Our now customary visit to the Globe Theatre on Southbank this year was to see a production of Othello, one of Shakespeare’s great Tragedies. And so it was that several members of the Company and their friends joined the Mistress and I on a fine sunny afternoon to enjoy the play.
The Globe Theatre itself needs no introduction and remains one on the most authentic buildings in which a Shakespeare production can be seen (see photo). We had secured a couple of boxes on the Middle Gallery so we had space for ourselves which always makes for a more enjoyable experience. One has to admire the ‘Groundlings’ however who stand at the front of the stage for the whole play; upwards of three hours and in the hot sun! But we were very comfortable in our Water Conservator boxes, made doubly so by a welcome glass of champagne in the interval!
Othello, The Moor of Venice is of course the story of a man “…that loved not wisely, but too well.” and featured André Holland in the lead role. His great enemy, Iago was played by Mark Rylance and both gave outstanding performances, much to the critics’ pleasure. They were supported by an exceptionally fine cast and the stage direction added to the drama (see photo). Surprisingly there were a few laughs during the play and some singing and dancing. But the final death scene (spoiler alert!) that sees Desdemona, Emilia and Othello himself all dead is one of theatre’s finest endings – breath-taking!
No matter how many times one sees this play, there is always something new to find; a work of genius! And it made for a very enjoyable afternoon.
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