[LONDON LIGHTS 1984] DAY 9

August 8, 1984

Today on our "must-see" list was Harrods, which, according to all the heraldic devices on its store frontage, is official purveyor to Her Majesty the Queen Mother, Her Majesty the Queen, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, and HRH the Prince of Wales. Mercy on us, but it is a bastion of the aristocracy, rather like Rustan's back home. Only of course, Harrod's dates back quite a few years before Rustan's...you can almost feel the spirits of ancient shoppers checking you out.

Armed with our new-found knowledge of the Tube, we hopped on it at Russell Square station and landed in Knightsbridge in no time. We popped out of the station and took a good look around us to orient ourselves, and then, like pilgrims entering a shrine, popped ourselves inside.

It's a lovely place. Never mind that one feels like a country bumpkin for never having been there before — it is a lovely place. Exclusive merchandise everywhere, the sales personnel keep an eye on you without making you feel like they think you'll run off with the display items; neither do they hover about you like circling vultures. I felt my jaw drop inside the Wedgewood section, which wasn't so bad after being afraid to breathe through the entire lead crystal display. Gawds! Ma and I picked up two Wedgewood saucers as souvenirs. One is pink and one is blue, and both of them have those Grecian cameo figures.

We returned by Tube to the hotel for an afternoon nap, in preparation for our first theatre showing. At three p.m., we presented (or rather, rushed) ourselves past the doorman of the Garrick Theatre, and were shown to marvelous seats for the matinee of No Sex, Please...We're British. Apparently, this is the world's longest running comedy, about a bank manager's wife who thinks she's being hired to distribute Swedish crystal.

Unfortunately, the crystal is actually a shipment of X-rated movies, and the disposal of the blue films is what drives the play. It doesn't help matters that the bank manager is trying to ingratiate himself with his boss, who has consented to have dinner at his subordinate's house, as a sign of grace and favor, if you will.

I couldn't stop laughing. It was good thing everyone around me was laughing as well — the dialogue was sharp and witty, full of wordplays and double-entendres. The acting was marvelous! Some of the facial expressions were priceless. Two marvelous hours of fine acting by a wonderful cast, and I begin to understand why there are those who consider the theatre the only venue for actors who wish to be called actors in the truest sense of the world.

Back to the hotel for an early dinner and a last minute check of our things. Tomorrow is the start of our tour!