Last weekend's date was with Chris. His emails were very cheeky and he suggested an interesting venue for our date–the annual Frost Fair at South Bank. I was really looking forward to meeting him.
I got there a bit earlier and was pleasantly surprised to learn that it was free entry into Shakespeare’s Globe theatre and Museum that day! Now, just had to muster the courage to get past the Anti Shakespeare society that had set up a silent protest outside the main doors. They were holding up placards that said things like, “Just Say No”; “Drugs, Violence and Hard Words”; “Join our Silent Protest”The Museum is interesting for die hard Shakespeareans. Which I’m not. I was only there because it was free. Would never pay £9 just for that! There’s lots of information about what London looked like back then, what the people wore, how costumes were made, what dyes were used, how long it takes to put on makeup, how the plays were published etc. There were a few actors milling about, dealing ‘Marlow’ plays hidden in the depths of their trench coats. I told the cute ‘Brother’ who sidled up to me, “No, I don’t want Marlow, but can I have your phone number instead? He didn’t give it to me.
I found one interactive display, where you could record yourself doing a scene from a Shakespeare play. Pre- recorded actor’s voices say some lines and then you speak your line which is highlighted in red. It’s a bit like karaoke! I did Lady Macbeth from a scene in Macbeth, just after he’s killed the King. There are some things in life that are easier done when there are two of you, with Yati for instance, but this time there wasn’t and I felt like a right twat speaking in the booth on my own. When I played it back, my voice sounded so feint and it was obvious I should have shouted… by then the next group of people were waiting their turn and I couldn’t bring myself to re-record it in front of them.
The tour of the theatre ends in the actual Globe – the stage etc. It’s not as big as I thought it would be and there is the open sky above it. So if you are one of the unfortunates who cannot afford to pay full price for the covered stall seats, you’d be drenched in our fine English weather. Some guys were playing old music on the stage. This was followed by a comedy sketch that I didn’t ‘get’. I think it was supposed to be funny?
Chris phones to say he has arrived. His real life personality was not as impressive as his online one. A geek. The Rules say that you should let the guy direct the conversation, but he wasn’t giving me anything to work with so our time together was punctuated by long periods of silence. He also didn’t have any other ideas apart from browse through the Frost Fair stalls – all 20 of them, which lasted about 10 minutes. I suggested coffee at nearby Tate Modern. We sat there painfully, even small talk was strained. In the end, I just said, “I have to go. I’m meeting someone else!” The relief on his face was palpable!
I haven't heard from him since! Thank God!
