Although I had the misfortune to have to be in Guildford, I left in good time, the Traffic Gods were with me, and I was in plenty of time to catch the bus. Mind you, actually catching it was a near thing - it's developed a habit of arriving at the stop at the same time I do, and yesterday I had to wait to cross the road, with it already taking on passengers! Mercifully, by the time I got there, the driver hadn't yet been able to pull away, with the traffic, and let me on.
And so in good time to the Globe, where the Man with the Hat was standing in his usual place, near the main entrance with the glass doors, in a freezing breeze. He's good about letting people know where to find him - I did remark, however, that he was hidden in the shadows (it was dark by now); my suggestion of flashing lights as an accessory didn't go down too well, though.
I went straight to my entrance - hey, they didn't have to direct me, I've been here often enough to know where Door 4 is! Wandered over that way, saw the queue for the yard and asked the person guarding the door whether they were letting in the seated people yet. Eh, nope, I'd have to join the queue - ah well, found Mary et al there, ready to do the standing thing, and we passed the time convivially until they finally let us in. And I didn't need directing to my seat either..
I was in the back row, as it happened - which handily means I had the wall for support. And we were quite snug - squashed in behind a large school group. I have to say, it's a terrific resource for schoolkids - so evocative. And our bunch of kids were very well behaved, I thought, for a large bunch of kids their age - I hear there was another school group in the yard that was so rowdy they had to be spoken to a couple of times.
The play in question was the ever-popular Merchant of Venice. And, as ever in the Globe, they started with music - appropriately for the play, in the style of the Venice carnival, actors cavorting wildly in Venetian masks. Apart from that, this, I have to say, was the most traditional production I think I've ever seen here. They played it pretty straight, delivering the lines as written - but not forgetting the odd bit of audience interaction, most pointedly with Gobbo, Shylock's servant. There were also captions, handy for that odd bit you couldn't hear - not so handy when they unfurled the long, billowing, gold curtains, which looked so well at the back of the stage, but did obscure the surtitles..
The schoolkids in front of us were managed effectively, swapping seats for the second half so that everyone could have a better view for part of the play. Now, this is a popular play in schools - despite some complicated text, it has simple themes:
- of the Jew, Shylock, whom Antonio asks for a loan on foot of the ships he expects to come in, laden with goods - only to have them founder, and Shylock demand his pound of flesh
- of Portia's love for Bassanio, whom she cannot choose freely, but rather have her choice of suitor determined by which of three caskets they choose
- of Lorenzo's love for Jessica, Shylock's daughter
A really clever move in the production was the promotion of Jessica, who provides a foil to Shylock. Although she takes the opposite path to him, she gives us a real reason to sympathise with him. After all, she betrays him completely, robbing him, abandoning him, changing her religion. But you know, she patently never feels good about it. In subtle ways, throughout the play, she is continually snubbed by the community she's trying to become a part of, and at the end, when Shylock is completely humiliated, his wealth dispersed, her gone, and him forced to convert as well, you can see the tragedy of it through the angst in her face, and when, right at the end, she falls to her knees and wails a lament in Hebrew. An ingenious way to get sympathy for a character that could be seen as unsympathetic, given the bargain he strikes in the first place. Fantastic production - a short run until tomorrow week, tickets only apparently available for today and the last day of the show. Do try and see it if you can, though..
Afterwards, I was glad to get out of the vicious wind and upstairs to the Swan. Typically slow service - they're bad at serving more than one person at once, and it's always packed after a show. We had better seating this time - not on the toadstools at the bar, as usual, but on comfier seats in a separate area at the end. And the chat was great - too great, and I stayed far too late! but never mind. Skirted the posh folks on the way out, and didn't have too long to wait for a bus. Another great night with these groups, and at this venue. Probably the last of the year here, but roll on next summer.
Back to Ireland this evening for the weekend.. then comes next week. Monday, I'm back with Let's Do London - for less! again, at yet another of my favourite venues (this is becoming a habit!). We're going to Southwark Playhouse, to see a production of Confessional by Tennessee Williams. Methinks we'll be sat in the middle of the production - TBC.
On Tuesday, Henning from the London European Club is hosting another of those early-evening talks, this time on Astronomy: Brave New Worlds - the Planets Around Other Stars, at the Royal Astronomical Society. So I booked. Somehow, however, I completely missed the fact that London Dramatic Arts is headed to The Mountaintop that night, at The Young Vic. So now I've booked that instead - they only had two spots left!
On Wednesday, Henning is at it again! There's a book launch for Understanding Eritrea: Inside Africa's Most Repressive State, at Housman's bookshop. Entry is £3 apparently, redeemable against a purchase in the bookshop. I'll see whether I can actually make it, Guildford permitting. Or maybe I'll go to a film.. film list permitting.
On Thursday, the Man With the Hat is taking both his groups to a concert at the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. London Concertante are playing Mozart, Bach, and Albinoni. Good stuff, it seems like an age since we've been there!
On Friday, he's taking Let's Do London - for less! to the Royal Opera House - first outing of the season is to Cosi Fan Tutte. Choice of amphitheatre or slips - I, being cheap, am in the slips. Natch.
Finally, that Saturday is as yet undecided - but it wasn't! See, LDAM were off to The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism With a Key to the Scriptures. As was I - independently. Now, this is showing at Hampstead Theatre - where I previously had to sneak out the back door to avoid them, under similar circumstances! Well, I won't be doing it on this occasion - but wouldn't you know it, they've booked for another performance next month. And again, I got a cheaper ticket - and so the dramatic sneaking around is scheduled again..
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