For an English teacher, seeing a play at the Globe Theater is like a pilgrimage to Canterbury or Lourdes or something. I had the extreme good fortune to see "Doctor Faustus" by Christopher Marlowe there today, and although I'm familiar with the Faust legend, I had never seen Marlowe's version.
Where to begin? Well, every aspect of the production was astounding. The actors, first of all, were riveting without exception. The men who played Faustus and Mephistopheles had incredible stage presence, but really that could have been said for the entire cast. The costuming was inventive and eye-catching; for example, the point at which F and M are flying over the kingdoms of the world was done with these two pterodactyl-looking props with gigantic wings that were both evocative and macabre.
It's hard to pick out a favorite part, with so much visually to feast my eyes own, but I really enjoyed the part where Mephistopheles introduced Faustus to the Seven Deadly Sins, each one represented by a different actor. ("I...am...WRATH!" Also, Lust was really hot.) The finale was incredible, as well, with the demons of hell coming out of the stage to carry Faustus down to the depths.
I was a groundling, that is, I did not have a seat to the play, but I got in early enough that I was able to secure a place right next to the stage, where one is grave peril of catching stray spittle from the actors, or in my case, food flying off of Gluttony. The good news is, because of the quality of the production, I completely lost track of the fact that the play was 3 hours long, and I had been standing for all of them. Next time I go, on my birthday, I'll be watching "Much Ado About Nothing" from a box seat. Yippee!
Earlier in the day, I hit The Imperial War Museum, also on the south bank, and...well, first of all, The Imperial War Museum? Only in Britain can you get on with a name like that. It focused on Britain's military during the 20th century, and is a playground for the military enthusiast. The main lobby has V-1 and V-2 missiles, Sherman tanks, Sopwith Camels, AA guns, a Polaris missile, and even a civilian rescue boat from Dunkirk. There is also a walkthrough exhibit of a WWI Trench (very cool), a WWII air raid "experience," and plenty of other cool stuff. If you ever hit London, make sure the IWM gets on your itinerary.
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