Going Global Round Two

The roof over the stage against the dark night sky was so beautiful!

Why hello again! Sorry for the delay in this blog post, my internet here at school has been going in and out lately so it has been difficult to get things accomplished. Ah the joys of freshly installed wi-fi, but I can’t really complain because having the ability to have wi-fi in my room has been amazing! Last Thursday for my Shakespeare in London course here at University, we got to see an evening performance of Macbeth at the Globe theatre as a class. Before the performance there was a talk arranged by the theatre to give us some commentary on Macbeth and a little bit of insight into interpretations of the text. I really enjoyed the talk given. Not only did the lecturer have a great sense of humor, but he was incredibly knowledgeable about the play and production that we were about to watch. Once the pre-show talk concluded we were all sitting on the edges of our seats ready to zip out of the room to grab a good place to stand to view the performance. Our tickets were for the yard section which is historically where the lower class would have gotten to view the productions put on at the theatre. I was really excited to get to watch the show from the yard because you have the opportunity to get so close to the stage that you can actually lean on it! It is a totally different experience from sitting down, especially since you can see everyone seated around you and you are so closely packed in with other audience members trying to keep warm in the crisp night air. Here is a view of the stage and set. You can see the heavens, which is the door on the ceiling, if you look up.

We managed to snag a great spot on the side of the stage right against the stage to view the performance. I feel very fortunate to have been able to get so close to the action going on because it is such a unique experience to be that close to the actors in such a big space (as opposed to say, a black box theatre for example) as they enter and exit the stage and use the stairs on the side to walk into the audience. We really lucked out on the clear skies as well. I think if it had been pouring down rain we would have been so numb from the cold it would’ve been quite a challenge to walk back to the tube station! Now, we weren’t allowed to take photographs of the stage once the actors were on stage, but I was able to get a few iPhone snapshots before the show started. Here is a photo to give you a sense of where my classmates and I got to stand.

The production began with the cast entering through the doors on stage and taking their places. Then they started playing a song on different percussion instruments to help set the tone for the show. It also ended with a lovely melancholy song that started out with a tune on a solo violin played by one of the cast members who was eventually joined by the rest of the band accompanying the production. To end things on a lighter note, the production ended with a joyful dance by the cast to reassure the audience that it was all merely a story. All of my friends in my class had been talking about how excited they were to see Macbeth because of a particular actor who was set to play Banquo. That actor being Billy Boyd, or as most of you probably would recognize him as the guy who played Pippin in The Lord of The Rings Trilogy! I have to say as silly as it sounds it’s always kind of fun to have a brush with a famous actor! This was my first time seeing Macbeth performed and I feel so lucky to have seen it at the Globe. Not only was the overall experience a memory I will reference for the rest of my life, the production was so enthralling to watch because the cast had such incredible chemistry, plus the actor playing Macbeth wasn’t bad to look at either. Everyone needs a bit of eye candy once in a while. Overall, the acting was very believable and everyone seemed to have great energy to keep the audience on the tips of their toes leaning forward to witness the action! Hopefully I will get to see more productions at the Globe in the future, and if you are ever in London it is well worth the money!

Until next time,

Lainey xoxo