Black flag raised at Shakespeare's Globe

Back in May (was this my first ontoLondon post?), I mentioned that Under the Flag: The early life, adventures and piracies of the famous Long John Silver before he lost his leg, a new play by Simon Bent, was to open 9 July at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre (click here for that post).

Yesterday, I caught a performance of this show, which essentially works as a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. The play even goes into how Mr. Silver came to be called "long" (um ... you'll have to see the play to have that clarified, but any naughty notions you might be entertaining will probably be confirmed).

Now, I wouldn't rank this play anywhere near said classic novel, but it is faithful to Stevenson, fun (in a pillage and plunder sort of way), and historically accurate. The dialogue is Elizabethian and at times downright filthy (a jar full of a monkey's what?). There's even some full-frontal in the first act. Much of the story takes place along the Barbary Coast (argh!) during the height of the fascinating Republic of Bou Regreg.

Catching Under the Black Flag marked the end of a week flanked by piratical entertainment (last Sunday, I went to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie - click here for that review on my Tiki Chris blog). And, shiver me timbers, I'm a happy boy for it.

As with any visit to a performance at the Globe, pay for a seat (I've seen even spry teenage groundlings' knees buckle) , pay the extra pound for a cushion, and, if the show's during the afternoon or early evening, wear sunscreen.