Evening of Culture

A rare detour from the normal routine for my blog, but I must actually comment on an occasion of interest last night - in cultured form last night we went out to see a play, and not merely a play but a Shakespeare play at the Globe Theatre.

This being obviously an event far above our station, Chrissi and I made ourselves appear more common by grabbing a pasty on the way to the theatre and eating this sheltering from the rain outside Southwark underground station - the timings were such that we didn't have time for a proper meal before the play started.

The play in question was The Taming of the Shrew, which was not one I was familiar with, and while I knew the name I couldn't have named any of the plot or events. It was entertaining and well performed, and the setting is fantastic and intimate.

The play itself is perhaps somewhat dated in terms of its slight element of sexism introduced from time to time; to wit, the entire concept of the taming of a wife to be obedient and whose purpose is solely to serve her husband. There is huge debate as to whether the play is indeed genuine, or a satire, or a work of exaggeration to mock such attitudes - and I'm not best placed to add my opinion to that body of work!