Stratford-Upon-Avon is such a stark difference from what I’ve become accustomed to in London. Rather than the tall, modern buildings and busy streets, Stratford is a small quiet town only famous because it was William Shakespeare’s hometown. It is also home to the Royal Shakespeare Company, who was putting on The Tempest with Kenneth Branagh during the time we were there. Unfortunately, tickets were sold out for this show months ago and we couldn’t get tickets. So we saw no shows in Stratford and were very sad. SIKE!!! Thatcher, Erin, and I got resale tickets with great views for £18 each (thank you, Thatcher). The Tempest was incredibly different from the other Shakespeare play we saw during our trip, A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Globe Theater. While Midsummer was quite scaled down, with a bare set, simple costumes, and no extra effects; The Tempest relied on spectacle. With intense lighting, a turntable stage, and an actress strung up to the fly system the entire show, it was hard to believe it was written by the same man who wrote Midsummer. Though it was very cool to see two distinct interpretations of Shakespeare’s work, I think the Globe’s production was far stronger. I’ve spoken previously about the connection between actor and audience that was extremely present in both Shakespeare’s day and today at the Globe. This connection was almost nonexistent at The Tempest. This show felt absolutely separate from the audience and I think that’s because of its grandiose nature. Walking around Stratford, inside Shakespeare’s birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s cottage, you see how quaint his life was. Though his plays take place in locations far away from Stratford, it seems he wanted to bring these places to his home. Bring fairies, wizards, princes, queens, and Italians to the people who couldn’t experience anything of the sort in their real lives. For those five acts, though, they could be a part of the story, living alongside these characters.
Also we saw a Friends-themed family-friendly wrestling show and it was so strange (thank you, Thatcher).
Theatre in London U of A 