I was lucky enough to win a competition in a London paper and the prize was 2 tickets to see A Winters Tale at The Globe Theatre on London’s South Bank. I have lived in London most of my life but have never been there and my daughter in law and I were very excited. Unfortunately, on the night of the performance it was very cold and raining. Luckily our tickets were for seats which were under cover. (I hadn’t even been aware that they sold “standing” tickets where people stand in the Courtyard of the Theatre). The Theatre itself didn’t disappoint. It is reproduced to look like the original Globe and it certainly does make you feel like you are back in Shakespearean times. However, the seats we had were very hard and cold and even the blankets and cushions we hired did not help much. I felt such empathy for the people in the Courtyard. No umbrellas are allowed (for obvious reasons) so they were just standing there getting drenched. In fact, at that performance 2 people fell over (whether they slipped or fainted we aren’t sure) but it looked like a very miserable time for all of them. What was also concerning was that, during the interval it had become apparent that all the covered seats had not been booked and some of the very wet patrons who had been standing tried to use these seats. They were quickly turned away by the rather officious ushers (who all looked rather like Miss Marples!). Surely on such an awful night a little leniency would have been in order?
I am not a great fan of Shakespeare but A Winters Tale is a fairly lighthearted play to follow but I found a couple of the actors didn’t project their voices enough which was very much needed in such a large open air space..
So, would I recommend a visit to the Globe?
Yes, if the weather is forecast to be OK
Yes, for the experience which is definitely unique
and yes if you have a lot of natural padding around your nether regions!
But would I go again? Probably Not!
