Charlie Chaplin - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."

"A day without laughter
 is a day wasted." - Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin was born in Walworth, London on 16th August 1889. His parents were Hannah Harriet Pedlingham and Charles Chaplin. They were both music performers and later separated to seek their careers. Chaplin stayed with his mother, who lost her career. Chaplin spent most of his life in and out of charity homes and workhouses, between his mother's insanity bouts. His mother was later committed to Cane Hill Asylum in May 1903.

At age 8, Chaplin started his acting career by touring with the Eight Lancashire Lads. At 18 he toured with Fred Karno's Vaudeville Troupe, and joined them on their US tour in 1910.

He travelled to California in December 1913 and signed with Keystone Studios' Comedy Director, Mack Sennett. While at Keystone, Chaplin appeared in and directed 35 films. In November 1914, he left Keystone and signed on at Essanay, where he made 15 films. In 1916, he signed with Mutual and made 12 films. In June 1917, Chaplin signed with First National Studios, after this he built Chaplin Studios. And in 1919, he and other actors formed the UA (United Artists). 

In 1921, Chaplin was decorated by the French government for his work as a filmmaker, and appointed as Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1952. In 1972, he was honoured with an Academy Award. In 1975, he was created Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year's Honours List.

Chaplin as Hitler
in The Great Dictator (1940)

Although, with great success comes great scandal and controversy. During the First World War, he had his loyalty to England questioned. As he never applied for US citizenship. Many British called Chaplin a coward and a slacker. This all sparked suspicions with the FBI, who believed he was using a Communist propaganda into his films. In Chaplin's film The Great Dictator, in 1940, where he played a humous Adolf Hitler, this film stirred up further suspicions and dislike towards him.

Chaplin was later shunned for his support for aiding the Russian struggle against the Nazis during the Second World War. The US government questioned his morals and political views, and suspected him of having Communist ties. When Chaplin and his family travelled to London for the premier of Limelight (1952), he was denied re-entry to the US. He decided to settle in Switzerland. Where he died of natural causes on 25th December 1977 at his home. Although, in 1978 his corpse was stolen from his grave and not recovered for 3 months, he was re-buried in a concrete vault.

Visit Shakespeare's Globe.

Lego Museums visited the Globe's exhibit within the reconstruction of the 1997 on 25th July 2014. The project was brought together by one man Sam Wanamaker. He believed in bringing the famous playwrights world, William Shakespeare, to life on stage. As Shakespeare said himself in As You Like It: 

"All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players:

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages..." Act 2 Scene 7.

William Rowley you got the lines all wrong. It's "Alas poor Yorick, I knew him".

Sam has really brought the Elizabethan theatre to life with this such iconic scene of the Tudor past. Everything about the place gives the visitor or audience a time machine to the 16th and 17th century theatre. 

As for the exhibit that they have on the same site as the theatre itself; it is a small but lively exhibit showing the life of Tudor England, the history of both the Globe and Shakespeare, as well as talking of the history of English acting and theatre. Along side this historic side of things you look at the painstaking work that went into researching and constructing the Globe that everyone knows and loves today. You have a choice to look around the exhibit on your own or have a tour of what you can see as well as within the Globe itself.

Lego Shakespeare meets the man who brought his Globe back to life, Sam Wanamaker.

The Globe uses its history to agian school audiences by teaching them about Shakespearean acting as well as fashion and history with their number of workshops they have to offer the interest young people in drama, history and of course Shakespeare. As we all know learning about him and his plays were not always a highlight of school if you are just reading his plays. So what the Globe is doing is making it interesting to those who may not like history or old literature. 

This is a great place to go if you're a fan of Shakespeare, Tudors and Elizabethan theatre then is worth a go and see of the exhibit and the theatre to see a play.