'With bated breath' - The Globe Theatre

I hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend! B and I started the weekend by seeing the play, Antony and Cleopatra at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on Friday night. It was excellent! The current Globe Theatre is a reconstruction of the original theater, which was built and used by Shakespeare from 1599 until it burned down in 1613 (from a prop cannon spark during Henry VIII.) American actor Sam Wanamaker spearheaded the project to rebuild the Globe from archaeological excavations, historical reports, and drawings, and the current theater opened in 1997.

Polygonal building with three tiers of bench seating plus the yard - the standing area in front of the stage

Check out the stage ceiling!

So, I'm kind of a Shakespeare nerd. My favorite class at Michigan was Shakespeare's Plays taught by literature professor Ralph Williams. You know he's good when he can bring Early Modern English to life for a lecture hall of college kids. He was instrumental in forging a partnership with the university and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), the elite troupe that performs at the Globe and Stratford-Upon-Avon theaters (Shakespeare's birthplace and current theater mecca.) Professor Williams brought the RSC to Ann Arbor where they performed three plays - Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, and The Tempest - each featuring Sir Patrick Stewart (of Star Trek, X-Men and RSC fame!) Professor Williams created a course around the RSC performances, which I obviously took and still brag about. In addition to last Friday's play, I bought a solo ticket to see King Lear this Thursday! Hence my giddiness in this photo:

We had yard tickets, but standing was not bad at all! Especially for 5 pounds! So close to the stage, ah!

The show ran about 3 hours with a 15-minute intermission. We were too tired to get dinner after the play, so we opted for an overzealous brunch the next morning at Caravan in the Shoreditch neighborhood of London. Complete with Buck's Fizzes (mimosas) and plenty of bacon!

We wrapped up the afternoon with a visit to the Victoria & Albert Museum of art and design. It was huge! After 2 hours, we had only gotten through the first floor. I'll be coming back for sure!

And as requested, here's a preview of the next post featuring Cleo's adventures on the Tube!

Want more Shakespeare? Check out this article about common words and phrases he invented!