THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 4, 1996 TAG: 9602030050
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E4 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: TRAVEL-WISE
SOURCE: STEPHEN HARRIMAN
LENGTH: Long : 149 lines
SHAKESPEARE'S GLOBE Theatre, the sequel, will claim a share of the London tourism spotlight this year . . . beginning this week, in fact.
A reproduction of the Globe has arisen anew, not on the exact site, but close by on the same, still unfashionable south bank of the Thames in the working-class borough called Southwark (pronounced Suth-erk), across London Bridge from the Tower and St. Paul's Cathedral.
As part of the London Art Season, Shakespeare Day will be celebrated Friday and again March 7 with a guided tour of the reconstructed theatre, a workshop and an evening performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company in its London home, the Barbican Theatre.
The new Globe was the dream of the late American actor and director Sam Wanamaker, who died of cancer in 1993 after a lengthy campaign to resurrect the theatre.
The story, now nearing mythic proportions, goes that in 1949 Wanamaker visited the site, saw the simple plaque marking the spot and, partly inspired by a reproduction of the Globe he had seen at the World's Fair in Chicago in 1934, determined then and there to rebuild the Globe as a performance and education center.
The full-fledged opening of the theater is scheduled for Wanamaker's birthday, June 14.
The original Globe, built in 1599 beyond London's walls, served as the home of Shakespeare's acting company and the site for the first performances of many of his plays. ``As You Like It'' may have been written for the opening.
In 1613, the thatched roof was set on fire by a cannon during a performance of ``Henry VIII,'' and the building burned to the ground. Rebuilt the next year, the Globe thrived until it was closed by an anti-theater government in 1642 and torn down in 1644.
The new Globe will be as close as possible to the Tudor-style original, although no accurate drawings of Shakespeare's Globe exist. Based, though, on 1989 excavations of the original site (which lies beneath a 19th century historic building that cannot be destroyed) and on sketches of similar theaters, the builders have erected a 20-sided, open-air theater, framed by English oak, faced with lime plaster and topped by a reed thatched roof.
The shortage of proper English oak, I'm told, is the main reason the reconstruction project has taken so long.
Audiences won't be packed in as tightly as they were in Shakespeare's time, when 3,000 people typically filled the Globe on a summer afternoon. Three tiers will seat about 1,000 people on wooden benches, and 500 more ``groundlings'' may stand (or sit) around the simple thrust stage.
In case you're concerned, a hidden 20th century sprinkler system will ensure that the roof doesn't catch fire again.
Getting there: The closest underground station is London Bridge. It's a five- to 10-minute walk from there.
Info: The British Tourist Authority, 551 Fifth Ave., Suite 701, New York, N.Y. 10176-0799, has a free London Arts Season brochure as well as a London Planner, updated monthly, full of events and ideas. Ask also for a London map. The BTA now has a toll-free information line, (800) 462-2748, staffed weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. PASSPORTS II
The same State Department that was urging people needing passports to apply immediately and beat the spring rush just weeks ago is now asking the foreign-bound not to apply now unless they'll actually need their traveling papers within a month.
Passport offices around the country are backed up with hundreds of thousands of requests because of the federal shutdowns and, in some quarters, delays caused by this month's blizzard.
Suzanne Lawrence, a press officer for the department's bureau of consular affairs in Washington, says, ``Passport services are funded through the end of the fiscal year.'' She also noted that passport applications can be submitted at some post offices, and that mailing an application is the easiest way of all. HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL
February's really a pretty awful month, weather-wise. Seems winter has lasted long enough, yet spring is still so far away. Ah, but there are places where you can smell the flowers and think spring.
There may be no better place to head than to Philadelphia, home of the country's oldest and largest flower show, where this year the entire city is celebrating with more than 50 programs at museums, restaurants, hotels, theaters and stores. The Philadelphia show also has a new home, the Pennsylvania Convention Center and an earlier than usual date, Feb. 25-March 3.
For information on the show, call (215) 625-8253. To obtain information on Flower Show Week, along with special offerings, accommodation information and a SuperPass, good for two days, call (800) 974-7666.
Closer to home, the Maymont Flower & Garden Show in Richmond has been named one of the top shows in America by The New York Times. Virginia's largest garden show will be Feb. 22-25. For information, call (800) 370-9004. For information on accommodations and a visitor pack, call (800) 444-2777.
Colonial Williamsburg will hold its 50th annual Garden Symposium April 14-17. Discussions will be held on how gardening has changed and will change in the next 50 years. Info: (804) 220-7255.
``America's Largest Open House'' - a tour of homes and gardens - takes place April 20-21 in Virginia. More than 250 of Virginia's most beautiful properties will be featured in the annual event of The Garden Club of Virginia. A brochure listing dates and localities of garden week tours is available; write to Historic Garden Week, 12 E. Franklin St., Richmond, Va. 23219, or call (804) 644-7776. A 200-page guidebook will be available in March (enclose $3 for postage). For travel and accommodation information, call the Virginia Division of Tourism at (804) 786-2051. BAD TREND
Airline arena names. Is this necessary? Recently the Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey became the Continental arena. It joins the United Center in Chicago, the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, the America West Arena in Phoenix and the USAir Arena in Landover, Md. Coming soon: the Trans World Dome in St. Louis and the Air Canada Center in Toronto.
If you are wondering why these airlines don't save the money and cut fares or increase the legroom in the coach section, ask the next time you buy a ticket. WHERE ARE WE GOING
Spain has knocked the United States out of its long-held position as the second most popular tourist draw in the world, according to federal tourism officials. France retained its spot at the top in 1995 despite a slight decrease in visitors.
The World Tourism Organization's 1995 ranking of international tourist arrivals show:
1. France: 60.6 million, down 1.13 percent; 2. Spain: 45.1 million, up 4.38 percent; 3. United States: 44.7 million, down 1.7 percent; 4. Italy: 29.2 million, up 6.2 percent; 5. China: 23.4 million, up 10.9 percent; 6. United Kingdom, 22.7 million, up 7.92 percent; 7. Hungary, 22.1 million, up 3.09 percent; 8. Mexico, 19.9 million, up 16.11 percent; 9. Poland, 19.2 million, up 2.2 percent; 10. Austria, 17.7 million, down .6 percent. OPEN WIDE
Suppose you're on a trip and wake up with a horrible toothache. Bummer. Who you gonna call?
Try (800) DENTIST if you're in the continental U.S. It's a California-based referral service that has the latest computer-assisted information available to meet the precise needs of the caller. All dentists in the database have passed a strict screening process.
There is no charge to the caller for the referral service. GIVE PEACE A CHANCE
Apparently it helps tourism. People just don't like to go places where they might get killed. Almost everyone knows that. Even in Northern Ireland. Finally.
The Northern Ireland Tourist Board reported that in 1995, vacationers to Northern Ireland increased 68 percent to 430,000, a surge attributed to the cease-fire of 1994 between the IRA and Protestant guerrillas. The board also noted that a survey of visitors showed 92 percent wanted to make a return visit. by CNB