Looking for pros and cons of afternoon vs. evening performances at the Globe Theater. It will be two adults and two teenagers- aged 16 and 18. They've both studied and enjoyed Shakespeare in school. When we're there in June, Merry Wives of Windsor is playing.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17562 posts
We are going to see that in late May, and prefer an evening performance. We like to be outside walking in London during the daytime.
Tickets went on sale to the ageneral public on February 4, and I bought ours that morning. Many seats were already taken at that time so you might want to decide and book fairly soon.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
I'd say evening so you can spend daylight hours doing stuff outdoors.
I went to the Globe and luckily got a seat in the top row where I could rest my back against the wall. Otherwise I'd never have made it through Macbeth on a hard backless bench, not to mention standing in front of the stage. Admittedly, it was a bad production and I'm a good deal older than you must be. Teenagers might not be bothered by the seating/standing, but you might find it pretty uncomfortable.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
We're going to stand like the peasants did. I figure if we stand for hours at a time for rock concerts, we can certainly do it for Shakespeare. It will be the authentic experience! I've decided that we're going to do the tour in the day, and then take advantage of Borough Market being nearby for an early dinner and stroll through the market for awhile, and then return for the 7:30 performance.
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3398 posts
If you haven't bought tickets yet, even for being a groundling, you need to get them now! They do sell out. Evening is good since you also won't get the sun in your eyes if you are in the wrong seats! While you're at Borough Market make sure to stop off at Southwark Cathedral that looms over the market...it's a beautiful and important church and is often overlooked.
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
Don't underestimate how tiring it is to stand for an entire play - you will not be allowed to sit on the ground. I would not do a lot of walking in the afternoon beforehand. The stalls at Borough Market usually shut down at around five o'clock, although the pubs and restaurants around it will stay open all evening.
Posted by
California USA
4115 posts
I think it is good to book an evening performance. We’ve been 4 times and only one of those times was an afternoon play and fortunately we were up by the wall where we could rest our backs and we had shade.
I have watched the groundlings stand and shift from foot to foot on all of those occasions and it looked miserable. They were not allowed to lean on anything and some people left after awhile. If you do book bench seats, be sure to rent a thin cushion or two.
The productions we’ve seen have been excellent and it’s an experience you won’t soon forget.