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		E-Mailing Through Europe >> London 2001 Shakespeare Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2001 08:39:20 -0700 (PDT) From: k p ken@kpny.com Subject: The Bard, Scene I, v.2-3 Okay, so Eva and I met up at the Globe (I was 15 minutes late, in true Shakespearean fashion) and spent the rest of the day immersed in the life, works and words of the Bard. Read on, if you like his works. This version won't be too funny, unless you think wiping Elizabethan urine on your clothes is good laughs. The new Globe Theatre (the old one--of which Will was a founder--burned down twice in the 16th century) is an exact replica of the original, and hosts plays and attached is a fantastic interactive Exhibition and Learning Centre. It was a two floor exhibit, and we paid £6.50 to see the virtual tour of the theater. Since we were to see King Lear later in the evening--and it was our only option--virtual was good enough. Finished, we then walked around the exhibit and used interactive kiosks, saw costumes, and read all about the Bard. Some of the interesting details follow: ALAS, POOR HAMLET There are, in fact, 3 versions of Hamlet. The first version (1603) is considered the "bad" version. Hamlet's famous words read (I am not making this up): "To be or not to be, I there's the point! To Die, to sleepe, is that all? I all: No, to sleepe, to dreame, I mary there it goes..." The imac kiosk explained why it reads in these words: "The 1603 text s the earliest known published version of Hamlet. It is often known as the "bad" version of Hamlet. It's much shorter than the famous play, and the lines are very different. Most scholars belive this was a pirated version of the play, produced from memory by an actor who once played the minor part of Marcellus." Why didn't Marcellus have the original script, you may ask? (I did.) "Each actor received a rolled up script containing his own lines and his cues. This was called his `role' or his `part.' Not handing out the complete work helped to prevent plagiarism by the theater owners, who bought and owned the rights of the play." WHICH WILL'S WILL DID WILL WILL? They had copies of Will's will. Each of the 3 pages is signed by the Bard, but all 3 signatures vary in both style, spelling and location on the page. Page 1, bottom left: William Shakespere Page 2, bottom right: William Shakespeare Page 3, foot: "By me, William Shakspeare" Oh, and the text names him as "William Shackspeare." SOUNDING OFF There were 3 sound rooms with classic recordings of performances by famous actors. For example, room one had buttons that played the following: Hamlet. "To be or not to be..." John Geilgud ( ) Peter O'Toole ( ) Kenneth Branaugh ( ) Richard Burton ( ) Laurence Olivier ( ) Julius Ceaser. (Friends, Romans, Countrymen...) Marlon Brando ( ) etc... AT LONG LAST: URINE Another exhibit had a bit about costumes and those who made them. It had several samples and videos, plus this interesting tidbit: "Urine was used as a stain remover. It was collected and stored for 3 weeks until it fermented. Pregnant women's urine was most effective because of it's high estrogen content; whilst the urine from someone who had consumed a lot of alcohol was useless..." KING LEAR After a snack, we met co-Groundlings John and Diane in the pit. John had procured emergency rain jackets (a laundry dry cleaning bad with a hood and a quote from Othello printed all over it) should it pour. The performance was excellent. The actors moved through the (mostly American) crowd, interacted with the audience, and generally brought Shakespeare's works out of the elite world and back down to us, mere mortals that we be. It was a lot of fun. It was long, too. The first act lasted 2 hours, at which point we decided our legs could not last on the concrete floor, and dinner would better serve us. We ate at the Globe Theatre restaurant, which proved the point that London is not New York when it comes to food. With the exception of Diane's home cooked meals, the food in London still doesn't impress. That's it for this dispatch. I realize this one was not up to par in terms of humour. Please note there were no tales of drinking Guinness. Not a coincidence! COMING UP: Our last day in London, a clean Bath, and Observations from the left side of the road.