Shakespeare at the Globe, London

It is one of those ridiculous facts of a first world life that if you live in a place, even for a few months, unless you force yourself you don't always avail yourself of the entertainments. I've lived in the UK now for over five years. June this year saw my first trip to the Globe.

I went to see Henry IV Parts I and II, and then The Merry Wives of Windsor.

I had never read any of these plays, nor seen or heard them performed previously. I didn't even really know what the plot was for any of them, aside from the broad historical context of how Henry V came to the throne. The credit is all to the cast and crew for how easy it was to understand the plot, and get into the language so quickly.

I've seen quite a bit of Shakespeare performed over the years, and at school had to read King Lear. Fortunately, I had a good enough English teacher to make it not dull, and an even better Theatre teacher who took us to see some pretty good performances of it. Yes. Plural. Part of the point Mrs Starr wanted to make was that each performance reinterprets what is one the written page. I still really enjoy Lear, and was disappointed at myself for failing to go see it at the Globe when it was on.

For those of you who haven't been to the Globe, it is a recreation of the type of theatre that existed fairly close to where the current one stands, where Shakespeare and his company performed. There's a large stage surrounded by three tiers of seating. Audiences can also stand in the yard, which is how I've seen these plays at the grand total cost of £10. While it can be tough to stand for the three hours, or so, the advantages are that you can usually walk around quite easily.

All three performances were very physical, and the actors brought to life the characters, and the language. All three have a high level of comedy, and the Merry Wives included some delightful slapstick. I think the nature of the theatre itself, with its pared down yet very clever staging, becomes part of the show.

Now I've been, I'll definitely be making attendances a fairly regular part of my summer calendar.