pandaschu

The price is obviously right (L5!), but is it difficult to stand that long? Does it distract from the play? (Don't want to pass out and create some sort of tragic domino effect!) I realize that this is a matter of opinion- just hoping for some feedback.

We bought "standing room" tickets at the Proms a few times, but everybody just ended up sitting on the floor.

Thanks!

Singletail

Which play are you planning to stand for?

pandaschu

Measure for Measure

WillTravel

I hated standing. At least get there early enough to get a spot where you can lean on the stage. After walking around all over London, standing for 2.5 to 3 hours just wasn't that fun.

Singletail

Well at least it isn't that longest of longest "King Lear" and it is a comedy to boot.
I think being able to lean on something, or someone, is an excellent one.

TuckH

"Measure for Measure" is NOT a comedy!

It is one of Shak's so-called 'Problem Plays' (along with "Troilus and Cressida" and "All's Well That Ends Well&quot.

It's an under-rated play IMO and one of my favorites (I'm familiar with them all), posing delicate moral issues. If you haven't done so already, I urge you read it (and study it) prior to attending the performance. Otherwise, I doubt that you'll appreciate it.

pandaschu

Thank you, TuckH, for the suggestion. I did start reading it when we decided to go see it, as I have learned in the past that reading/ studying a play before I see it enriches the experience immensely.

BTW, I am in no way attempting to be knowledgeable on the subject of Shakespeare, but in The Norton Shakespeare, Katherine Eisaman Maus writes "Many critics, therefore, classify Measure for Measure as a "problem" comedy". I only bring that up because Singletail and Tuck H seem to disagree on this point.

TuckH

It's a "comedy" in the sense that it ends peacefully and not "tragically". As such, you'll not find much to laugh at, in the comic sense.

panda, it's good that you're preparing for it; whether you're standing or sitting, that's the key to enjoying The Bard' plays.

Marilyn

pandaschu, how old are you and in what physical condition and how do you feel about standing for that long in general?
(No need to answer, rhetorical questions only!)

Personally, I consider standing in one place like that for several hours to be a mild form of torture.

2fly

Marilyn is right on age and physicle condition. I knew a couple of college students who stood a few times in the Globe. They totally enjoyed it, and said the plays were so wonderful, they didn't realized that they were standing all that time.

prof_jen

I stood through a performance of Henry V the first season that the Globe reopened in 1997. I really enjoyed myself. However, it was a bit crowded around me (especially because there was a rowdy bunch of elementary school students on a field trip).

Also, I found myself having to shift my weight back and forth from leg to leg during the last hour or so of the performance. So I agree that if you find standing for a long period difficult, you probably won't really enjoy the play.

Otherwise, it's fun to stand where the "commoners" stood, seeing Shakespeare from the same perspective.

And the price is great!