Parting is such sweet sorrow…
It's one of Shakespeare's most famous lines and one New Zealand fans of Pop-up Globe are now hearing. After 1206 performances and New Zealand ticket sales of 350,000, the pop-up theatre - a replica made of scaffolding of Shakespeare's second Globe theatre – has decided to pop off.
It will now travel to some of the world's biggest cities but, first, there will be a farewell summer season in Auckland. This begins on December 13 with two shows, a new version of Romeo and Juliet and the reprisal of its most popular production, the Pasifika themed Much Ado About Nothing directed by Miriama McDowell.
Founder and artistic director Dr Miles Gregory, who will direct Romeo and Juliet, says it's a bittersweet moment but the Pop-up Globe team always aimed to take the theatre and its productions to the great cities of the world.