My sister Teresa was in town the past week with her friend Abby, so it has been a whirlwind. I'm going to have to do a couple of posts to cover everything we did.
My summary of the play is this: a man (Prospero) is duped out of his rightful title and shipwrecked on an island with his daughter (Miranda). As luck would have it, 12 years later, the ship carrying the people responsible for his exile (one of whom is his brother) are passing by his island, so he conjures up a storm to make them run aground. He makes the dude that took his title (Alonso) think that his son, (Ferdinand) who was also on the ship, died. Meanwhile, Ferdinand meets Prospero's daughter and they fall in love. Miranda has never seen another man other than her father, so she doesn't realize that he is really a dork. (OK, that last part was me editorializing. But, really, the guy was super dorky looking.) Anyway, Prospero also has an evil slave monster (Caliban) and a noble spirit (Ariel) working for him. Basically, Prospero is hell bent on revenge, but then he when he brings them all together, he forgives them. He then sends Ferdinand and Miranda off into the happily ever after. (Yes, I realize this is a ghetto-Crib Notes version of the play, but it does the trick).
Last night, we did something that I have wanted to do for a while ---- see a play in the Shakespeare Globe Theatre. Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the original the theatre that Shakespeare (along with 3 other actors) owned back in the late 1500s. The theatre burned down in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII when a stage cannon accidentally ignited the thatched roof of the theatre (oops!). They rebuilt the theatre, but it ultimately was demolished in 1644. A Chicago actor (and Goodman Theatre alum), Sam Wanamaker, championed rebuilding the theatre based upon what they thought the theatre looked like (being that it was before the days of the iPhone where you can Google everything).
The result of this reconstruction is an open theater with 3 tiers and an open standing room only floor that looks like a mosh pit, albeit a civilized one.
(Side note: I don't recommend the most pit. It is a long time to stand. Some chick passed out while watching the play and had to be carted off. Props to the actors for not even skipping a beat.) Each tier has wooden benches with no backs, so they rent out little cushions and chair backs. We got the cushions (good call, Teresa!), but we didn't get the chair backs. Three hours in, I was thinking it would have been a good idea to get one of those. My posture is terrible and it was never more evident then when I was hunched over on those benches.
(Side note: I don't recommend the most pit. It is a long time to stand. Some chick passed out while watching the play and had to be carted off. Props to the actors for not even skipping a beat.) Each tier has wooden benches with no backs, so they rent out little cushions and chair backs. We got the cushions (good call, Teresa!), but we didn't get the chair backs. Three hours in, I was thinking it would have been a good idea to get one of those. My posture is terrible and it was never more evident then when I was hunched over on those benches.
I digress....The play we went to see was "The Tempest". Now, I don't know if you are a Shakespeare fan, but I feel like you have to be in the right mindset for Shakespeare. It's not light reading (or listening for that matter). Teresa had seen the play and remembered the plot line. Abby and I had not seen the play, but I believe I read it back in high school. We prepped ourselves ahead of time by reading the synopsis ahead of time over a drink at the bar attached to the Globe --- the Swan.
My summary of the play is this: a man (Prospero) is duped out of his rightful title and shipwrecked on an island with his daughter (Miranda). As luck would have it, 12 years later, the ship carrying the people responsible for his exile (one of whom is his brother) are passing by his island, so he conjures up a storm to make them run aground. He makes the dude that took his title (Alonso) think that his son, (Ferdinand) who was also on the ship, died. Meanwhile, Ferdinand meets Prospero's daughter and they fall in love. Miranda has never seen another man other than her father, so she doesn't realize that he is really a dork. (OK, that last part was me editorializing. But, really, the guy was super dorky looking.) Anyway, Prospero also has an evil slave monster (Caliban) and a noble spirit (Ariel) working for him. Basically, Prospero is hell bent on revenge, but then he when he brings them all together, he forgives them. He then sends Ferdinand and Miranda off into the happily ever after. (Yes, I realize this is a ghetto-Crib Notes version of the play, but it does the trick).
The play was very good. The man in the role of Prospero, Roger Allam, was very impressive (he played a character in "Game of Thrones" at one point). The guy who played the spirit Ariel, Colin Morgan, is fairly new and he was amazing (he was in Dr. Who --- Kelly, tell your students!).
It was a beautiful night to watch a play, especially outdoors. It was in the 60s and not a cloud in the sky. The Globe is set up on the south bank of the Thames, so after the play was over, this is view.
It was a beautiful night to watch a play, especially outdoors. It was in the 60s and not a cloud in the sky. The Globe is set up on the south bank of the Thames, so after the play was over, this is view.
It really was a perfect night. One thing that I forgot to mention was that yesterday was Shakespeare's birthday. What an appropriate day to go see one of his plays! I was really hoping we would get cake, but I guess I can't be too greedy.
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