The Globe Theater and Tate Modern

On the way to the Globe Theater, I passed and walked over a few bridges:

Once inside the Globe Theater, I headed for the very British, "Cushion Hut," where I got my previously reserved cushion. Those red rectangles stacked behind the hut supervisor are the cushions. These protect your bottom (let's continue the British theme here: arse) from getting sore on the extremely hard benches. (Full disclosure: I Googled the need for them before reserving.) Many people arrived without a reserved cushion, sat down, and rushed off to get one. 

 

The play was Antony and Cleopatra, and it was a bilingual production. It was presented in BSL (British Sign Language) and English. Quite a few of the stars, including Cleopatra, were deaf. I didn't know this about the show before I reserved my seat, and in some ways, having 40% of the actors non-speaking was a distraction. But it was also very powerful how the deaf performers expressed their emotions with sign language. There were captions on three screens, so you could see the words. Also, I had gotten a hearing device, which did not increase the clarity but did feature the lines spoken that were signed. 

I had never seen Antony and Cleopatra performed, so I was not as familiar with the story. I think if the play had been one I had seen before, it would have been even more powerful in BSL than just English.

Afterwards, I walked along the Thames to the Tate Modern. The building was previously used as a power station, and the many of the architectural features remain.

                                                                              

If you ever wondered what a work in progress looks like, the above shows preparations for the Hyundai Commission: Mire Lee

I thought this tower of radios was very creative.

I liked the way Richter used a squeegee to paint.

The combination of disorder/order was very interesting. 

I really enjoy Giacometti's tall, thin statues. It wasn't until I went to Switzerland that I realized he was also a painter.

On the way back to the tube, I passed by this sandy beach on the Thames.