I was a lucky enough to spend a warm summer’s evening watching Julius Caesar in a packed Globe Theatre on South Bank. It’s one of the best experiences I’ve had.
I’ve always loved Shakespeare but at times it can be hard to follow the language and I remember trying to learn off quotes from Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet in a bit of a panic in school! It was more a case of making sense of things, rather than pure enjoyment. Well let me tell you, seeing actors tread the boards, speaking his famous words will send shivers down your spine.
The quality of acting and the stage sets were something else. During the opening scene, the carcass of an animal swings down from the rafters to be sacrificed with very real looking blood spilling on to the wooden boards below. It was more gripping than any movie special effects I’ve seen. Actors voices carry around the theatre without microphones, natural projection their only tool. The emotions of envy, power, revenge, friendship and grief bubble away throughout this play and at times burst forth in a fit in the characters performances.
I can’t say enough good things about performances at the Globe and if you’re on a budget, tickets are on sale at £7 per person if you have it in you to stand for the performance. It’s one of the best things about the Globe, it’s Shakespeare for everyone.
Macbeth starts in September. I can’t imagine missing it.