Made glorious summer

Today marked the end of the paralympics and the end of our summer of sport. We’d been dreading it but, when all was said and done, we managed to avoid the worst of the crowds and Tube warfare. It has also been great to see so many people out and about and enjoying London.

Today also marked the Weasels second Globe outing this year. We were in our favoured Gentleman’s box B for Richard III.

We all met at the Anchor for a pre-play pint then wandered up through the mobs to the theatre, climbed the stairs and set up our usual picnic at almost the top of the north tower.

Naturally I’d read the synopsis first in order to prepare myself for the onslaught of Elizabethan English and, therefore, make it more enjoyable.

Richard starts with a fanfare

Mark Rylance was playing Richard and he was fantastic. He played the psychopathic Richard with a lot of humour, getting the audience on side right from the beginning. I’ve never seen Richard III before but feel it might be a bit dire if the lead was played seriously.

Also in the cast was Roger Lloyd Pack (Trigger in Only Fools and Horses, Tom in The Old Guys, a wonderful turn in Art and, of course, Owen in The Vicar of Dibley) as the Duke of Buckingham.

One of my favourite scenes didn’t include either of them though. It’s when the two assassins go to kill the Duke of Clarence in the Tower. It could have been a Monty Python sketch. Incredibly funny and very silly.

Lorna, Bev and Tottie tucking in

Most of the play was very enjoyable although there was one odd moment which will go down as the most unprofessional thing I’ve ever seen on a professional stage. The actor playing King Edward IV was in midstride, acting away, spouting iambic pentameter to all and sundry when he suddenly stopped, his arm outstretched, staring into the pit full of groundlings.

The play stopped completely and the audience’s attention was dragged away from any dramatic occurrence on the stage in the direction of the kings arm. It’s not unusual for people to faint in the pit (they don’t take water, they don’t wear hats, they just faint) and this production was no exception. Generally the stewards come in and clear away the unconscious member of the audience as the play continues in front of them. Most of the time, the rest of the audience is completely unaware of it happening.

Apparently the King wasn’t keen on being upstaged by someone’s inability to remain upright. He stood, arm pointing at the offending man, waiting for the return of calm. As soon as they did, he continued as if nothing had happened.

Okay, I can accept that Edward IV only has the one scene and the actor (Colin Hurley) wanted his moment in the spotlight but there’s better ways of achieving it. Not focussing the audience’s attention away from him is one. A very odd choice.

And this brings me nicely to the two things I didn’t enjoy about Richard III. Firstly, it’s far too long. I found myself fighting to keep my eyes open during the last hour. The action on the stage wasn’t enough to keep me interested. When Richmond comes on the scene and starts pontificating, I was ready to leave. It was a shame because the first act was superb, funny and gripping.

The second thing I disliked was the fact that the female roles were played by men. This is a ridiculous attempt to mimic the performances of Shakespeare’s day. Given that the female roles were played by men and boys simply because it was the law, makes this a rather misogynistic choice. In 2012, it just looks stupid and takes roles away from female actors who would do a much better job of playing women!

It’s this sort of rubbish that turns people off Shakespeare. A shame.

Tottie tottering at half-time

Still, overall, the play was enjoyable and the company, as usual, very pleasant and fun.

The cast indicate the minstrels for our applause

Of course, afterwards, we headed into the City for a bit of a pub crawl along Fleet Street and The Strand, stopping first in the wonderful little known pub, the Cockpit and ending up, eventually, in the Coal Hole before going home.

John and Darren in the Cockpit

One more thing about Richard III…the two princes (the ones that were killed in the Tower) were played by two young lads dressed in pink! This sort of accuracy I’m quite happy to see.