzance ! I have always loved Gilbert and Sullivan ever since.

[Cambridgeskip 658]

Loved the pics but Good Lord, man - don't you folks ever get any sun??? 

 

What an awesome trip - and I can probably safely say that your Scouts, all in uniform, were probably talked about (in positive terms) by the other audience members as much as the ballet was.

 

Sun? What's sun?

 

Seriously, while England has a certain reputation for being a bit damp this year has broken all known records. We've just had our 6th named Atlantic storm of the winter. They just haven't stopped, it's left appalling flooding in parts of Cumbria, Yorkshire and Lancashire. The summer was one of the biggest wash outs I can remember. On summer camp there was just one day out of 7 when we needed to get the sun screen on. The rest of the time it rained. And rained. And rained.

[Krampus 696]

Sounds just like my six years on the island. Living in Seattle comes close to my recollection of living in London. Rain all the time...but when it is nice, it is BEAUTIFUL!!!

Edited December 31, 2015 by Krampus

[qwazse 4352]

Once the Mrs had to fill in for a colleague who patched up the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre dancers. The Nutcracker was especially brutal, so they always had a therapist at hand. The gig came with seats near the pit on the exit isle. Son #2 and I were free (I.e., not camping) so we went along. The show impressed the little guy more than he thought it would. (We also had a dear young friend who was starting her career as one of the bumblebees -- now she dances internationally.)

 

But, better than that, as soon as the curtain closed we had to dash backstage, which for an 10 year old with a mechanical mind was astounding. They had dropped the 3-story set and were reordering it for the next performance. Then we waited in the hallway as the Mrs. worked on a ballerina, who was in the ultrasound room the minute she completed the last bow. As soon as she realized that my wife had family with her, she shouted, in a Russian accent, "Well, bring them in!"

She was a fine gal. She last danced the Arabian and was in full costume in stark contrast to the high tech sports med equipment. She engaged my son ... Asking what he thought about the show. What he like best ... Etc. (all while in a lot of pain from dancing on a sprained limb). Then she said "Do you want to be a dancer when you grow up?"

He shook his head "No."

She replied "Good! Your life will be so much better!"

[blw2 433]

Sounds just like my six years on the island. Living in Seattle comes close to my recollection of living in London. Rain all the time...but when it is nice, it is BEAUTIFUL!!!

if it's like our Pacific NorthWest then, at least you can get out in it.  A fond memory I have was exploring the streets of Vancouver BC during a saturday layover break on a business trip.  It was raining a bit, but what I would call a light rain, almost a drizzle by florida standards, during the hardest showers but mostly it was just a heavy drizzle at best.

 

Folks were out doing their thing.  Some were sitting right out in it sipping coffee at sidewalk cafe's with nothing more than the hood of their rain jackets, folks were jogging in the park, rollerblading, and just generally out and about enjoying the day.  It was very enjoyable.

 

Here in Florida, we might be know as the sunshine state, but when it rains it rains hard.  You can't even run to the car without being soaked to the bone.  Not at all enjoyable.