Millennium Bridge and the Globe Theatre

After St. Pauls we crossed the Millennium Bridge (opened in 2000) to the Globe Theatre.  We had a tour with an excellent guide and got to see the cast practicing for Taming of the Shrew that was opening that night.  One of the lead actresses had broken her leg two days prior and they dont' have understudies, so a new lead was working very hard to be ready for that evening.

The guide talked about some of the norms of the day during Shakespeares time, including that theatre was outlawed within the city of London.  He listed a large number of actors and playwrights that were linked to various scandals, frauds, and fights.  So the Globe and its rival playhouse were built outside the city.  Only men acted during that time so they also played the role of women.  In another twist on gender norms today, those attending the play dressed quite differently than we might expect.  Men of means were expected to have large bellies, showing that they could support themselves and eat well.  If a man were strong and lean, he was considered a farmer who could barely feed himself and his family.  So men strapped on fake bellies to wear under their attire, and topped it all off with high heels that showed off their calves.  It would have been strange for women to wear heals during this time.  Instead they were dressed with large bustles to enhance their child bearing hips and thus their desirability.  Everyone painted their faces with likely toxic substances which were lead based. 

I would have much rather been poor during this time and forgo such fashions.  Except that I would have had to stand in the "pit" in front of the stage where everyone simply relieved themselves if they needed to because there were no toilet facilities.