Bear Baiting at Bankside

ST LUKE'S: As part of Kate's extended birthday celebrations last week, Tuesday inclued a trip to Chinatown and Saturday was a tea party that morphed into a rather Bacchanalian cocktail party on dusk, we went along to the Globe to indulge in a bit of bear baiting. Unfortunately the RSPCA stepped into to outlaw the pasttime and we were given a rather fine rendition of Othello instead.

I'd never read the play nor seen an adaptation so it was quite nice to come to this tale of jealousy fresh. The theatre itself has been beautifully recreated, the only downer being the planes flying over the open roof every fifteen minutes or so. But you could buy beers and bring them in with you, the evening sunlight provided a wonderful setting for the interval and the experience of standing for the play was far less gruelling than I'd believed.

What's more it's always fun to immerse yourself in Shakespeare and feel language being born. Othello, to the best of my knowledge, gives rise to the phrases "the beast with two backs" and "green eyed monster".