Today was a great day, without any walks, well almost.....
We had booked tickets for a play at the Minack Theatre in Porthcurno at 2 pm, but we set off in a taxi at 10:30 am to give us ample time to explore the theatre and its environs before the performance, and we were very glad that we did.
The Minack Theatre is an outdoor theatre built into the granite cliff, known as Minack Head, above Porthcuno Beach. The theatre was the life's work of Rowena Cade, who owned the headland and developed a love for theatre. In 1932 she built the initial theatre for a local production of the Tempest, and apart from a hiatus during WWII, she continued building until well into her eighties, when she gave the property to a trust, which continues to manage the theatre. The theatre's season runs from April through September, with a different play each week, and the trust is self-sufficient.
We began our visit in the cafe, which featured great cream teas (scones with cream and jam) and cheese teas (scones with cheese). It was good that we took the time to eat something as we did not get dinner until 6:30 pm. We then had time to view the exhibits about the building of the theatre (Rowena carried bags of sand up from the beach below to make cement), and a quick walk through the gardens before they closed at 12:30 pm to prepare for the show. We immediately joined the queue for the show, and at 1:00 pm were re-admitted. It was worth standing in line for a half hour as seating is first come first served, and we managed to get seats in the second row, giving us great views of the stage (and the surrounding cliffs and ocean).
Today's play was "The Rise and Fall of Magbeth", a black comedy depicting how Shakespeare would have written about Margaret Thatcher. It was based on Macbeth, with the 3 witches replaced by the 3 medias, to whom Margaret would turn for advice throughout the play. The play was very funny and well acted, especially the part of Margaret Thatcher, which was played by the understudy, as the primary actress was ill.
All in all, a great venue, and a very sustainable legacy, thanks to one woman's foresight and labours, providing local jobs, and promoting local playwrights and acting companies....being invited to perform at the Minack theatre is an honour for any acting company, and you have to be invited in order to perform.
After the show we walked into Porthcurno, where we caught the bus back to Penzance by way of Lands End. We sat in the open air upper deck of the bus, and although we had great views, it was cold, windy, and Marlene and Marty (in the "window" seats) had to deal with branches from the road-side trees each time the bus moved left to allow other vehicles to pass on the narrow roads. Lands End has a huge overhead sign as you enter the village, giving it the impression of being a theme park rather than simply a geographical point - the western-most point in mainland England.
We have two old pubs just around the corner in Chapel Street - The Turk's Head (oldest pub in Penzance) and the Admiral Benbow. We chose the Admiral Benbow for dinner, as it had a better menu, and we were pleasantly surprised. The eating area of the pub is decorated with pirate memorabilia, and the rear section is an actual Captain's Cabin from a Portuguese ship. I enjoyed the steak and ale pie, and the others all had fish. No complaints about the food, which seemed to disappear more quickly than normal.
What better way to end a great day than to go on a Ghost Walk? I know that I promised no walks today, but this was a once a week event, and we didn't really walk very far. The guide was very knowledgeable about Penzance history, especially associated ghost stories, but he was not an entertainer. Nevertheless we enjoyed our 90 minutes hearing about all the likely places to see ghosts in Penzance, but we didn't actually see or feel any ghosts....maybe next time!
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