h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If it's Shakespeare you're after, on those dates it'll be Twelfth Night or Much Ado, and public booking opens 30th January. You will need to book in advance, and quite soon too, tickets get sold out very quickly.

If you're up to it, then do the yard as Groundlings rather than seated. And take raincoats (no umbrellas allowed).

http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/theatre/whats-on/globe-theatre/twelfth-night-2017
http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/theatre/whats-on/globe-theatre/much-ado-about-nothing-2017

Apparently this is available to watch internationally for a few more months. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p047lmwj A Midsummer Night's Dream, shown live by the BBC in September, and in fact the day after I'd been there myself to see Macbeth (in the rain).

Even if you don't watch the whole 3 hours, the first 15 minutes will be enough to show you how amazing the Yard experience is.

(Oh and all that safety tomfoolery at the start? That absolutely never happens!!! I assume it was put in for the international viewers, to show them the etiquette and such.)

Did you manage to book anything at the Globe? If not a play, maybe a tour?

If not, you have 2 more weeks to watch the international link for last summers MSD in #3, which will give you a good idea of what it's like.

I did watch a bit of the link last night--I'm definitely leaning towards groundling status, but I'm not sure if my back will still be speaking to me after standing that long (I can walk forever, but standing still for any length of time kills my lower back... Of course, I can probably move a bit more than I can when doing washing-up, and I won't be bored and therefore noticing such things...)

I need to go over my itinerary again, especially after my silliness of last weekend trying to squeeze a day trip out of London--and then realizing I had 2 more days than I'd thought, and so now it's no problem (seriously--2 days of agonising for no reason) I've got a bank account just for trip things, now, that will be getting more money in when our tax return arrives, and I expect I will be seeing if either play is sold out...

Groundlings aren't really standing still. In fact if they are, that's when people start to faint (in some productions this happens quite a bit!)

It's not a problem standing up, as long as there's action in the pit that makes you need to move about you'd be fine. Or you could either make a dash for the front and lean against the stage (high risk of becoming part of the production) or hang back and lean against the back of the pit. People sit on the ground in the interval so you'd get a rest.

I will be a groundling at the 2pm showing of Twelfth Night on July 25