Video

WOS TV: Rail commuters confounded by Two Gentlemen of Verona

| London's West End |

20 February 2012

Hundreds of unsuspecting commuters heading into London Blackfriars yesterday were treated to excerpts from Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona. The stunt – performed live on First Capital Connect trains on the Thameslink route – was organised to mark the opening of the new Blackfriars south station.

London Blackfriars has been under major redevelopment since 2008 and now has entrances on both the north and south banks of the River Thames, with the station platforms spanning the rail bridge. The station redeveloped is also designed to improve the interchange with London Underground services.

There have been calls, including from MP Simon Hughes, for the reopened station to be renamed Blackfriars & Bankside to reflect that the transport hub now serves both sides of the river making access easy to cultural attractions such as Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe.

Travellers at the South Bank entrance were treated to performances of Two Gentlemen of Verona by production company Two Gents.