An English Honeymoon: Day 3 (Part II)

Where were we? We were passing St. Paul's Cathedral by happenstance on our way over to Shakespeare's Globe Theater. We had to cross the River Thames via the magnificent Millennium Bridge. We paused for a moment to look across the river towards Tower Bridge. It was a glorious day.

I saw the Tate Modern on my right and the distinctive Globe Theater to my left. There was no way we were going to the Tate on this trip.... but next time, I noted in my head, we have to go. Tourists and others surrounded us and at the end of the bridge there was a really annoying line of people waiting to take a picture with the bridge behind them, St. Paul's peak peeking up at the top. A mindless spectacle. We moved on. 

We entered the Globe Theater and signed up for two tour tickets with a specialized guide. While waiting, we hung out in an expansive room in the basement filled with theater stuff (costumes, a miniature stage, a gallery, masks, etc.) that made me nostalgic for a life that I've never really known. It was peaceful in there, with all the items strewn about waiting to be played with, embodied. Magic waiting to happen. 

We were called in for the tour and an Englishman in a nice brown and worn leather jacket began telling us the history of the theater very matter of factly, just serious enough, excited, but trying not to show it too much, something like that. I liked him. So did Dan. We found out that he was an theater actor there. 

What we learned: the actual Globe Theater of Shakespeare's Time no longer exists. There are several theories as to where it was built, and the people who built this one (urged by a man from Chicago who saw theaters such as this everywhere else but in England) placed it in the spot best known as where Shakespeare held his plays. The architecture is true to the original, thatched with no roof, circular, stage columns, gold paint inside, gallery, balcony, open space at the bottom for those to stand. The only thing different is that the outside would have all been painted one color (I think, white) but for the sake of aesthetics and giving people what "they wanted to see" (in the words of our tour guide), they kept the outside looking like this:

One interesting fact I found particularly funny was that because the place had no roof, Shakespeare had to find a way to let the audience know what time of day or night it was through dialogue. So that's why, our tour guide divulged to us, you'll see a character in his play say a bunch of time "It is night! It is night!", or "It is morning! It is morning!" or "It's really, really dark!" This made me laugh. I think this happens a lot in A Mid-Summer Night's Dream. I've read Othello, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, but I am in no way a Shakespeare afficionado. One day I hope to come close. 

Dan asked about heckling. It happened a lot, especially by the hands of the people who were standing at the bottom. Those were the people who came in without having to pay a lot of money. It's not like these people were necessarily the intellectual type, said our tour guide, these were people who wanted some entertainment and booze for cheap (I'm paraphrasing him). Many of them of illiterate (i.e. many of the audience members could not even read). But seeing a play by Shakespeare was a fun... and moving thing to do. 

Hmmm. What else? Quite honestly I drifted in and out of listening to our tour guide, and spent a lot of time daydreaming while he spoke. The space is enchanted I tell you! And once you walk into it, with the amazing smell of the wood and the echoes of voices and the sunlight and shadow playing everywhere, it's like stepping into another time in history and you can't help but let your imagination drift.

When we go back I'll make sure we go to see a performance. While we were there, the actors were practicing for performances of The Merry Wives of Windsor. I'd personally like to see A Midsummer Night's Dream. 

Our visit ended with a trip to the gift shop and then a little  restaurant where I ordered the best slice of Victoria Sponge Cake and the best black tea with milk I've ever had in my life.

More to come! 

- F