It didn't have the charm of the yard but there were fewer tired legs and we had a clear view of all the action with no pillars to peek round.
My preference would still be the yard : at £5 a ticket it's exceptional value for exceptional theatre, but perhaps only for age 10+ and it's worth getting there early to secure a spot front and centre of the stage for the best experience. It's a balance - getting there early means standing for up to an hour longer but in return you'll get a better view.
My other tip is at the interval (if you haven't been organised enough to take nibbles) - keep hold of your ticket and nip out to Costa which is right behind the rear theatre entrance for cheaper snacks and shorter queues than the Globe refreshment stands.
Given we'd had a side view of A Midsummer Night's Dream and W struggled with standing for so long I was completely delighted to find that the final show at the Globe will be broadcast live by the BBC tomorrow. To watch the same actors perform the play again it from the comfort of our own sofa will be fabulous and the kids loved the story. What's not to love about a naughty fairy and a man called Bottom with an ass for a head?!
Midsummer is a modern adaption by Emma Rice with traditional language but a visual focus on costume, colour and a re-imagining of conventional Shakespearean theatre. Helena is re-cast as Helenas; Hermia wears Cath Kidston pyjamas.
It's a fantastic contrast to Much Ado About Nothing which we saw last week at Clivedon Manor. Performed by a classic all-male troupe, Much Ado was performed outside (in the pouring rain in our case!) for an authentic experience.
K is the perfect age to grasp Shakespeare's presentation of the strengths and weaknesses of human nature when it comes to love, betrayal and trickery. W is a little young to follow the dialogue but if there's a sprinkling of slapstick and a lemon sherbet he'll happily sit back and absorb the atmosphere and laugh at the physical comedy, even if the kissing bits are 'weird'.
We've done Much Ado, Twelfth Night and Midsummer so we've covered enough of the comedies - the boys feel the same as they've asked to see one of Shakespeare's "fighty" ones. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to prep them for Hamlet... maybe next summer.
