Much Ado About Nothing @ The Globe Theatre

08 May 2014

Shakespeare's Globe needs no introduction, but I'll give you a brief one anyway. It's a beautiful open air theatre that showcases many of Shakespeare's works (although not exclusively) every year in the Spring - Summer season, it was originally opened in 1599. Well, not this exact building, but it is a modern reconstruction which definitely has the look and feel of what the original one may have done.

Tickets for the popular plays and dates sell out very fast, so we booked ours fairly early - although we chose Yard tickets (standing in the "pit") which might be more readily available.

I was a little anxious about the weather, but thankfully it held up and there was no rain, and surprisingly not freezing in the arena!

Before I get ahead of myself, the little stalls outside selling food & drink and offering cushions for the hard wooden seats are lovely. They were selling some pretty good looking food which I missed out on trying - next time.








The inside of the theatre and the stage itself are truly special. You get swallowed up into an atmosphere that is quite unlike anything else.






The play we saw, Much Ado About Nothing, was absolutely brilliant. So funny, so witty, and the actors were amazing. I have a soft spot for this play, having studied with a great English teacher, and having been utterly obsessed with the movie of it in my teens (what a cast! Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh are superb.)

The crowd shook with laughter constantly and it went by so quickly -

- except of course, after a couple of hours of standing, I got every so slightly tired in the legs. Oh, and because I am so ridiculously short, my neck ached a bit from craning to see above all the tall heads (that just seemed to congregate right in front of me).

So if you think you can't handle the standing, it's worth it to spend extra for the seating - but for 5 pounds a pop, especially when booking well in advance with the risk of plans changing, I think the standing is manageable.

It's a must visit if you're travelling to London, and if you live here, I hope you have tickets! Or click right now and get some.

Afterwards, you get to see London lit up and it's quite a beautiful sight.






6 comments:

  1. I went to the Globe to see a play quite a few Summers ago but I can't for the life of me remember which one now, it wasn't something I was familiar with. We decided to get seats as I knew my legs wouldn't cope standing through a whole Shakespeare!

    I'm so jealous you saw Much Ado, it's my favourite - like you I was obsessed with the film when I was younger (it's actually what introduced me to Shakespeare) and I studied the play for A-Level. I've only ever seen it performed once which was when Catherine Tate and David Tenant did it in the West End a couple of years ago. Have you seen the more recent film directed by Joss Whedon? It's definitely worth a look.

    This has made me think of another weekend away trip for you, although I'm not sure how easy it is to get to from London. Have you ever been to Stratford upon Avon? If you enjoy some Shakespeare its the perfect little place to stay - you can do tours of the Shakespeare houses (and one of them is a beautiful little cottage with gorgeous gardens), see the RSC perform in one of the theatres and the town itself is really pretty. I'd definitely recommend it.

    Chloe x
    newgirlintoon.co.uk

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  2. I've never been there, but im a really theatre fan so next time i go to London i have to go!! :)
    nice pictures btw! :) <33

    http://maybettonight.blogspot.co.uk/ xx

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  3. This is so cool isn't it? I came here once and stood in the pit as well and it was a great time. Feels like you've been teleported to the olden days or something (not that I would know what it is like in the olden days haha). Making me miss London again!

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  4. I love the Globe. I saw As You Like It there a few years ago and just loved it!

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  5. oh my gosh i would love to go here! i was a shakespeare nut in high school. his sonnet #18 was a favorite of mine. :) i seriously think i have to go to london one of these days. it's just one of those trips we're gonna have to save up on and make it work!

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  6. This is literally one of my life goals...seeing a Shakespeare play at the Old Globe in London. We have an Old Globe here in San Diego (lol) and Ilhan and I go for their Shakespeare festival every summer but it looks pretty much nothing like this one! The interior of the London one is just so stunning!! And Much Ado is one of my absolute favorites of his plays. I am also in love with the movie, and I was actually in this play when I was in high school haha (I was Hero!).

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