Shakespeare’s globe theatre is by far the unique theatre watching experience I have ever had. Even when first walking in I was surprised by the theatre’s structure. While I had been told that it was a full circle, I don’t think I really understood how that would look as a theatre until I got in there. I also did not anticipate how the standing room would work. In my head it was still a very organized system where people had general spots they could stand, but it was much more like a concert where everyone just squeezed in around the stage. The way that the actors utilized this space and its unique properties was also very interesting. While I knew about Shakespeare’s direct addresses to the audience, I did not anticipate the level of audience participation that was present. My favorite moment of this was when Romeo was trying to hide so he took off his hat, slid off the stage, and blended in with the crowd of spectators surrounding the stage.
I got to have the unique opportunity to be a spectator both in the seats and in the standing pit. While overall I preferred the standing, both had their benefits and drawbacks. During the first act I decided to sit in our seats, not wanting to stand for a long time after walking a lot the day before. While our seats were not terrible, there was a pretty severely limited view of the stage from them. I was sat just a little in front of the stage, and behind a pillar, so I had trouble seeing the actors when they would go to the front of the stage, or if anything was happening on the set itself. I also found myself having a lot more trouble following the dialogue when I was sitting. At first I just placed it on the Shakespearean language and had trouble understanding because of the speed it was spoken at, but while standing I did not have much trouble understanding at all. My best guess was while sitting because I could not see the actors as well, I couldn’t rely as much on their appearance and body language to determine the meaning of their words, and it was easier to zone out or get distracted while sitting
During the second act I decided to stand so that I could better see the actors and get to compare the two experiences. The change in perspective made a drastic difference in both my enjoyment and ability to understand the play. I could see the characters much more clearly, and aspects that felt a little too silly and not very funny before felt much more natural and clicked better once I could really see the actors. It was also really interesting to see some of the scenery get brought in around me, which created a very immersive experience. The main downside of the standing view was the standing itself, but it was not nearly as bad as I expected. It required a good amount of shifting my weight and switching legs to stay comfortable, but I feel like it actually helped me focus on the show better. I was so focussed on staying comfortable that my mind wouldn’t wonder or get distracted by random things around me.
The play itself was very good, and I feel like the decision to put the play in the cowboy era worked well, especially because the production did not take itself too seriously. This is not to say that the set and costumes were not done with absolutely amazing craftsmanship and skill, but the production definitely leaned into the comedy aspects of Romeo and Juliet and the campiness of old west themes. While bringing a gun on stage can sometimes be a bit gimmicky in my opinion, I feel like it worked well in this production and brought a good amount of shock factor without relying on it too much. The acting was all very well done, but I definitely feel like the shows costuming was the biggest standout.
Theatre in London U of A 