Bridge the Globe

Shakespeare's Globe

Seeing a show at the rebuilt Globe Theater has been a dream of mine since I performed in Shakespeare's Caesar in my first high school play.  So I did.  Opening night of Coriolanus.

I didn't just watch the play, I watched it as a groundling.  At the original Globe the merchants and royals watched from expensive seats that actually had a bench to sit on, while the poor folks (yes, poor uneducated people also loved Shakespeare) stood in the middle of an open courtyard in front of the stage.  That was me.

The show, Coriolanus, is not one of his more famous tragedies.  I'd never heard of it - but I loved it.  It's known as his most political play, and the actors really brought us groundlings in to the action.  The actors portraying Rome's poor wretched masses mingled in with us, shouting their lines to the Roman Senators standing on stage above us.

When Coriolanus finally met his end, which the title character is apt to do in a Shakespearean tragedy, I got shoved out of the way and watched as an angry mob tore him to pieces.  Finally, his arch rival held the man's heart aloft for all of us to see.  It was, unfortunately, a plastic heart.  Shakespeare's actors would have used one from a pig, but I did get some fake blood on me, which was cool.

In high school I attended a lecture by a Mr. Bernard Levin, who first introduced me to the concept of "groundlings."  Supposedly the phrase "Break a Leg" comes from when actors would encourage each other to do so well that the groundlings, who would stare dumbly with their mouths hanging open, would start to slobber all over the sloped stage.  The drool would collect in a small river "down stage" and, stepping forward for his soliliqy, the actor would slip on slobber and break his leg.  I don't think it ever happened, but actors have vivid imaginations.

As a side note, I saw the butler from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air.  When he stepped on to stage a group of American girls to my left gasped, in unison, "THAT'S GEOFFREY!"  And indeed it was.

I highly reccomend seeing a show at the Globe if you're ever in London.  Nothing else like it.

 

British Humor

London Aquarium.  It's on your doorstep.
Get off at Waterloo East Station.
A 10-minute walk to the London Aquarium to see the fish.
Then round the corner to Yo! Sushi to eat some.
    -Advert on the London Tube

Quick Update

I plan on filling in the past few days when I get a chance.  Also, of course, pictures.  I'm way behind on pictures.  But I promise it will be worth the wait!

There were two groups of really obnoxious people on the tube today, proving that the British can talk just as loudly as any American.

In brief:
Saw a show at the Globe as a groundling and got blood on me (don't worry mom, it wasn't real blood).  Helped a guy shoot a music video - he had a number one hit in 1980!  Discovered the joy of a Fosters Top.  Tower Bridge.  Kids playing in fountains.  Discovered that movies in London
cost 9.50 pounds!  (Almost $20US)  It rained today, but Thursday and Friday were beautiful.  Washed my pants in a sink.  Learned about Yerba Mate (it's a South American tea) from a beautiful Argentinian girl who left for Amsterdam about 15 minutes after we met.  I think she already had plane tickets.  At least I hope it wasn't just to get away from me.  I do kind of smell, and I had just woken up so my hair was doing the mohawk thing.  Bought a cell phone, though I don't know the number so I can't post it here.  I'll try and find that out, too.  It'll work anywhere in the world, though I'll have to change numbers in every new country.  That'll be fun.  Am at the Journey's Kings Cross youth hostel, it's much quieter than the last place and I think that's a good thing.  I can do my partying somewhere else, thank you very much.  I don't need to be kept up by people singing Zombie by the Cranberries at the top of their lungs at 3am, or by people doing you know what on the top of my bunk (see neighboring post).  Ate a tasty meat pie.  Met a great guy from Liverpool at the last hostel who dished out advice on how to score.  Went to bed instead of trying to score, though I was sure his techniques were spot on.  Went on a 9.00 pound tour of the Globe Theater which was a total waste of money.  Should have just gone to the show without a tour.  Have, for the most part, stayed within my $50US a day budget.  The phone obviously doesn't count in to that as I see it as more of an investment than a daily expense.  You really are going to love the pictures.  Haven't been in a cab yet and don't plan to because they cost way too much.  I've adjusted, mostly, to the other side of the road thing.  Just got to remember to look over the right shoulder instead of the left.  Used the bathrooms at the Tate modern art museum and mistook a bunch of construction guys taking down an exhibit for an exhibit.  It is modern art, after all.  Frankly it was probably better than whatever crap had been there before.  Crossed the Millennium Bridge, which is just outside the Tate.

Will try to update the blog at least every other day.  That's the plan, anyway.  I hope to fill in some of above mentioned stories, but who knows when I'll have time!

Going to Barcelona on Wednesday!

Sex on the Bunk

Welcome to London.

Plane ride was great - I got an entire two seat side row to myself.  The other guy went and slept on a three seat middle row in the back.  We both got exactly what we wanted.

Tube ride was uneventful, except that thanks to excellent signage I navigated my way through better than I do on the DC metro even after living there for a year.

My hostel, Saint Christopher's, is great.  Huge party on the first floor that I just couldn't bring myself to stay up for.  Got to sleep around 1:30.  Woke up at around 5:00, but not because of jet lag, though I'm sure that didn't help.  Had I been on another bed I could have just put in some ear plugs, but of the 6 bunk beds in the room only the mattress above mine was open.

I could have said something, but I sort of admired their brazen gusto.  A guy on the opposite side of the room, who had come in just before I went to sleep complaining about not getting any that night, felt differently.  He got up and turned the lights on, then tried to start a fight with the guy.  "I'll sort you out!!  In the morning I'll sort you out!"  "Who the fuck are you??"  "I'll fucking sort you out, that's who I am!"  When the guy finally turned the lights back off the couple went right back to where they had left off.  They were, to their credit, a bit quieter.

Nothing happened that morning except for some strutting, posturing, and a rather timid looking large woman climbing down the ladder from the top bunk.  I briefly considered saying something like, "Hey, next time I get to be on top," but didn't.  Maybe next time.