Shakespeare Under The Stars

When Shakespeare’s Pop-up Globe came to Melbourne recently I was hoping they would stage Macbeth or A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They didn’t. Happily the two shows we did see, Around The Globe In 60 Minutes and Henry V, were awesome so I wasn’t disappointed.

When it was announced that Shakespeare’s Pop-up Globe would be going to Sydney, I was annoyed to see that both Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream were going to be performed. There was only one thing to do – go to Sydney!

I’ve never read A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but I had a rough idea of the plot. One thing I knew for sure was there were fairies. Imagine my shock when Titania, Oberon and Puck came onto stage, not as fairies, but as New Zealand Maoris. That was some surprise! It was then that I remembered that the Pop-up Globe began in Auckland, New Zealand. I was disappointed that there would be no fairies on stage, but also excited as I’m a big fan of New Zealand. I was very curious to see how this twist would play out.

If you had no idea what A Midsummer Night’s Dream was about, having one section of the play spoken in Maori would have been very confusing. Happily my limited knowledge of the play allowed me to follow what was happening on stage. It was jolting but fun to hear Maori spoken alongside Shakespearian English and to see traditional Maori costumes among the Elizabethan ones. If that wasn’t weird enough, the actors performing the play within a play were dressed as Aussie tradesmen. By the end of the performance I felt like I had been on a wild ride! I couldn’t wait for our next visit to the Globe.

It’s no surprise that Macbeth, a play that features three witches, is one that I have read and seen many filmic adaptions of. Unlike A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this was a more traditional production. The roles of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Macduff were brilliantly acted and gave me new insights into characters I thought I knew well. There was a school group in the audience, standing in the front section. Watching them, wide-eyed as the characters drew us into their emotional rollercoasters, was a stark reminder that Shakespeare was a playwright and his works are best enjoyed on the stage.

One of the reasons I love Macbeth is the witches and they did not disappoint! They commanded the stage and sent chills down my spine with their wicked performances as the three weird sisters. Like wraiths they moved, swayed and stalked across the stage while treating us to eerily sung songs that vibrated through our souls. At one point in the play the witches left the stage and came up behind the group of school children. Weaving through the audience, they scarily reached out to the school children while the children shrieked and tried to run away. I wonder if I was the only one in the audience who wanted to run down and join the witches? The whole play was a grand spectacle from start to end. It was well worth the trip to Sydney. I hope I get to see more performances of this incredible play.

Posset
To aid in the murder of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth drugs the possets of his guards so they will stay asleep while their King is slain. Modern possets, like my Lime Posset, are delicious, creamy desserts. The possets Lady Macbeth drugs were drinks made with warm, spiced milk mixed with either wine or ale. Some possets have beaten eggs added, much like an eggnog. As a fan of eggnog, I just had to add egg to my posset drink. However, unlike Lady Macbeth, I didn’t add a sleeping potion 🙂 

 

Ingredients (per drink)
1/2 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground mace
1 egg, room temperature
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup ale
freshly grated nutmeg for serving

Instructions
Combine milk, cinnamon, cloves and mace in a saucepan.
Gently bring to the boil over low heat.
Whisk together the egg and sugar in a heatproof bowl until fluffy.
Whisk the hot milk slowly into the egg.
Return to the saucepan.
Add the ale and whisk until warm but not boiling.
Pour into heatproof mugs.
Serve with a sprinkle of grated nutmeg.

Act 3 – Shakespeare In A Globe

When creating a recipe to commemorate my Pop-up Globe adventure there were two things I wanted to reference – Pop-up and Globe. For the globe I immediately thought of globe artichokes. As marinated artichokes are one of my favourites things, I had plenty of ideas. For the pop-up bit I thought of popcorn, popcorn chicken, jalapeño poppers, pop tarts, cake pops and popsicles. While flicking through a few American cookbooks one recipe popped out at me – popovers!

Popovers are an American version of Yorkshire puddings. They are baked in special popover tins or muffin tins and are called popovers as the batter rises and “pops over” the tins. Popovers are the perfect expression for my Shakespearean adventures. Their name fits with pop-up, they are linked to Shakespeare and England and they are American. Smother them in globe artichoke butter and you have popover globes!

Popover Globes

Ingredients
vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions
Preheat oven to 230C / 450F.
Brush the cups of a 12-hole muffin pan with with vegetable oil.
Place in the oven while you make the batter.
Beat together the eggs and milk with a wire whisk until combined.
Add the flour and salt and whisk until combined. Do not overbeat.
Transfer the batter to a pouring jug.
Using oven gloves, remove the tray from the oven.
Pour the batter evenly between 6 – 8 muffin cups about 3/4 full.
Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Reduce heat to 180C / 350F.
Bake for a further 10 – 15 minutes or until the sides of the popovers are firm.
Best eaten immediately.
Serve with artichoke butter.

Marinated Artichoke Butter

Ingredients
60g (1/4 cup) cream cheese, room temperature
30g (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
15g (1 tablespoon) freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 marinated whole artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped (approximately 40g)
sea salt to taste

Instructions
Beat together the cream cheese and butter.
Stir in the cheese, lemon juice and artichokes until combined.
Add sea salt to taste.

Act 2 – Shakespeare At The Globe

It’s thanks to Christine from witchlike that I got to experience something very unusual in Melbourne this past summer. In her post Punk Rock Shakespeare, Christine reviewed Will, a new tv series about William Shakespeare. I did a quick internet search to find out when it was screening in Melbourne. What I found was something quite interesting. Apparently Melbourne was going to build a temporary Pop-up Globe Theatre and stage Shakespearean plays! All thoughts of tv series were chased from my mind as I searched frantically for information about this unbelievable theatrical event.

The Globe Theatre was built in London in 1599 by Shakespeare’s playing company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. It was destroyed by fire in 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site in 1614. It was closed in 1642 by the Puritans. A modern reconstruction of the theatre, called Shakespeare’s Globe, opened in 1997 right near the original site. And now The Globe Theatre was coming to Melbourne!

The first thing I did was go through the list of plays being staged, hoping Macbeth would be one of them. Sadly it wasn’t. The plays on offer were As You Like It, Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing and Othello. I chose Henry V as it promised sword fights, a live canon going off, and blood – lots of blood! There was even a warning that the blood could splatter the audience. This was my play!

My next decision was what ticket to buy. There were three seating groups – Royal, Seated and Groundling. I was tempted with the Royal Rooms which were situated on the stage so you were actually up there with the all the action. They also included a roast chicken hamper. Unfortunately Royal Rooms also came with a Royal Price Tag! My next choice was Groundling which was general admission standing. The joy of being a Groundling is that you are standing right next to the stage, the actors often engage with you and there is a good chance you’ll get splashed with blood! The only problem was I didn’t think I would enjoy standing for an entire play. 

I eventually settled on seats with a good view of the stage. While ordering the tickets I noticed a fifth offering called Around The Globe In 60 Minutes, a specially commissioned show for the Pop-up Globe. As the play was only an hour long, it was the perfect show to go in as a Groundling. Tickets booked I couldn’t wait for the shows to begin.

As I walked through the gardens of Kings Domain I couldn’t believe that I would soon be stepping into a piece of history. There, standing before me, was a replica of the second Globe Theatre. I was entranced by the Elizabethan structure which stood proud and inviting in the middle of a modern city. I eagerly entered the playhouse and was rewarded with the sight of a stunning roof painted with the sun, moon, stars and the signs of the zodiac. The open area in front of the stage, where we Groundlings would be standing, was open to the elements. Being Melbourne, I was alternately bathed in warm sunshine and chilled by a cool breeze. Behind me were three tiers of covered seating. I would be gracing one of those seats another day. For now my eyes were glued to centre stage for the beginning of my first Shakespearean adventure.

Around The Globe In 60 Minutes is set in 1643 after the Globe Theatre has been closed by Puritans. William Davenant, William Shakespeare’s godson – rumoured to be his son – comes up with a plan to save the Globe. What ensues is a show filled with bawdy jokes, contemporary references, audience participation, fights, hangings, and blood – lots of blood! Standing in front of the stage and engaging with the actors was an awesome experience. The highlight for me was loudly booing and heckling a Puritan – something I have always wanted to do 🙂

For my second Shakespearean adventure, Henry V,  I was sitting in a seat with a large cheese platter in my lap, and an even larger gin and tonic in my hand. This was a completely different experience to the raucous fun of being a Groundling. Heartily eating and drinking whilst being entertained made me feel like an Elizabethan noble. I clapped, cheered and cried as I was taken on an unforgettable journey by some excellent actors, profound words and incredible special effects. Canons went off and the promised blood was shed and sprayed across the stage and onto the ground.

We left the theatre in awe, only to be greeted by the sight of King Henry V and one of his “ladies” posing for photos with the crowd. I joined the queue and as I put my arm around Henry I felt as though I was touching royalty. Such is the power of a good play. 

I still haven’t seen the tv series Will, but I’ll always be grateful to Christine for leading me to the incredible experience of the Globe Theatre in Melbourne.