Shakespeare’s Globe is celebrating the 449th anniversary of the big man’s birth, which is also the 397th of his death. ‘Shakespeare’s Birthday Open House’ is a daytime (noon-5pm) shindig aimed at families. It featuring a programme of events inspired by the Bard’s scorcerer Prospero, including hourly performances of supernatural scenes from Shakespeare, magical masterclasses for children aged six plus, card tricks, the chance to perform on-stage, witches and wizards on stilts and lots of spooky-themed food, including eyeball pies.
In the evening (from 7pm) it’s the adults’ turn to mark the Bard’s special day. As well as magic performances from Barry and Stuart and comedy from Piff the Magic Dragon and Chris Cox (the mind reader who can’t read minds), ‘The Birthday Whirligig’ offers music from The Magic Numbers (fronted by Romeo Stodart but sadly lacking a Juliet) and Johnny Flynn, the singer-songwriter who acted in the Globe's productions of ‘Twelfth Night’ and ‘Richard III’ last year.