British capital offers splendid exhibits for theater lovers

Sandwiched between six shows in five days, we managed to enjoy a morning of browsing secondhand stalls in Covent Garden before an alfresco lunch with entertainment provided by a terrific string quartet of buskers (street performers).

Adjacent to the Covent Garden market we located the Theatre Museum (about $7 for adults), which includes a wide range of displays, artifacts and tours.

The museum has something for everyone. Children, for instance, participate in makeup and costume demonstrations given by theater artists. Visiting scholars are able to view a massive collection of videotaped and filmed performances. There is even a hands-on display of larger-than-life puppets that visitors can use to make their own theatrical magic (Theatremuseum.vam.ac.uk).

After an easy 20-minute ride on the London Underground followed by a 10-minute walk, we arrived at Shakespeare's Globe.

Inside the Globe, everything is historically accurate. From massive oak beams and supports joined by wooden nails to the use of natural light and wooden seats with no backs, the theater attempts to present an authentic Elizabethan performance.

The work is serious and competent, but the audience experience is decidedly informal. "Groundlings," who pay less to stand (and are not allowed to sit), mill about before the stage and occasionally are included in the action. Patrons are welcome to come and go as they please and to eat delicious ice cream or sandwiches.

To further enhance the experience, there is also a fascinating theatrical archive beneath the theater ($12 adults, $40 for a family of five).

The exhibition at the Globe features an archaeological timeline that takes visitors through the theater and culture of Shakespeare's time. It also chronicles the many obstacles overcome by American actor Sam Wanamaker, whose dream it was to see the Globe built.

Wanamaker was blacklisted during the mid-20th-century political witch hunts in the United States. However, he became an international cultural hero for championing the building of Shakespeare's Globe.

For the aficionado, there are recordings of famous speeches that allow the hearer to compare Richard Burton to Kenneth Branagh or John Gielgud.

After brushing up your Shakespeare, you also can step into a booth to record a scene from the Bard's work playing opposite a "virtual" actor.

Dazed and exhausted after our whirlwind week, my wife and I realized that London city officials got it right when they gave the theater district its Disneyish designation.