Shakespeare's Globe Reviews

mythical monument in memory of WS, very crowded, on the right bank of the Thames, between street food and old boats

Attended a choir concert at the San Wannamaker. Beautiful building and great atmosphere.

The Globe Theatre is such a good place to see live Shakespeare shows taken place. It is so much better than reading the books! It is such an amazing atmosphere and the location is amazing just by the River Thames. The visit it worth while as you can see the costumes that were made and all the objects! It is such a good place to go!

I've wanted to visit the Globe since I was little. Finally got there and what a tour. It was a typical walk-around tour and I was anticipating yet another boring history lesson tour, but boy was I wrong. Our tour guide, Laura, was AMAZING!!!! :-) She made this worthwhile and enjoyable. If you're taking a trip to the Globe, ask for Laura to be your tour guide. Phenomenal!

Fabulous performance of As You Like It - would definitely recommend.

What a great open air theatre!!!! It is a replica of the very theater shakespear would have experienced! Loved the staff...fun experience all round. We saw Much Ado About Nothing...great acting and well done. Casual and easy. The seats are authentic so if you want a back rest choose a seat against the wall and watch for pillars. You can rent cushions and blankets which are cheap and worth it. Grab a drink at the bar and enjoy the twinkley trees. Wear appropriate clothing. Anyone standing in the center is under the stars....cheap tickets and you can get close to the stag.

A faithful recreation of the Bard's theatre. Engaging tour.

Well worth a visit tour and museum a must accompanying pub the swan good beer and food

Shakespeare's Globe is a very quiet and cosy place with lots of interesting plays like Hamlet, the Merchant of Venice to name a few. I would love to visit it again.

We had Sam, a most inspired and passsionate teller of stories and a great add to the fantastic team of Globe enthausiasts.

I couldn't visit the room because a play was being performed

Very interesting sightseeing tour, enthousiaste monitor, Tim you nailed it such a pleasure to listen to you.

The American actor Sam Wanamaker was do dismayed at the lack of celebration for The Globe in London that took it upon himself to rekindle that fire of Shakespeare where it used to stand (or right beside). It's a theatre like no other - open More

This was a dream come true for me. I'm a huge Shakespeare fan, so this was absolutely incredible. Wish I could put six stars!

Watched a fantastic production of Edward II in the beautiful Sam Wannamaker Play House.

Everything super guides also good but only in English very interesting for those who are interested in otherwise a little boring but informative!

Beautiful reconstruction of the original theater of the famous writer. There are pieces and anyone can buy the tickets to watch them.

Amazing to see the building in person and to hear the stories of its history

This was a great experience and my group had a really charming tour guide. She was very interactive and engaging. I also had the best time with the exhibit that is before the tour.

Watched Mark Rylance in Othello - brilliant. It's a must see show

Really good plays on a gorgeous venue, get the stand tickets and a drink at the bar

Excellent experience - very interesting, period setting and great production quality.

During the first years of Elizabeth s reign, the English playing companies used inns, inn yards, college halls and private houses for their performances. It was not until 1576 that the actor-manager James Burbage built the Theatre in Shoreditch, the first purpose-built playhouse in London. Shakespeare joined the resident troupe at the Theatre in the 1580s and the company (later known as the Chamberlain s and then the King s Men) flourished there for 20 years.

In 1596 a dispute arose over the renewal of the lease and negotiations were begun to acquire a disused hall in the precincts of the old Blackfriars priory to use as an indoor theatre. James Burbage died in February 1597; in April the lease expired, but the dispute continued for two years, during which time the company performed at the nearby Curtain playhouse. In Christmas 1598 the company sought a drastic solution: they leased a plot near the Rose, a rival theatre in Southwark, demolished the Theatre and carried its timbers over the river. To cover the cost of the new playhouse, James Burbage s sons Cuthbert and Richard, offered some members of the company shares in the building. Shakespeare was one of four actors who bought a share in the Globe. By early 1599 the theatre was up and running and for 14 years it thrived, presenting many of Shakespeare s greatest plays.

In 1613, during a performance of Henry VIII, wadding from a stage cannon ignited the thatched roof and the theatre burned to the ground all in less than two hours, the people having enough to do to save themselves . The theatre was quickly rebuilt, this time with a tiled roof. Shakespeare may have acted in the second Globe, but he probably never wrote for it. It remained the home for Shakespeare s old company until the closure of all the theatres under England s Puritan administration in 1642. No longer of use, it was demolished to make room for tenements in 1644.

The tour of the globe was really interesting and made very funny by the guide. I recommend (especially London Pass holders) to come at 9:00 am. So you can take a look at the exhibition with audio guide until 9:30 and then take part in the first tour in the empty Globe Theater.

I loved As You Like It, Twelfth Night, and Two Noble Kinsmen. Hamlet (the show, not the actress) fell a bit flat for me. But these were my first Globe shows and I just love it there. Especially when Groundling tickets are so cheap!!

Bought tickets for a tour between 1230 and 4pm. Turned up and turned away due to a play being on. Had already paid for the tickets online. And only day able to attend the globe after wanting to do it for 20years! Terrible customer service and no apologies from team. Pretty much told us to go away and shrugged shoulders! Have now been put off the whole experience! Maybe for future business if selling tickets online put a disclosure and liase with other ticket sellers that there will not be tours on certain days. Terrible! Ruined my holiday as this was a bucket list item not ticked off!

It has an old fashioned, wooden open-air theater with 3 levels of seating and a standing yard in front of the stage. Went there to see 'The Merchant of Venice'. Multi-talented artists, enjoyed the show a lot. Only annoying thing is frequent aeroplane noises making it hard to hear dialogues, and chilly winds due to no cover. Situated in nice area, with many pubs and restaurants nearby to spend the evening after. Tube station at walking distance.

Accurate reconstruction of the original theater, excellent and informative training, thanks to the interesting site training, the display is quite boring.

It's the Shakespeare's Globe. If you want to think of yourself as a docent human being, you must come at least once.

Great reconstruction of the original. Went on the guided tour and quite enjoyed it. Didn't stay for a play as they were doing the Henry plays which aren't my cup of tea.

Been a few times. Groundling tickets are cheapest, be prepared for a long stand and interaction with the cast if you do this though!

I love to stand. Find a place where you can lean against something

Fake ...
Maybe just to see a show ... not in winter though

Amazing shows and wonderful location. Absolute must see!

Recreation of Shakespeare globe along the Thames, where you can either stand or get one of the wooden seats to watch a play. The tours of the therater can also be taken. Built to be as close the The original globe as possible.

This place is a must for anyone who likes Shakespeare, theatre or lives in London or comes to visit. Enjoy a nice evening of culture in an idyllic setting. It transports you back in time and you get to experience what a play would have looked like back then. Highly recommended, especially on a warm summer evening.

Amazing reconstruction of the original. You can eat and drink while watching the play :)

Great to see Merchant of Venice last night. Globe is missing a trick in not promoting their bar and albeit limited bar snacks on their website. Also, BBQ available just outside the entrance to the theatre itself I wish I'd know about.

Amazing...saw Romeo and Juliet and nearly blubbed!!

The actors, ambience, hot chocolate (at 3 pounds), everything is super great. And even though we took the yard tickets, it was worth standing 3 hours. Tip: go along a group, you'll have more fun.

A very beautiful place that gives the feeling of living history. A splendid piece with very generous actors.

A fun place to visit and learn about. The tour is small, but worth it. You get to learn about the building, the plays there, and a bit about Shakespeare's time. Plus, the giftshop is full of everything Shakespeare! I really enjoyed it!

The shop here is lovely, most noteworthy is that everything is well designed and of high quality, exactly what you would hope for from the Globe. There are many items for each main play and also for the Globe itself. Happily you can go into the shop without paying to go into the Globe itself.

Wonder staff great place history and art in one place

Highly interesting in itself, tour with Canice Bannon extremely entertaining and instructive

What a treat to be able to watch a Shakespeare play at the Globe. What was even better was paying Five Pounds for the standing area up and close to the stage.

Went for the tour. Had an excellent guide who taught us a few amazing facts. Don't want to give away too many spoilers but the song Greensleeves is actually most likely about some green sleeves.

I saw "As you like it". Very good actors. Exceptional direction.

Amazing experience! We were lucky enough to get tickets to opening night of A Midsumers Night's Dream this year, in the standing section. We happend to make the perfect choice where we stood as well. The actors came through and interacted with the audience from the front of the stage, it was wonderful, and I hardly noticed standing for the entire evening.
There is a free water fountain as well in the courtyard to refill you water bottles, it can get a little stuffy when it's been a warm day like we had.
Loved the play, costumes and audience participation.

Always great quality shows. The secret theatre was a delight and Sam wannamaka candle theatre was lovely.

Amazing architecture, performance and ambience. If you do one thing in London, make it an evening, STANDING at a production at The Globe.

Simply amazing, I watched a piece of theatre... a blast from the past

The Globe theater is rightly among the must-see London attractions. Of course it is the replica of the Shakespearean theater of the seventeenth century, even if it is a true replica of the original. You can make tours inside the theater keeping in mind the times of visits as it is used for theatrical performances.

What a great place to watch Shakespeare performed live! And if you're willing to stand through the whole play you stand a good chance of having the actors interact with you and making you part of the play.

Shakespeare was a genius of epic proportions and his plays are timeless. Globe has given me some wonderful moments not least with King Lear in August. Cast joyful and Kevin McNally as Lear an inspired performance.

Megamomentos

Nearly always excellent, though be aware of seating arrangements that lack modern comforts. Some productions more 'woke' than others, so research before purchasing relatively expensive tickets!

Interesting delve into history if you can try and take in a performance

I'm afraid there's no short review for this place, as far as I'm concerned.
I'll start with the good bits. The tickets are cheap, the performances are good (Shakespeare can write a play and the players, I think, you can count on being solid), they server beer (and other bits), and it's a wonderful location.
Having said all that I went for a standing performance of Othello and did have a minor gripe. I'd like to think I'm a fairly laid back person but there were people in the standing pit I did find annoying and sometimes distracting. I'm sure they didn't mean to be, it was nothing horrible, it's just worth bearing in mind that if you go for the incredibly cheap tickets you might find yourself both facing the elements and facing some less then wonderful people.

Otherwise I think the place is great. Especially for an evening if you're a tourist; just to see the venue and catch the vibes.