Gord and I went to the Shakespeare in Ten Acts exhibition at the British Library. The ten acts refer to ten performances of some of his plays that span 400 years and that demonstrate how the performances changed over the years to make them relevant for the times.

It started with an introduction to what is known about the playwright, and then moved on to the first performance of Hamlet at the Globe in about 1600. Next was The Tempest at Blackfriars Playhouse in about 1610, which era used elaborate costumes, music and magic. I should point out that, since this is the British Library, the source material was made up of original letters and books and engravings.

The next gallery talked about what is believed to be the first performance of Hamlet outside of Europe, in 1607, on an East India Company ship, the Red Dragon. Then in 1660, a woman played a role for the first time (Desdemona in Othello), which "would change the course of theatrical history." It was pointed out that she was more of a novelty (so insignificant that her name was never recorded) and it would be years of struggle for women actors to gain respect.

By the late 1600s, Shakespeare was considered old-fashioned and many of his plays were rewritten. But his popularity grew again in the 18th century, so much so that it encouraged forgeries, the most notorious being Vortigern that was performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1796.

Gallery 6 was dedicated to the first black actor to play Othello in Britain, Ira Aldridge (whom I mentioned in my post about our National Portrait Gallery visit), in 1825.

Fast forward to 1970 and Peter Brook's A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Royal Shakespeare Company. This production, with its stark set and symbolic elements, was a far cry from earlier interpretations.

The final two galleries were dedicated to two 21st century performances. The first was Shakespeare's Globe's Twelfth Night in 2002 (and again in 2012) with an all-male cast in an attempt to recreate "the music, costume and cosmetics of Shakespeare's lifetime." We were fortunate to see this production in NYC in 2013 with Mark Rylance (as Olivia) and Stephen Fry (as Malvolio). Watch an excerpt here and enjoy.

The last performance included in the exhibition was the Wooster Group's Hamlet, in 2013 at the Edinburgh International Festival (first performed in 2007 in the US). This "digital age" production was juxtaposed against a film of the Broadway production starring Richard Burton in 1964.

We then went through the Treasures of the British Library room. They always seem to have the big players on display, the Magna Carta and Gutenberg's Bible, but they change other bits, including the Beatles section. Finally we wandered through the Punk 1976-78 exhibition. Three hours later we were ready to leave.

Instead of going straight home, we found our way to the other side of the canal to check out Granary Square. There were a series of fountains that were full of children playing and enjoying the warm weather.

We checked the menus of two restaurants (for a future visit), the Grain Store and Caravan, and found the fancy new Waitrose supermarket where we picked up a couple of things (okay, wine) for dinner. I signed up for my Waitrose card, which gives me discounts and a free tea or coffee when I shop.

We walked along the canal to the flat, a short and very pleasant walk. Here's where I'm going to buy some books.

And you can see our building on the left with the curved windows. Our flat looks out in the other direction.

This photo shows our building on the left and down at the end of the Brattlebridge Basin on the right in the distance is the (long, low) building where we stayed the first three nights.

We're getting a feel for our new neighborhood. But we're heading out of town again tomorrow for several days. I'm afraid our beautiful weather is coming to an end.