Tag: Shakespeare’s Globe

Theatre Day

**Note**

I started writing this last night, and began falling asleep as the pictures were loading. I couldn’t be bothered to go back and change all the references to “today.” You’ll have to live with it.

Quick update tonight. It’s late and I’m tired((Starting to be a recurring theme, huh?)).

My plan for today was to walk along the riverwalk on the south bank of the Thames, find the giant dead parrot sculpture, see Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare’s Globe, then make my way to Piccadilly Circus and the Prince of Wales Theatre to see The Book of Mormon. As has become traditional, I started at Tower Hill, and took a stroll across the Tower Bridge to the south bank.

Crossing the Tower Bridge. For a fee, you can go up inside one of the two towers, and cross on the elevated walkway between them. That seemed like far too many stairs to me today.
Crossing the Tower Bridge. For a fee, you can go up inside one of the two towers, and cross on the elevated walkway between them. That seemed like far too many stairs to me today.
This is taken on the Tower Bridge, looking back at the north bank. I just love the mix of the old and new buildings in the picture.
This is taken on the Tower Bridge, looking back at the north bank. I just love the mix of the old and new buildings in the picture.
This is the view of the south bank, which is all glass, it seems. The rounded building is City Hall, and you can see the Shard behind it.
This is the view of the south bank, which is all glass, it seems. The rounded building is City Hall, and you can see the Shard behind it.

Okay. The parrot story. One of the reasons I was walking this way to get to Shakespeare’s Globe was that I had read this story a couple of months ago. I thought it would be very cool to get a picture of the giant parrot, perhaps even a picture of me with the giant parrot. Unfortunately, I hadn’t looked closely at the date of the article.

This is where the parrot used to be. Now, it has ceased to be. It is an ex-ex-parrot.
This is where the parrot used to be. Now, it has ceased to be. It is an ex-ex-parrot.
HMS Belfast was docked on this bank as a museum.If I had had a little more time, I would have taken the tour.
HMS Belfast was docked on this bank as a museum.If I had had a little more time, I would have taken the tour.

Then I made it to Shakespeare’s Globe1, and saw Romeo and Juliet.

Now, I’ve said before that Romeo and Juliet isn’t one of my favourite plays. That said, this production was amazing. They did some remarkable things with the staging, the music, and the switching of roles2. Benvolio was not, as is often the case, a crap actor – the actor playing him was also Friar Lawrence, and showed how Benvolio can be an amazing character.

While all the actors were fantastic, I have to single out the woman who played Juliet. It was pretty much the first performance I have seen where Juliet had a perfect mix of spoiled and naive, and really felt like an overly-romantic thirteen-year-old. Just wonderful.

After that, it was time to start heading to Piccadilly Circus, so I decided to walk across the Jubilee footbridge.

I passed through Hay's Lane, which is a cool little mall. I have no idea what the violent metal sculpture is supposed to be.
I passed through Hay’s Lane, which is a cool little mall. I have no idea what the violent metal sculpture is supposed to be.
Here's the Jubilee footbridge over the Thames. You can't see much of the bridge itself, but that's the dome of St. Paul rising ahead of me.
Here’s the Jubilee footbridge over the Thames. You can’t see much of the bridge itself, but that’s the dome of St. Paul rising ahead of me.

From across the footbridge, it was a quick tube ride to Piccadilly Circus. I picked up my tickets, and had my first sit-down dinner in the UK. I went to a place called Scotch Steak House. The food was okay, and the decor was not bad, and the prices were pretty high, but the service was out of this world. My waiter seemed to be everywhere, doing everything, always happy and friendly and helpful.

The Book of Mormon was amazing. It was a much deeper show, talking about truth and belief and right and wrong, and also about colonialism and inclusion. Because it’s by the South Park folks, it also had a lot of toilet humour, which worked, as it always seems to in their hands. If you know something about the LDS church, the humour is extra biting, because you realize that some of the insane stuff said on stage is not made up. Even if you don’t know, though, it’s a funny, funny show. I was laughing so hard I was crying at a couple of points.

On my way back to the tube station, I snapped this picture.

These are the Horses of Helios. They're kinda cool.
These are the Horses of Helios. They’re kinda cool.

Then it was home and bed. And now, I’m heading off to Paddington station to catch a train to Swindon and a bus to Avebury to see the stone circle there.

  1. Again. I may or may not have bought more DVDs of their performances. If I did, I probably had a good reason to do so. [↩]
  2. By which I mean one actor playing multiple roles. [↩]

Globe and Ripper

I got a bit of a slow start this morning, being very tired from the combination of jetlag and an obscene number of stairs yesterday. When I finally hauled myself out of bed, took some time getting dressed and ready for the day, then took the tube back to the Tower of London.

Why there? Mainly because it’s only one tube stop from my closest tube station1, and the sightseeing bus stops there, and that’s where I got off the tour yesterday. So, I got to ride the rest of the tour and, incidentally, find out where the theatre is for seeing The Book of Mormon tomorrow night.

I got off the bus around Picadilly Circus, with the intention of catching the red tour from the sightseeing company2. I managed to do that, though it took getting lost and finally making my way back to Trafalgar Square. When I got on the red tour, I found that it was the same as the yellow tour, but without a live guide – all commentary was on a recording, and I, not realizing that, neglected to get a set of headphones to listen to it.

By the time I figured this out, we were almost back to the Tower of London, so I figured I’d get off there and figure out what to do next. Turns out I was just in time for the 61-gun salute that the Yeoman Warders were firing in honour of the new princess. I stayed for that but, as a late arrival, I only managed to glimpse the guns themselves as I maneuvered around the edge of the crowd. Easy to hear, though. And to smell – huge clouds of smoke drifted over to us every time the guns fired.

That took about twenty minutes, in all, and I still hadn’t figured out what to do. So, I wandered down to the pier, and saw that there was a river bus service that would take me right to Shakespeare’s Globe theatre. I’m heading there tomorrow for Romeo and Juliet, but I thought it would be nice to take a tour today, and wander around the area.

My first view of Shakespeare's Globe from the Thames.
My first view of Shakespeare’s Globe from the Thames.

The tour was awesome, led by an actual cockney named Mick. And he took us into the (mostly) empty Globe to show us the place.

The Globe is a working theatre. They are apparently building the set for Merchant of Venice today.
The Globe is a working theatre. They are apparently building the set for Merchant of Venice today.
The stage from the pit. This is where the common folk would stand after paying a penny. Shakespeare called them "penny stinkards." I'm sure you can figure out why.
The stage from the pit. This is where the common folk would stand after paying a penny. Shakespeare called them “penny stinkards.” I’m sure you can figure out why.
This is the stage as viewed from the middle circle of seats. This is about the best view in the house.
This is the stage as viewed from the middle circle of seats. This is about the best view in the house.

The theatre is constructed in Elizabethan fashion – uncured oak, with lath and plaster between the beams, and a thatched roof. Since the great fire in London, thatched roofs are illegal, but the Globe has special dispensation. Also, a whole lot of sprinklers on the roof.

After a quick stop at the gift shop3, I set out to wander through the area and see what there was to see.

Ship outta nowhere! Walking around the corner, there was a reconstruction of Raleigh's ship, the Golden Hinde.
Ship outta nowhere! Walking around the corner, there was a reconstruction of Raleigh’s ship, the Golden Hinde.
When I get street directions like, "Keep the Cathedral on your left," and you have ask , "Which Cathedral," you know you're not in Winnipeg anymore. This is Southwark Cathedral.
When I get street directions like, “Keep the Cathedral on your left,” and you have ask , “Which Cathedral,” you know you’re not in Winnipeg anymore. This is Southwark Cathedral.
The Shard is a cool, tapered building in London. It's apparently got shops, a hotel, a casino, and amazing views from the top floor. And you can see it from the same spot I took the picture of Southwark Cathedral. I love the mix of old and new.
The Shard is a cool, tapered building in London. It’s apparently got shops, a hotel, a casino, and amazing views from the top floor. And you can see it from the same spot I took the picture of Southwark Cathedral. I love the mix of old and new.
This very cool statue of the Holy Family sits in the corner of Southwark Cathedral grounds.
This very cool statue of the Holy Family sits in the corner of Southwark Cathedral grounds.
Crossing London Bridge from the south, you are greeted by a pair of dragons., These signify that you are entering the City of London, or the Square Mile, as it's called.
Crossing London Bridge from the south, you are greeted by a pair of dragons., These signify that you are entering the City of London, or the Square Mile, as it’s called.
Just over the bridge is the Monument, commemorating the Great Fire of London in 1666. Apparently, 80% of the buildings in the City of London were destroyed. There are 311 steps in the Monument, and you get a certificate of accomplishment if you climb all the way to the top. I guess I'll never know for sure.
Just over the bridge is the Monument, commemorating the Great Fire of London in 1666. Apparently, 80% of the buildings in the City of London were destroyed. There are 311 steps in the Monument, and you get a certificate of accomplishment if you climb all the way to the top. I guess I’ll never know for sure.

From Monument Station, it was just two underground stops to my home stop of Aldgate East. I had a bit of dinner and a bit of a rest, and uploaded the day’s pictures. While they were uploading, I went for my evening’s planned excursion: a Jack the Ripper walk.

It started getting overcast, and was beginning to sprinkle a bit of rain as the walk started, so I only got a few pictures. Although, to be fair, most of the actual sites we visited were radically changed from history, so there wasn’t much to photograph. That said, our guide, Phil, did an amazing job of painting the picture for us, and did a magnificent balancing act between humourous fun and dignified respect. I did get a few pics, though.

A lot of the streets we went down looked kind of like this. It's not that accurate a representation of the streets at the time, but it was still evocative.
A lot of the streets we went down looked kind of like this. It’s not that accurate a representation of the streets at the time, but it was still evocative.
The Frying Pan public house, where Polly Nichols was seen the night before her death.
The Frying Pan public house, where Polly Nichols was seen the night before her death.
The Ten Bells, a public house frequented by Annie Chapman and Mary Kelly. For a while, in the 70s and 80s, it was renamed Jack the Ripper, but apparently the tackiness of naming it after a murderer of local woman - and selling keychains and other souvenirs - proved too tacky. Business fell off, and the name was changed back.
The Ten Bells, a public house frequented by Annie Chapman and Mary Kelly. For a while, in the 70s and 80s, it was renamed Jack the Ripper, but apparently the tackiness of naming it after a murderer of local woman – and selling keychains and other souvenirs – proved too tacky. Business fell off, and the name was changed back.
Christchurch Spitalfields, where many homeless people of the district, would spend the days sleeping in the graveyard., At night, the graveyard was closed, and the unfortunates would have to walk the streets, because the police wouldn't let them sleep there.
Christchurch Spitalfields, where many homeless people of the district, would spend the days sleeping in the graveyard., At night, the graveyard was closed, and the unfortunates would have to walk the streets, because the police wouldn’t let them sleep there.
Across from Christchurch Spitalfields is the Spitalfields Market. It has nothing really to do with the Ripper, but thought Penny would like to see it.
Across from Christchurch Spitalfields is the Spitalfields Market. It has nothing really to do with the Ripper, but thought Penny would like to see it.

By this time, the rain was coming down pretty hard, so I put the camera away. We finished the tour, and I came home to post this. Pictures loaded very slowly, so I’m running late again.

So, goodnight.

  1. Aldgate East, if you care. [↩]
  2. I’d been riding on the yellow tour. [↩]
  3. Where I may have purchased a number of DVDs of performances here, but who can say? [↩]