Day #4: Shakespeare and The Globe

 Yup, needed a Part II on this one. I got back to the hotel way too late (for me) to type anything coherent, so you're getting this in the morning, when I'm fresher. :) 

Last night was Antony and Cleopatra at Shakespeare's The Globe theatre. Definitely a worthwhile experience, it was theatre like I'd never seen it before. The theatre is built to be exactly like it would have been in Shakespeare's time, so you get the experience as people would have the first time around. One of the main differences between this theatre and modern day is there's a pit between the seated audience area and the stage. People could pay a reduced price (about 5-10 Pounds) and stay in the pit area for the show. The downside is there are no seats - you're standing for about 2 1/2 to 3hrs. You gotta really, really love Shakespeare to do that. You'll see the pit area in some of the pictures. 

The fun: The show I attended was marked as interpreted for sign language, so I figured this would be like any other show I'd seen - the interpreter is in the corner, and signs the words as the actors say them. Nope. I found out later they were trying out a different method. If you were on Team Cleopatra (meaning the lead actress and anyone in her entourage) you signed a combination of British and English Sign Language. If you were on Team Antony, you used a combination of sign and spoken word. The lines were also displayed on large screens around the theatre. It wasn't something I was expecting at all, but was a very cool way of doing things. One of the volunteers mentioned they were getting a lot of people who used BSL to communicate, because this was one of the few theatre experiences geared for them. I really liked the way it was done - was very natural instead of "Hey! We're using sign language over here!" 

Another piece that was very well done was the presentation itself. I was wondering how much I'd be able to pick up, having never read the play. After all - it's Shakespeare. The actors did a fantastic job though of communicating through body language, expressions and gestures what was going on. What I missed in the words I could pick up in the subtext. 

The not-fun: Since the theatre is a replica of the original, the seats are wooden benches with no backs. Even with the provided cushion, I was wildly uncomfortable. Enough so that I left at intermission, because otherwise I would have been miserable for the last 1 1/2 hour of the performance, and probably driven those around me crazy with my wiggling, trying to get comfortable. I would have liked to seen the rest of the play, but I got a good flavor with the first act, and wasn't contorted and miserable. 

View of the theatre, taken as I was leaving. It's an imposing structure, definitely no missing it. 

Two angle of the stage and audience seating. You can see the standing-only area, as well as the bench seats (under the awnings) 

A view of my hotel, taken from across the river. It also houses an event space. It was also the original home of M15 and M16, with a direct tunnel to the Prime Minister's residence. Lots of wartime subterfuge!