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Shakespeare at the Globe
I Richard III at the Globe yesterday. I was very nice, probably because the weather was beautiful, so standing in an open air theatre wasn't bad. The actual standing was surprisingly painless, given that it's not the shortest of Shakespeare's''s plays. It was also an all female cast, which worked out pretty well. A surprisingly funny Richard, as well. I have the feeling it's a role with a lot of interpretation open to it, and the woman playing hi definitely gave him a comic edge, which I wouldn't have expected -I was thinking it's be a bloody miserable play, to be honest- but his glee, his wit, she made the audience laugh at, smirk at.
You had the impression the actors had a lot of fun with the play as well. There's so much less distance between the audience and the stage- you're standing right next to it, and they can see you as well as you can see them- the audience isn't it darkness- so the asides were said directly to the audience. The king's body came up to the stage from one of the entrances. When the people of London were meant to cheer for Richard, we cheered.
It was a good play, as well. The women- the women who are playing women- get some cracking good speeches, all death and grief and vengeance and curse/prophecies. For music, there were a few trumpets, a drum, and voices- Dies Irae sung by the cast.
As well as that- in the intermission, when you go out into the courtyard, as well as the normal ice cream they sell in theatres, they were selling little cups of dried fruit and chocolate covered nuts, boxed spice cakes and so on.
all in all, a good performance and a nice theatre. I was thinking that the only comparison's I can think of for the proximity of audience to actors are seeing something at the Donmar Warehouse theatre, or a little pub theatre I went to once- and even there, the audience are in darkness.
You had the impression the actors had a lot of fun with the play as well. There's so much less distance between the audience and the stage- you're standing right next to it, and they can see you as well as you can see them- the audience isn't it darkness- so the asides were said directly to the audience. The king's body came up to the stage from one of the entrances. When the people of London were meant to cheer for Richard, we cheered.
It was a good play, as well. The women- the women who are playing women- get some cracking good speeches, all death and grief and vengeance and curse/prophecies. For music, there were a few trumpets, a drum, and voices- Dies Irae sung by the cast.
As well as that- in the intermission, when you go out into the courtyard, as well as the normal ice cream they sell in theatres, they were selling little cups of dried fruit and chocolate covered nuts, boxed spice cakes and so on.
all in all, a good performance and a nice theatre. I was thinking that the only comparison's I can think of for the proximity of audience to actors are seeing something at the Donmar Warehouse theatre, or a little pub theatre I went to once- and even there, the audience are in darkness.