Let me tell you something about live theatre: It takes a hell of a lot of work from a hell of a lot of people that you as an audience member never see. It is a mind-bogglingly complex undertaking, the logistics of which can strain the sanity of everyone involved. I have spent the past two days witnessing true professionals at the top of their game, and while in one way the experience has been torturous, it has also been inspirational to see so many professionals do their jobs so well.

I also watched some Doctor Who while putting in my treadmill time today. So let's talk about that.

The City of Death - Parts 1 & 2

(TARDIS Data Core recap)

The title of this story makes much more sense if you translate it into French. The story is set in Paris, a.k.a. Cité de l'amour (City of Love). In French the story title is a play on words, Cité de la mort. This was the first Doctor Who story to ever be filmed on location in a foreign country, and also the highest rated story of the Fourth Doctor era (granted, partially due to a strike at the competing ITV network). With extensive footage shot all around the most famous landmarks, and with a delightful score by the (now recently and sadly deceased) Dudley Simpson, it is a joy to watch. In fact, I would go as far as to say that if you were only going to watch one Fourth Doctor story, then...  well, then watch Genesis of the Daleks. But if you were only going to watch two Fourth Doctor stories, then this one should be the other.

The story has the Doctor and Romana on holiday in 1979 Paris, where they encounter a strange time flutter twice, and also stumble across an apparent plot to steal the Mona Lisa from the Louvre. This quickly leads to the discovery of an experiment to create time bubbles, and also to the discovery of six more apparently-real versions of the Mona Lisa locked in a bricked-up basement. Toss in a somewhat dim security guy whose first instinct is always to give someone a solid thumping, an aristocratic thief who also happens to be an alien, and a healthy helping of witty dialogue, and you have yourself a great story.

I haven't even gotten to the John Cleese cameo yet, I get that treat tomorrow morning. 

And on that note, I am going to bed because tomorrow morning is coming significantly sooner than I would prefer right at the moment.

STATS:

Doctor(s): Fourth
Companion(s): Romana
Episode(s): City of Death - Episodes 1 & 2
Steps Walked: 7,485 today, 1,771,016 total
Distance Walked: 4.21 miles today, 892.84 miles total
Weight: 253.88 lbs (five day moving average), net change -53.42 lbs