When: 21st May, 4th June, 12th Aug, 24th Aug (not at all excessive)
Where: The Globe
Why: Eve Best
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| Greedy Globe ducks |
The Globe is my happy place. Leaning on the stage, breathing in the scent of warm wood (and sometimes choking on excessive incense smoke), usually with my friend Charles (@cakespeareuk) by my side and a tummy full of groundling queue cake (wrested from the beaks of the riverside ducks who will harass you for snacks), and in perfect confident anticipation of beauteous things to come. You can’t not smile constantly, even when you’re in a see-through Globe poncho and the rain is pouring into your shoes (and eyes). And you’ve paid a teeny fiver for the privilege. I’ve paid more than that for a pint and much as I love an ale, it’s no contest which is better value.
We hit the groundling pit on the first night of Clive Wood’s unfortunate illness and so were treated to the hurriedly acquired stand-in Antony in the form of John Light, who rose to the occasion magnificently. He was impressive, handsome (weyy) and held a strong connection with the rest of the cast considering he’d joined them that very morning. Some of the scenes were a bit hilarious with script in hand, including some awkwardness with a sword, and cracking up due to losing his place at the crucial moment of suicide. Far from ideal, but Light’s honesty and charisma with the audience made it work, and he and the brave cast thoroughly earned their thunderous applause at the end of the performance. We came away not feeling cheated at all, but actually pleased to have seen a unique performance. Poor old James Hayes (Lepidus) was ill during my second visit which was a sad loss – the play is less without his epic Irish portrayal of the snake man (“I wish you joy of the worrrrrm” is our new catchphrase) – and the amount of ankle supports seemed to increase each time I went back. Dangerous on that stage.
The production each time had an amazing energy, was fast paced and action packed – lots of soldierly running around and flag twirling suspended from the balcony, marching and stomping and especially dancing. The bacchanalian romps at the start and during the drinking scene on Pompey’s boat (and eventually added at the end of the performance in true Globe style – good decision) were a frenzy of Egyptian sensuousness and exuberance, and were true crowd-pleasers. This wanton behaviour also contrasted deeply with the solemnity and formal stiffness of the Roman contingent – I know where I’d rather have lived. I didn’t know the play at all really, and was prepared to have to make the effort to get through it at points, prepared for a bit of tragedy and concentration, but I was in fact joyfully carried along on a perfectly balanced wave of humour and drama. It was an easily accessible performance and incredibly enjoyable.
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| Amazing final night photo by @shaksper. I'm in this somewhere! |
This was mainly thanks to the wonder that is Eve Best. I’ve said it before but she is just amazing. Her Cleopatra was very human – changeable and petulant, imposing but constantly flashing vulnerability and restless mischief too. Rather than the aloof Elizabeth Taylor glamorously exotic high up and far away queen we’ve come to expect, we got an understandable, almost loveable Cleopatra. Eve Best is the perfect Globe actor – working the audience (literally hooking them in this case), playing with them and making eye contact with countless awkward groundlings. The first time I saw it, I ended up kissing her hand as she flaunted her new pearl ring from Antony down to her subjects. Bit embarrassing as I immediately doubted that was what she’d meant me to do, but it seemed right at the time… And an honour, obviously, to kiss the hand of your hero. I haven’t seen her do it again so maybe I was just looking particularly worshipful or something. Awks.
Antony as played by Clive Wood was a grizzled lion of a man, torn between his duty in Rome and his happiness in Egypt, and full of grim humour and casual disrespect for Caesar which was super entertaining. The chemistry between he and Cleo wasn’t totally convincing but EB could charm sparks out of a stone so it wasn’t really a problem. I did love his jokey attitude even at his darkest moments (laughing at himself when his suicidal stab doesn’t quite work) but it would be interesting to see it done tragically too at some point.
The rest of the cast was also incredibly strong which is really why the play was such an overall hit for me – not just carried by brilliant headliners but showing off an enviable breadth of talent in the whole thing. Jolyon Coy’s Caesar was outstanding – entertaining and chilling in equal measure as the fastidious, calculating menace that he is, and playing off the total polarity between he and Antony to perfection. Phil Daniels as Enobarbus was enjoyably blunt and sardonic, but I feel like more could have been made of his strong friendship with Antony as that didn’t massively come across when they were together. Obioma Ugoala as two very contrasting roles (Mardian the eunuch and Scarus the soldier) was buoyant and powerful, and Cleo’s attendants Charmian and Iras played by Sirine Saba and Rosie Hilal were excellent, charming twin pillars of support to the wayward queen.
I got hit by two serious downpours – one on the DVD filming night (12th August if you were there!) which will be interesting to see on screen… Romance through cords of rain. The weather can also heighten the drama though which is why I love the Globe – you get a different performance because of the changing nature of the arena you’re in. On one occasion during a dramatic speech from Cleo as she’s missing Antony, the wind caught her shawl and blew it dramatically around her which drew whoops from the audience and laughs of delight from Eve Best, who rode it out and made it part of the performance.
Some favourite moments of the play include:
- The party on Pompey’s boat featuring drinking games (“A toast… to LEPIDUS!”), dancing and dropping Caesar on the floor.
- Cleopatra viciously beating up the messenger who brings the news of Antony’s marriage to Octavia.
- The soothsayer ripping out the goat’s entrails during the interval – brilliantly gory.
- Cleo’s outfits – god I wish we could all go around wearing long white dresses and floor-length gold sequined capes.
I was lucky to go to the final night of the run, and experience all the extra fun that entails. We were round the left of the stage and so saw EB peeping out of the curtains, and during the extra riotous opening scene she roamed around the stage dressed as an old peddler in a cloak, thrusting a pomegranate at various cast members. The whole cast were given a rose at the end of the curtain call which they threw into the audience as we threw roses at them, which resulted in a frenzy of petal chucking and mutual appreciation between cast and groundlings.
Thank you to all involved for four beautiful and fun evenings! (I am such a nerd).
Brixpig x
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| Final night roses |
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