Rail commuters were distracted from their cramped conditions yesterday with a surprise performance of Shakespeare.
The 8.46 Thameslink from West Hampstead to Blackfriars became the setting for two-minute performances from Hamlet and Two Gentlemen of Verona between stops to mark the opening of the South Bank entrance of the station.
Zimbabwean duo Tonderai Munyevu and Denton Chikura, both 29, who wore Elizabethan costumes, are members of the Two Gents Productions company and are performing at the Globe to Globe festival, which will see all 37 of the Bard’s plays performed in 37 languages. They said they were pleasantly surprised at the cheerful reactions from travellers.
Mr Munyevu, from Harlesden, said: “We were very aware that it was an early Thameslink train into the City and were worried the reaction might not have been so warm. But they loved our express Shakespeare with their espresso.”
The £500 million redevelopment of Blackfriars has created the first station in Britain to span a bridge. Longer platforms and a glass walkway will allow Tube passengers to cross the river.
