Travelogue 4: Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

Ever since high school I've had a fascination with Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. I think it began when my English teacher at the time, Mrs. Love, "commissioned" me to build a tiny replica of the theater made entirely of construction paper, and I absolutely fell in love with the design and history of it all. For this reason I have decided to write this short article to allow you to share in my joy of finally experiencing the Globe personally.

As I said in the previous travelogue, we weren't terribly excited to see one of Shakespeare's tragedies, King Lear, but last week it was the only performance being held so we went and watched everybody die. Fun stuff. Regardless, it was worth sitting through a less-than-favorite play in order to walk around the Globe. In case you don't know, the Globe was build during Shakespeare's day specifically for his theater company. The first Globe was destroyed by a fire and this replica, rebuilt by an American in the last couple of decades, is as close to the original as they understood it to be. It now sits along the Thames River near the Tate Modern and is clearly visible from the top of St. Paul's Cathedral.

The Globe has three galleries (or three floors) which seat viewers, a floor gallery where people may stand to watch for a cheaper price, and an elevated stage with a balcony, trap door, curtains, etc. It's absolutely gorgeous! We were tempted to stand for the play because of the cheap price, but after walking all over London we decided to pay a bit extra to be seated in the only seats available - the "limited-viewing" seats. We were in the far corner as you can see from the pictures, but we were able to see most everything we needed to. There are no "bad" seats in the Globe, but there are definitely "less-than-desirable" seats.

Plays performed in this manner are so enjoyable as the interaction with the crowd is very intimate. Even the weather can play a part in your experience watching a play, whether it be rain or extreme sun. Thankfully for us it was overcast and breezy - just perfect!

So if you ever get a chance to spend some time in England, it would be a shame for you to miss a play at the Globe. You can, of course, just have a tour on days when no play is being performed, but if at all possible, find a date with a play and book in advance for a good seat. It will be worth it, I promise you!