Tuesday 19 July 2011

Shock Horror: Torygraph preferred to Guardian

I've spent a long weekend "down South", principally to see the Globe's production of "Much Ado About Nothing." Now that I've looked at them I see the Telegraph's reviewer shares my almost undiluted enthusiasm. Alas the Guardian's critic has sneering criticisms and accuses the actors of "playing to the gallery" (or, in this case, the groundlings.) In my view there is nothing "self indulgent" about the superb performances of the two leads, Charles Edwards as Benedick and Eve Best as Beatrice. I'm sure we shall hear much more of both of them.

Anyone who was badly taught Shakespeare at school and thinks it's "boring" should see a Globe production. It is amazing that plays written four hundred years ago can be received with so much unreserved enthusiasm and give so much pleasure to a modern audience.

Since the theatre is open to the skies (as in Shakespeare's day) the plays are marred by intrusive aircraft noise. Why can't the authorities (Boris Johnson?) issue instructions that aircraft are not to fly within, say, two miles of the Globe during performance times?

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