University of Edinburgh, Semester in Scotland 2011: The Scottish Ballet Presents... Alice!

This afternoon I went to a matinee showing of "Alice" at King's Theatre which is just between where I live and the Royal Mile. I still can't believe the tickets were only £10! We got a student standby rate, and since this was the last matinee, it was even cheaper. I can't believe I didn't discover this earlier! The outside of the theater is pretty modern, and the whole facade is made of glass. The inside is really art nouveau and was a total surprise. There was an engraving that said 1928 on it, so I am assuming the interior hasn't been changed since then.

inside King's Theatre

Alice!

The show was amazing! I was so impressed and it definitely made me miss dancing (I might even try to go to one of the Dance Society's ballet classes next week). It was so refreshing to see that ballet hasn't died, because that really seems to be the case in the states. It was still a modern twist on the story of Alice in Wonderland, but the dancers were obviously classically trained. The theater was also completely full, which was great to see! The whole thing had a really Victorian feel, which is cool since I am technically in Britain and since I've spent the past two weeks revising for an exam on 19th century Britain. The costumes and set were really whimsical and the orchestra was amazing. Also, there is this really strange tradition in Scottish theater where they serve ice cream at intermission. For the whole second half everyone was scooping ice cream from these mini tubs. Naturally, I had to join in. Overall, the show was amazing and we are hoping to go to a Verdi opera at King's Theatre in May. I would say that this was the perfect revision break!