Everyone has heard about The Globe Theatre even if you learned about it in your 6th grade English Literature class. It's famous, and so is the new one because we all know about the fire that took down the first one, and the Puritans took down the second. We got the chance to tour the current Globe Theatre and learn more than what our 6th grade teacher taught us.
An American made the newest Globe because there was no government funding, so he fundraised. His name was Sam Wanamaker. This name might sound familiar if you've ever heard of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. It's a part of the Globe Theatre, and it models the original blueprints of Blackfriars Theatre. This theatre is special because the only lighting is by candlelight. Imagine scenes meant to be eerie in complete darkness, and you hear voices in the pitch black…pretty cool right? The three witches opening up the story of Macbeth in complete darkness would really amplify the intensity of that play. The Playhouse runs shows in the winter when the Globe doesn’t have production, so unfortunately we didn’t get the chance to see a play by candlelight, but I highly recommend it if you happen to be in London during the winter.
Back in the good old US of A, our study abroad group went to see a modern spinoff of the play we saw at the Globe, which was Merry Wives of Windsor. At the Staunton's American Shakespeare Center we saw Anne Page Hates Fun, which was much different than Merry Wives. The Staunton theater was different from the Globe because it was modeled after the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, so it had closed ceilings and lacked the natural lighting the Globe is known for but resembled candlelight with dim lighting. Another major difference is the missing pit or yard in the Staunton theater. The Globe Theatre is famous for its pit where, back in the day, poor people would pay basically nothing to stand and watch a play. It was cheap because you don't have any cover, so you would have to deal with the weather, you had to stand for the entire play, and there were no bathrooms...So you can imagine the circumstances.
As much as I spoke negatively about the pit/yard, that's exactly where we stood to see Merry Wives of Windsor! Everyone says you have to do it once to get the full experience of the Globe, and the best part was that we got front row, right in front of center stage where the stairs are set. The actors would walk right past us to get on stage, and it felt like we were part of the story! It was exquisite, even though I couldn't feel my legs after about 30 minutes...worth it!
The Globe has so much history behind it (all three of them), but the most interesting thing I heard was a very small detail. Our tour guide at the Globe told us that workers would put a colored flag outside to tell people what kind of play was being performed. Black meant tragedy, white meant comedy, and red meant history. This is only one of many fun facts, but if you want to learn more, check out this website!
Anne Page Hates Fun was more of a tragedy than comedy like Merry Wives of Windsor. It also lacked captivating characters like Sir John Falstaff from Merry Wives. However, the biggest difference between Staunton and London was the experience and atmosphere each theater created. Staunton's American
Shakespeare Center reminded me of other small theater's I've been to more than it reminded me of The Globe. The audience at the Globe was more electric because we could see one another with the lighting from the sky illuminating the entire crowd. Also, being in the pit added more suspense because you never know if an actor will walk past you or even spit beer on you like the lovely Falstaff did!
In case you don't know the preface of Merry Wives of Windsor, here's the Globe's description!
“Sir John Falstaff sets about improving his fortunes by wooing Mistress Page and Mistress Ford, but he doesn’t know what they’ve got in store for him in Shakespeare’s much-loved comedy.”
10/10 experience seeing Merry Wives of Windsor at the Globe Theatre! Please go see a play here if you ever get a chance, and stand in the pit! I promise it'll be worth it.
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