Spending Time with Shakespeare....

Following a morning tour of the Globe Theatre, on the south bank of the Thames, Alex and I attended a matinee performance of Shakespeare's, 'Taming of the Shrew' - a unique experience, in that the Globe is a replica of the Globe Theatre of Shakespeare's day, where audience participation is encouraged, particularly if you happen to be a 'groundling' in the (court)yard, standing for the entire performance of the play! Although we did have seats, way up high, Alex opted to watch the second half of 'Taming of the Shrew' as a 'groundling' - and I even had that experience too, but just for the last ten minutes! Of course, the production was excellent, and being a part of the crowd through which actors entered and exited, really made you feel as though you were part of the action!

Another unique Shakespearian experience was to see an all-black production of 'Julius Caesar', by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford. It was certainly very different from the traditional Roman account of the story... For Alex, the highlight was being in the right place at the right time to meet with 'Julius Caesar' himself - an autograph from him and a picture with the actor just completed the experience!

Many thanks to Liz (Beech) and her husband, Tim, who came to the rescue, when our connecting train to Stratford , from Oxford, was suddenly cancelled, leaving us high and dry (wet?) wondering whether we'd even make it to Stratford, in time for the show!