Wednesday, July 4, 2007

The Merchant of Venice


“The Merchant of Venice” production at the Globe Theater was quite the experience. Standing for an entire three hours for a play is not my choice of a good time. Fortunately, the beer was flowing and standing was actually a comfortable pose for the time being. The play was shown during the late evening, which is interesting. In London, they have better lighting because it gets dark later here than USA. It is to their advantage there is no lighting in the theater. Throughout the play, the make- up and costumes made the lighting and environment come to life, no lighting was needed. It is interesting to see the actual replica of the most famous theater in the world, especially because it’s William Shakespeare’s theater. It was also interesting to note the theater had no curtain. The actors came out with the audiences’ attention and they had no choice of props or intricate background to distract viewers. The same scene was the backdrop throughout the play. Much the same as Shakespeare’s time, they only had minimal props and sets. It brought the play to a different status of effort to make the play as authentic as possible. The stage did, however, offer level changes, such as a balcony that was not available during Shakespeare’s era. It was intriguing to see the audience turnout and participation in the theater. The Globe's atmosphere is laid back and involved in the audience participation, in which diverts it from any other form of theater today. Theater goers should be involved in the play and not just be a face in the crowd.
STEFANIE MARTIN

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