Changes, changes.... A Groundling's Tale

This grand place is the open air stage of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, in London. Well, partly open air. Actually the actors are covered by that splendid ceiling, and those who pay handsomely for seats also stay dry. But when we went the other day, we were "groundlings" - the poor saps who pay just £5 each and take a risk with the weather. (Though in some ways it is more fun, not just cheaper. At least you can walk around).

If it rains, the groundlings get wet. You can see some of my fellow groundlings here.

Most of us were equipped with umbrellas, because the sunshine was not to be seen. The rain held off for the performance, but we'd got soaked just cycling to the theatre.

London has its share of old theatres with amazingly decorated interiors. (Many of the oldest ones are not very comfortable either.) But Shakespeare's Globe, despite its thatched roof and old-world appearance, was only built in the 1980s, as a replica of the original Tudor theatre where Shakespeare himself played. It's a fascinating story and I recommend you read it here.

The place was packed. We had come to see Mark Rylance doing his famous performance as Richard III. Among his other crimes, this famous hunchbacked king of England is supposed to have murdered two little Princes who stood between him and the throne. Rylance portrays Richard as a sort of neurotic Stalin figure, lurching between jolliness and murderousness. Very unsettling.

There were some kids in the audience. Even if you understand the old fashioned language (at least T and I both did Shakespeare at school) Richard III is a hard play for kids. They maybe only understood one word in five. Their expressions of the ones below are not that enthusiastic, although I expect it was good for them.... and I hope that they liked

the gorgeous costumes, the wonderful band playing lively music of the period (click the link to hear). Here's the band, in the gallery above the stage.

You're not allowed to take photos during the performance so these of the actors were taken at the end. Rylance is in the armour.

You might notice that the "woman" on the far right is in fact a dressed up man. Women never appeared on the stage in Shakespeare's time. Below, you see the poor little princes, rather oddly dressed in pink. They were both extremely good but the younger of the two had the most amazing presence and stole every scene he was in, making it very clear what a haughty and domineering little creature an eight year old prince could actually be. I wish I knew his name, but any child's role in any professional play always has several actors, because kids are only allowed to work for a limited number of hours a week.

At the end they did a wonderful dance - a great sight in those costumes.

Afterwards, we cyled home via Park Street, where the original Globe was built, (the circled building, labelled wrongly in the old print as a bear baiting arena)

This plaque commemorates the theatre. The bas-relief shows the scene in Shakespeare's time..

Quite a lot else happened in Park Street, too. it seems. It was home to many breweries - not surprising, since the area was known as a "stew" -

a mixture of pubs and brothels, animal-baiting pits and playhouses all crammed together.

Click the link for my post on sad, sinister Old Cross Bones, the burial place of many of the unwanted prostitutes who worked here.

It is also where General Haynau, the anti revolutionary general, was beaten up by a couple of draymen while visiting (yes, you guessed it) a brewery.

I really wished I could travel in time and walk round this area in different centuries. When I first went there, as a teenager, most of it was derelict. Now, it's smart offices and luxury flats, highly desirable. Wonder what it will be in 100 years' time. or 500.