There is hardly anything that can quite compare with seeing Shakespeare performed in England. Except, that is, for seeing Shakespeare performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in New York, inside a replica of London’s famous Globe Theater.
The Royal Shakespeare Company has arrived in the Big Apple, and they have “flat-packed” a full-scale replica of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, reconstructing it within the old Armory building on Park Avenue. The replica was sent in 46 different shipping containers, holding all the pieces needed to bring the 975-seat modern Globe to life for Shakespeare-worshipping New Yorkers. A team of engineers and carpenters spent two weeks constructing and perfecting this building within a building. (Those with eight minutes to spare should check out the time-lapse video of the theater being constructed start to finish in Stratford-upon-Avon on the RSC’s YouTube page.)
During their six-week residence in New York, the Royal Shakespeare Company will put on five very different plays. The same repertory ensemble of 44 actors will grace the stage in Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, King Lear and The Winter’s Tale.
The occasion for this unprecedented series of performances? This is a special year for the RSC and Shakespeare enthusiasts alike, with 2011 marking the RSC’s 50th anniversary, and the 400th anniversary of the first performances of The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest.
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s residency in New York runs until August 14th.
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