I found my time at the theaters in London to be the pinnacle of my English experience. Before this trip, I considered myself an avid patron of the theater. I had been to plays in my hometown of Annapolis, Maryland, seen musicals at center stage, and shows on Broadway just about every time I had been to New York City. From the spectacularly produced "Wicked" on Broadway, to "Death of a Salesman" put on in the comparatively tiny theater of Colonial Players in Annapolis, I had been awed and amused by what I thought was the quintessence of "good theater."
What I found, however, was that English theater was something entirely distinct and unique to itself. The Globe Theatre showed me, for the first time, how Shakespearean drama was supposed to be experienced. I had studied Shakespeare before, even at the college level, but no professor could teach or explain what the
Globe Theatre could provide. Before this trip, I had never seen or read "The Tempest." If I were to sit down and try to read this play, without
any previous knowledge of the plot, I would most likely be lost. But because of the actors and stage production, not only did I effortlessly
understand "The Tempest," enjoyed myself as much as I would have watching a modern play.
While the audience involvement at the Globe Theatre is what helped make the plays come alive, the fabulous sets at the National Theater are what impressed me the most about that establishment. I will never forget the moment during "Strange Interlude" when the revolving set of Nina's childhood home gave way, in a
spectacular revolving motion, to her and Sam's more decadent residence. I later got to see the "birdcage" staircase up close and personal on a
back stage tour of the National Theater. I got to see the choreographed rhythmic dance of scene changes in action and in detail when I saw "Othello" from the first row. The National Theatre successfully lifted the plays' texts from the page and onto the stage for a visually astounding experience.
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| Globe Theatre |
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