Doomed to Failure

I love London theater, and I love the V&A. But in a city as full of fascinating museums as London, the V&A's Theatre Museum, with its too-tiny space squirreled away in a corner of Covent Garden, was probably always doomed. I've been there two or three times, and I didn't even know about half the stuff they say they have in this article (just as well--at some point I'm sure I would have been WAY too excited by the prospect of seeing Noel Coward's make-up box). God love Judi Dench, but I think she might be fighting a losing battle. The place is literally around the corner from the London Transport Museum (awesome artwork for adults, very exciting toys for children), and if you're willing to leave Covent Garden there are dozens of exciting museums crying for your attention. If you really love the theater, you'll probably just spend your time and money hitting a show (history in the making) rather than picking your way through here and trying to find the stuff you want to see.