Theater: Pirates of Penzance

A Chris Monks production. The pirates were dressed as ’50s mobsters. The Major General’s daughters looked ready for yoga (except for Mabel, of course). Performed at a very small theater in the round (the Orange Tree in Richmond [outside London]), but masterfully filling the space with movement and sound.
Really well done: well acted / well sung. Well updated: the present day politics inserted into “For I Am a Major General” were hilarious and the ending (“For We Love the Bard”) was just perfect.
Loved it.

Theater: (Tom Stoppard’s) Rock ‘n’ Roll

Great, great show. Worth the trip to London all on its own.
Dominic West is great. The rest of the cast is compelling. The music (functioning as scene breaks) is a thrill to hear (as loud as if you were hearing it live). The story unfolds as the characters’ lives do. Written based on a conversation with Vaclav Havel about a rock band dissenting (in their own way) under communism: the Plastic People of the Universe.
Pink Floyd fans will enjoy the Syd Barrett side story (my mom didn’t know who Syd Barrett was of course).
Really well done.