The Edison Project Item #93 – See A Production At The Globe

This post is currently being wrote on my iPad whilst I sit in front of St Albans Cathedral soaking up the sunshine. Why am I telling you this? Well, this was how I envisioned me blogging back when it started over five years ago. The reality of it is, this is the first blog post I have wrote on my iPad, and the first post I have wrote whilst set in a somewhat idyllic location.

The latest adventure on my Edison Project was one I have had in the diary for some time. It was my birthday treat to myself. I had planned a day out in London that begun with a street art tour around Shoreditch (I will review this shortly. if you can’t wait for that review then in summary I highly recommend the tour) lunch along the Thames, and an evening at Shakespeare’s Globe watching ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. It was the latter that made it onto my list.

I know very little about Shakespeare’s Globe, but I must have walked past it nearly a hundred times or more. The architecture of the theatre has always intrigued me, but despite the merits of Shakespeare’s work, a lot of it has always been lost on me. This may be due to my lack of intelligence, or the simple fact I have never really given Shakespeare’s work the attention it deserves. In any case, it warranted a place on my Edison Project.

To begin with, I bought tickets on the official Shakespeare’s Globe website. Tickets in the upper gallery with a straight on view of the stage cost £45 each. Seats in the gallery seemed like a wise idea at the time of booking, especially given my girlfriend is heavily pregnant. This turned out to be a bad idea for two reasons. The first being Shakespeare’s Globe was not designed with tall people in mind. At 6’5″ I found it hard to get comfortable in our seats. There is more leg room on a Ryanair flight. The second reason was due to my girlfriends fear of heights. The first row in the upper gallery sits right on the edge, a few storeys up, and this put my girlfriends nerves on edge. Come the interval and we had moved ourselves to the Yard. This is the standing area that goes right up to the stage. This move was not a problem, and the staff were very accommodating.

Although the leg room and height fears were not the best start, seeing Shakespeare’s Globe from the inside was brilliant. The wooden structure, openness to the nights sky, closeness to the stage, and the set design really made this an excellent experience. We were also very fortunate weather wise. I imagine our experience would of been a lot different if it was pissing down with rain.

My prior knowledge of the ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ story was limited to a play I was involved in at school. When I say limited, I mean, I read one verse of the play before moving class (these events were not linked). This experience did not leave the most positive footprint on my memory as this play was pretty boring. However, the ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at Shakespeare’s Globe was excellent, especially for a novice like myself. The performance had a number of twists,a number of references to modern culture, and a great blend of Shakespeare and comedy to keep me and my girlfriend entertained.

Following our visit to see the play I came across one negative review online. This initially frustrated me, however on further reading it became apparent that the individual was simply a stuck up Shakespeare fan who frowned on anything that was to bend the rules on the original works. This version of the story was brilliant and will certainly appeal to a broader audience.

At this point, I should point out Shakespeare’s Globe plays host to more than just Shakespeare’s catalogue. It also hosts comedy. I strongly recommend everyone pays the venue a visit at least once in their lifetime. If you have any shows or venues you would recommend to me, then definitely get in touch (Contact Me). Trips to Shakespeare’s Globe and the Minack Theatre have certainly opened my eyes, and this was one of the main objectives behind The Edison Project.

Item: #93 – See A Production At The Globe

Useful Links:Shakespeare’s Globe

Cost: I believe tickets for ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ started at £20