The last time that part of London was so busy Shakespeare was watching his plays performed at the original Globe.

He led rebuilding efforts after the original Globe and later the Festival Stage were destroyed by arson.

The original Globe, on a site about 200 yards away, was built from 1598 to 1599.

Fred could improvise in rhyme and meter like a Shakespearean actor from the original Globe.

But much about the original Globe remains a mystery.

Yet many Shakespeare companies have chosen performance spaces with characteristics that bear no relation at all to the original Globe.

Curiously - and perhaps this was also true at the original Globe - the rain seemed to energize the actors, who had been burdened by lassitude.

Like the original Globe, the theatre was open in the center with a roof over the seating on the sides.

The original Globe was built in 1599, and was destroyed by a fire in 1613.

Like the original Globe, the modern theatre has a thrust stage that projects into a large circular yard surrounded by three tiers of raked seating.