Globe All Seasons

Did the trilogy day on sunday and found it something of a mixed bag. As a starting point the sheer volume of text learnt and roles played by this ensemble was very impressive and seeing them one after another really highlighted this. Everyone seemed to throw everything they had into it and they looked delighted by the reception they received at each curtain call.

Henry IV part one was my favourite by a clear mile. Michelle Terry's Hotspur was just a delight, from her first entrance in THAT get up you knew you were in for a treat, she brought her customary nuanced, beautifully spoken, impeccable sense of timing and place to this portrayal, it was funny and quick witted and firey and just a joy. The down side to this was it did rather show up weaknesses else where. Falstaff didn't quite work for me, too much emphasis on the funny, which I acknowledge you'd expect at the Globe and not enough depth and complexity. Hal I thought was not bad, nicely spoken, much of the humour and feeling played by her eyes and had the regal feel, a clearly controlled and doing everything for a reason Hal but the pairing didn't really ever take off for me so it was somewhat lacking. For this reason part two felt a bit tough to get through, granted by then my feet were not happy and I rather got through it on the basis that by the time I hit Henry V i'd get a last play roll of new energy. Scenes like chimes of moonlight or Northumberland's scene with Kate Percy after Hotspur's death seemed wasted when I thought of other productions i'd seen.

Henry V I thought second best, I do like an explosion and I thought there were some nice scenes, yes lynette I too thought Hal got a bit too shouty, i'd have preferred quieter intensity in the little harry in the night scene. I'm guessing i'm thinking of the same casting choice as you when I say I thought the actor did well in it but I did know in advance to expect it so lessened my surprise. Over all I found the gender neutral casting worked very well, I think it does show at times new elements that I've not previously seen but I admit a small section of the standing audience it seemed to too much for them.

By play three I don't know if there was a largely new crowd in but a section behind me found it hilarious every time an actor would take off one jacket and put on another as they swapped characters. One women seemed determined to laugh every 30 seconds in spite of what was happening on stage, it's the first time I've found someone find the harfleur threat speech funny?! This was pretty tiresome and did install thoughts of imaginary violence in me as it was very distracting. The wooing scene was a particular problem, the tittering minority treated every bit as hysterical and missed any ambiguity that i'm pretty sure was being played. It did feel that on occasion the casting led to some members of the audience almost treating it as panto.

I think the ensemble approach does rather rest on the quality of the actors and the direction, there were a few weak links for me, one actor seemed pretty determined to play every part in the same way and the more experienced Globe actors had a very feel for the place and how to play the audience. Enjoyed the singing, nice touch, liked the flag decked interior and the stripped back approach. Good groundling queue chats passed the time well and went home pleased. Goodness my feet hated me though.

I can't remember exactly, I think they ranged from 2 hours 20ish to 2 hours 30ish but the timings are on their website for each play.

Currently not if they are day sized rucksack, a kind friend asked security at the start of the season and he said they wouldn't let in bags on wheels are large rucksacks but would allow ones the size that you would take to school/work and he didn't think it would impact many. I've been a couple of times and taken my standard work bag and not had a problem and not seen anyone else having one though has always been something of a relief when they do the bag checks and it's ok. Hopefully it will continue like this. This was outside, inside I went smaller.

Something I've never understood about the Globe. Why is there a fee to book online but none to book by phone or in person? Surely it costs them more to have a real life person take the booking than it does for a customer to do it themselves online?

How surprising!!

It's the Greg and Anthony show all over again!

Tough one. Employing relatives is only the most obvious manifestation of this. It has always seemed odd to me that virtually all the younger directors who work at one particular subsidised theatre have the same agent as the AD - it might be coincidence, it might not, but it is impossible to know.

Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor did.

And, of course, which roles she will offer her husband...

Kill me now