See a Play at the Globe Theatre in London
There are so many great historic landmarks in the city of London that deciding where you want to go can be a difficult process. The Globe Theatre is one of the most popular attractions and is also one of the city’s most significant landmarks. It exists on the exact location of where William Shakespeare originally built his theatre, though the current building is actually a reproduction of the original theatre, which had a few unfortunate occurrences, and I’m not talking about bad performances or stinking reviews. The contemporary reproduction version draws huge crowds who just want to see the building and even more who want to watch an actual performance.
The Globe was originally constructed in 1599 and it was built using the wood from the company’s former theatre, which was simply called The Theatre. It was only thirteen years later that the Globe saw its first tragedy as it erupted into flames during a performance of Henry the Eighth. The theatre was rebuilt the following year though later in 1642 the Puritans would raze this theatre and the others when they closed them down and made the art illegal. Shakespeare had long retired and had passed on by this time.
The contemporary Globe Theatre exists in the same location as the original on the west side of the Southwark Bridge Road. The modern version first opened to audiences in 1997 and has been bringing the bard’s productions to the new stage on a regular basis since then. It can be a thrilling event to see the plays performed on a stage that is almost identical to the one used by Shakespeare and is in fact in the same location. Romeo and Juliet, A Mid Summer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night continue to be popular audience hits. The new theatre seats approximately three thousand people, which would have been similar to the original house. It includes both balcony seating and the floor or standing space, which was traditionally reserved for the penny groundlings. This is one of the favorite things to do for guests in the great hotels in London .
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It must be thrilling to watch Shakespeare performed where it originated. I can only dream about visiting London. Maybe once the economy truly recovers, my husband will be able to take me on that extended European “second honeymoon” he’s been promising.