Trees at the theatre?

I was somewhat surprised to see this as I walked from the tube to the Barbican Centre.

The plaque nearby reads:

Part of a Beech Tree (Fagus Sylvatica) over 500 years old which fell in the forest of Burnham Beeches Buckinghamshire during a storm in January 1990. Burnham Beeches was purchased by the Corporation of London on behalf of the nation in 1880. The forest was the favourite haunt of the composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1808 - 1847) during his frequent visits to the area. He used to sit under this tree gaining inspiration to write several works including some of the incidental music to "A Midsummer Night's Dream.

That's very interesting... But, strangely, there's a photograph of a tree, still standing in 2010, which also alleges to be Mendelssohn's Oak.

Anyhoo, I was going to see Hamlet Hail to the Thief, which combines Hamlet with a Radiohead album. Just an hour forty, so the text was cut. Very good dancing. Hamlet, the actor, was probably the best Hamlet I've seen at the theatre. Only just pipping Kenneth Branagh, whose Hamlet I loved but far better than Daniel Day Lewis's. Actually, a quick Google search tells me that one night DDL walked off stage and never returned to the production! He had emotional exhaustion. So did I watching the three hour long epic. Well, maybe it wasn't three hours, but, man, it felt like it. Claudius (Paul Hilton) was also SUPERB. A brilliant Claudius. And, as I say, the dancing was great. Plus I love Radiohead. But, I didn't like it. Don't know why. Just didn't.

It's not because I want my Shakespeare "pure". The Macbeth I saw at the Young Vic with music and choreography was WONDERFUL. As was the same theatre's Life of Galileo with Chemical Brothers soundtrack. That was one of my best-ever theatre experiences. Though the critic was less impressed.

I'm glad I went, for the Hamlet... Samuel Blenkin. Turns out he's also a folk musician. Bless him.