Visiting Shakespeare’s Globe, which offers a reconstruction of that Theatre along with a Globe Exhibition & Tour, was, for this unabashed intellectual, a highlight of my trip to London. It wasn’t just about seeing the place. It was a trip back to way back when I learned about those groundlings, members of the audience who stood in the pit for a penny, about males acting females, and all the rest. Considering how long ago that was, it was surprising how much I remembered….
The Exhibition, equally fun, featured, along with the Globe’s history, Tudor clothing (a topic worthy of further exploration), Tudor mores, and Tudor music, complete with an array of timely instruments. I once wrote a term paper describing how Elizabethan lyrics reflect Elizabethan life. This brought everything back!
Since the Globe is uncovered, plays here are presented through spring-summer when the weather allows.
Seeing a Shakespeare play in situ was tempting. Alas, poor me, no seats were available during the brief time I dallied along the infamous south side of the Thames. Maybe next time.
Melody Amsel-Arieli 