10-27 It's all about the Theatre

If yesterday was about the offbeat, today was about a true tourist experience: a visit to Shakespeare’s New Globe Theatre. I hadn’t even thought about seeing a show here when I was making all our theatre reservations, but I will definitely do so when I return. In lieu of that experience, I wanted to see the theatre and learn about its history. I was incredibly lucky to have Cockney Mick, an actor, as my tour guide. His knowledge of Shakespeare, his plays, the original Globe Theatre and this New Globe is encyclopedic.

The New Globe was the brainchild of American actor Sam Wanamaker who, when in London, went looking for the memorial dedicated to Shakespeare. When he discovered that there was none, he wanted to correct that, not by erecting a memorial but by recreating Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. He was the driving force behind the effort but, sadly, died two years before its completion.

We started our tour in the area for the groundlings, on the floor of the theatre.

In Shakespeare’s day the fee for this area was a penny. It’s not a large area, the whole theatre only measures 100 feet in diameter, but the groundlings held 1,000 people. In those days the shows would last up to 6 hours and during that time, people would eat, drink, play games, converse, etc. If you wanted to go to the loo, you didn’t wat to leave the theatre to do it, or you’d have to “spend a penny” to get back in, so people would just life their skirts or undo their trousers and urinate on the spot. Yes, smelly, but probably not terribly noticeable considering that most common people bathed twice a year, children once a year, whether they needed it or not. Also in the mix was the smell of garlic, since the wisdom of the day said that chewing garlic would protect you from the plague and other diseases.

The theatre is built out of new green oak. The pillars on the stage are single oak trees. The ceiling of the stage is painted with the signs of the zodiac.

The roof is, like the original, thatched. In fact it’s the only building in London allowed to have a thatched roof.

We then went up to one of the balconies. This was the best place to see a show because you can see everything and, more importantly, hear everything. In the balcony there are the gentlemen’s boxes, quite close to the stage. The stage is a trust stage, so the placement of the boxes doesn’t allow the occupants to see or hear very well but that didn’t matter because the purpose of booking a place in those boxes was to show off your finery and to be seen by the people. There were no newspapers or social media in those days, so this was how the wealthy would show off. The royal boxes usually held the nobility who came for the same reasons, to show off.

Mick was a wonderful guide and had the usual collection of corny jokes. He told of how Shakespeare died in 1616 in Stratford-upon-Avon. The cause of death is thought to be tuberculosis, but his body has never been exhumed to be examined. Therefore, we’ll never know if it was TB or not TB. Groan… Bad jokes aside, it was a morning well spent.

I then decided to walk the south bank of the Thames. I meandered along the Queens walk, taking in the sights and venturing down alleys and side streets, ending up in the Bermondsey neighborhood.

Replica of the Golden Hind:

Tower Bridge:

Loved this sculpture:

Posh pads converted from old warehouses:

It’s a gentrified area with lots of eateries and a couple of little shops. I wandered into a charity shop and found a fabulous little suede jacket for a song. Note to self: go to the charity shops in the posh neighborhoods.

I stopped for a bite to eat at the Bermondsey Bar and Kitchen SE1. I’m not sure why they include the post code in the name; perhaps it’s to show off the fact that they’re in a fancy part of town. I ordered mushroom arancini, which was excellent, and a glass of Maison Sabadie Reserve Blanc to go with it. A perfect midday bite.

I meandered home and Bruce and I had a quick bite at home before venturing to the Old Vic to see Pygmalion.

Though I have seen several productions of My Fair Lady – including one in German! – I had never seen Pygmalion. I was amazed at how much of Bernard Shaw’s original text was directly lifted for the musical. This production was a quasi-modern one; actors in contemporary dress, a very contemporary minimalist set. What I found jarring was the fact that, although this play is about how accents define one’s place in British society, Eliza had the faintest bit of a Cocney accent. Ditto her father, portrayed brilliantly by John Marquez (of Doc Martin fame.) Bertie Carvel, as Henry Higgins, was far quirkier and less likeable than than Higgins is usually played and Patsy Ferran, as Eliza, was far more assertive than is usually the case. Excellent acting all around. I particularly liked the ending of the original since it skips the sentimental, somewhat sappy Hollywood ending. The staging had a modernist, choreographed feel. Did I love it? No. Was it entertaining? Yes. Would I recommend it? Moot point. We saw it the night before closing.

On the way home we walked across the Jubilee Bridge, then chose to walk along the Thames rather than jumping right on the tube. So many lovely sights in London at night.

Waterloo Bridge from the Jubilee Bridge:

View of the South Bank:

Jubilee Bridge:

The moon looks down on the London Eye:

New Scotland Yard:

Big Ben: