King Lear was our second play, but the first attended at the Globe. The theatre building is famous because it is a recreation of the English theatre in Shakespeare's day (i.e. open air and a courtyard of uncomfortably shifting groundlings).
The program director at the last minute decided she was going to make it feasible for us to enjoy a pit stop at Hampton Court on the way to the play.
Hampton Court? What is that? I certainly had no clue at the time, as we walked up the long graveled pathway to the squat, spreading red brick monstrosity. Hampton Court... is not associated with Jane Austen, so I was at a loss.
Of course, over the intervening weeks, I've done my homework and watched the TV show "The Tudors," which gets history all WRONG, but does make it very sparkly and attractive.
The reason our entire program went to Hampton was because the architecture is Tudor. Shakespeare is Tudor. Voila.
As for the construction of the building, Cardinal Wolsey began building it with the intention of copying the Renaissance ideal of a cardinal's palace. Unfortunately, he made it just a tad too sumptuous, and as he began falling out of favor with Henry VIII, Wolsey was forced to sign the deed over to the king. Henry added a Great Hall and a tennis court. A couple centuries later, James I commissioned his bible here.
We didn't have the time to take a tour; the group just wandered off in all directions. Right off the bat, I got lost in the kitchens and dead-ended into the wine cellar. Obviously, Wolsey and Henry took wine seriously. I'm pretty sure that my entire apartment complex would fit in here.
Parts of The Other Boleyn Girl were shot here, so National Trust got to keep the actors' costumes for an exhibit. That wasn't a very good movie-- but then, I could be partial, being a fan of Eric Bana. His portrayal of Henry VIII... was depressing. But this was his outfit, so I took a picture despite that disappointment.
Hampton Court was just so big and confusing. I'd go in one wing, wind up in a courtyard, go in another wing, end up in another-- there are only a couple of stories, but the complex spreads out for miles.
I hate reading maps, so I tagged along with Beth and Jenna. We did manage to find the king and queen's quarters, but ran out of time to do the maze in the garden. Because yes, there is a maze in the Hampton Court gardens, and, yes, it is possible to get lost in it.
A life size cardboard cutout of the famous portrait of Henry VIII? Amazing! He's become a part of pop culture, for all that he had to have been addled in the head to do the things he did. His psychology, with the bonus of Anne Boleyn's tragic life-- most understandably the stuff of legend and Hollywood.
The gardens, in a passing glance, as we walked with decorous haste towards the coach park.
We arrived in London with enough time to eat a meal and show up for the play. I went with several others in search of a pizza place-- which we couldn't find-- so we settled on The Slug and the Lettuce, mainly so that we could have the pleasure of telling people that we ate someplace called The Slug and the Lettuce. It turned out to be a trendy bar for yuppy 30-somethings; as 20 year olds in casual attire, we stood out like a handful of thumbs. Our waitress had a strong accent-- Cockney, is it?-- and there was a DJ at the bar, so there was some difficulty in getting orders placed, and a lot of gesticulating, but things fell out alright.
We didn't have the time to take a tour; the group just wandered off in all directions. Right off the bat, I got lost in the kitchens and dead-ended into the wine cellar. Obviously, Wolsey and Henry took wine seriously. I'm pretty sure that my entire apartment complex would fit in here.
Parts of The Other Boleyn Girl were shot here, so National Trust got to keep the actors' costumes for an exhibit. That wasn't a very good movie-- but then, I could be partial, being a fan of Eric Bana. His portrayal of Henry VIII... was depressing. But this was his outfit, so I took a picture despite that disappointment.
Hampton Court was just so big and confusing. I'd go in one wing, wind up in a courtyard, go in another wing, end up in another-- there are only a couple of stories, but the complex spreads out for miles.
I hate reading maps, so I tagged along with Beth and Jenna. We did manage to find the king and queen's quarters, but ran out of time to do the maze in the garden. Because yes, there is a maze in the Hampton Court gardens, and, yes, it is possible to get lost in it.
A life size cardboard cutout of the famous portrait of Henry VIII? Amazing! He's become a part of pop culture, for all that he had to have been addled in the head to do the things he did. His psychology, with the bonus of Anne Boleyn's tragic life-- most understandably the stuff of legend and Hollywood.
The gardens, in a passing glance, as we walked with decorous haste towards the coach park.
We arrived in London with enough time to eat a meal and show up for the play. I went with several others in search of a pizza place-- which we couldn't find-- so we settled on The Slug and the Lettuce, mainly so that we could have the pleasure of telling people that we ate someplace called The Slug and the Lettuce. It turned out to be a trendy bar for yuppy 30-somethings; as 20 year olds in casual attire, we stood out like a handful of thumbs. Our waitress had a strong accent-- Cockney, is it?-- and there was a DJ at the bar, so there was some difficulty in getting orders placed, and a lot of gesticulating, but things fell out alright.We finished up just in time to go to The Globe and shop for a bit in their very cool gift shop. Didn't know Shakespeare could be cool, did you? Well, I didn't, I'm afraid, but now I know.
We had good seats (albeit the Globe's seats are backless wooden benches) for King Lear, which is very long. Three or three and a half hours, maybe even four. I couldn't understand the actor playing King Lear, though I got that he was ranting and insane. But, yes, three hours of old man ranting and running in circles is not entertainment at its best. (Critics liked it, though. I read some of the reviews afterwards.)
We had good seats (albeit the Globe's seats are backless wooden benches) for King Lear, which is very long. Three or three and a half hours, maybe even four. I couldn't understand the actor playing King Lear, though I got that he was ranting and insane. But, yes, three hours of old man ranting and running in circles is not entertainment at its best. (Critics liked it, though. I read some of the reviews afterwards.)In the plot, there's a scene where one of his daughters plucks out the eyes of the Duke of Gloucester. A bit of violence, right? That should have taken my mind off my sore bum, at least, right?
Yeah, the view was blocked. There was a pole, perfectly placed so as to be between me and the eyeball plucking. Everyone in the theatre breathed in and gasped at the same moment-- all I saw was a pole. I'm not sure whether to be thankful or disappointed.
