Becky’s Blog: To cover up or not to cover up? that is the question

For an atheist like me, a trip to Shakespeare’s Globe on Saturday was like visiting Bethlehem. After years of reading about it, I finally got to go to the birthplace of modern theatre, or at least a reconstruction of it. An English Literature degree and innumerable modules in the Bard, his lexis, gender roles, implications and staging, even whether he even wrote his own plays (a note of contention for doubters) meant that I was well rehearsed in the lines of ‘The Scottish Play’ and excitedly noted quotes that I had recited in essays over the years. “Stars hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires.” But isn’t this a common problem for actors portraying the great man’s works? The audience is ready to recite the lines back to them, having scrutinised every intonation and possible meaning of each syllable. Well I was anyway, my boyfriend wasn’t, but he commendably managed to follow the plot. “In a nutshell, everyone dies and there are some scary ghosts and the three witches who mess things up” I tried to explain helpfully.

Having emerged soaked to the skin from a sudden hail and rain storm halfway through the second half, I pose the question- why is there no damn roof on the Globe? I’m all for authenticity, but not in this weather! Perhaps a temporary roof or an extension of the beautiful thatch, although the latter would clearly result in a water-retention/collapse disaster so maybe not. At the very least, some cagoules to shelter under. The bizarre black sheeting that stretched from the stage to the seating did not provide much cover either. Standing members of the audience poked their heads through carefully positioned holes, but this meant the rain dripped down people’s necks and the tiny hail stones bounced off the cover and knocked people in the face. It had to be seen to be believed. The sheeting was effective in concealing blood-covered actors who emerged from beneath it, but other than that I must admit it is the only part of the play I did not fully understand.

Go and see it!