Who would have thought a drop-down menu could be so humbling? With the annual season at Shakespeare's Globe under way, patrons booking online probably expected the standard Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Dr options when entering their personal details. Instead, as if in homage to the playwright who put so many soldiers, nobles and royals on stage, the Globe website also offers Reverend, Canon, Bishop, Judge, Lieutenant, Captain, Commander, Colonel, Air Commodore, Brigadier, Baroness, Dame, Count, Countess, Sir, Lord, Duke, Viscount, Viscountess, Marquess, Prince and Princess.
"A lot of people from overseas add in a title just to see if it works," says box-office manager Laura Trigg. "I suppose it gives them the opportunity to be a viscount for a day. We will always address people by their title, and ask them to produce identification. Sometimes we have been caught out, as some people genuinely are an air commodore."
So far, tickets for this season have been snapped up by 16 air commodores, 18 brigadiers, 12 colonels, 29 counts and countesses and 26 princesses. But since almost 20,000 people have paid as Mr, Mrs, Miss and Ms, however, the plebs are clearly not being deterred.