(no subject)
Right. 20 minutes before Doctor Who starts so time for one of my delayed theatre reviews... *picks up a programme at random*
Oh... good choice! This production was one of those times when what the play actually was? Not so much the point *g* I really wanted to see Twelfth Night in the Middle Temple Hall a couple of years ago but missed out so this time I was determined not to! It's such an incredible venue and somewhere most of us don't get to go normally and how on earth do you top seeing Shakespeare performed in a place he almost certainly performed himself! Or at least was there!
Luckily The Tempest is one of my favourite plays anyway so it was doubly good.
The Tempest- Antic Disposition @ Middle Temple Hall
Interestingly instead of using the raised platform in the Hall for a stage we were sitting in a U shape with the back rows on the platform and the space in between us and then the WHOLE rest of the Hall was the stage. I did occasionally find myself getting distracted by the paintings and the stained glass and OMG LOOK WHERE WE ARE but only very slightly.
There was, therefore, no real set other than 4 boxes that got moved around at various points but then, to me, The Tempest really doesn't need huge sets and magical effects and *stops before the rant about the film starts again* because it's such a descriptive play in what characters say.
Downside first- occasionally when the actors were facing away from the audience it was almost impossible to hear what they were saying because they were talking into a big, empty, echo'y hall! Thankfully beyind the opening storm scene they very rarely did this!
And it was a good production all round really. I was somewhat bemused by the fact that Trinculo seemed to be doing an impression of the Eleventh Doctor (he had the costume right down to the fez and the mannerisims... though actually it worked so good choice I guess?)
Prospero was good (but honestly I've seen Patrick Stewart and Mark Rylance as Prospero at different timens and how could you beat either of them?!) but I liked Miranda more I think and she (Ami Sayers) and Ferdinand (Robin Rightmeyer) were lovely and very sweet together (although omg when Ferdinand & Alonso were reunited and were doing some fake talking in the back of the scene? SO awful *g*)
But I think mostly I loved Ariel best. I always love Ariel to be honest, it's such an amazing part and so conflicted and there are so many ways to play it from very human to completely unearthly and the way Ariel interacts with Prospero can be read in so many ways too! Here we had an Airel who was clearly very affectionate towards Prospero and their goodbye scene was very touching but he also pouted and sulked when Prospero delayed freeing him so it wasn't an easy relationship. Christopher Rowland's Ariel was also quite human, he seemed to feel things quite deeply but then he also kept standing with his head tipped to one side looking very much like an inquisitive bird which I really liked <3 also he was all kinds of pretty *coughs*
So thumbs up all round. Not a production to blow you away but well worth seeing for itself as well as for the completely magical venue!
It's a good job I like The Tempest really as I'm seeing at least one more time this year (at Wilton's) and I'm still debating whether to see it at the Theatre Royal Haymarket too...
Oh... good choice! This production was one of those times when what the play actually was? Not so much the point *g* I really wanted to see Twelfth Night in the Middle Temple Hall a couple of years ago but missed out so this time I was determined not to! It's such an incredible venue and somewhere most of us don't get to go normally and how on earth do you top seeing Shakespeare performed in a place he almost certainly performed himself! Or at least was there!
Luckily The Tempest is one of my favourite plays anyway so it was doubly good.
The Tempest- Antic Disposition @ Middle Temple Hall
Interestingly instead of using the raised platform in the Hall for a stage we were sitting in a U shape with the back rows on the platform and the space in between us and then the WHOLE rest of the Hall was the stage. I did occasionally find myself getting distracted by the paintings and the stained glass and OMG LOOK WHERE WE ARE but only very slightly.
There was, therefore, no real set other than 4 boxes that got moved around at various points but then, to me, The Tempest really doesn't need huge sets and magical effects and *stops before the rant about the film starts again* because it's such a descriptive play in what characters say.
Downside first- occasionally when the actors were facing away from the audience it was almost impossible to hear what they were saying because they were talking into a big, empty, echo'y hall! Thankfully beyind the opening storm scene they very rarely did this!
And it was a good production all round really. I was somewhat bemused by the fact that Trinculo seemed to be doing an impression of the Eleventh Doctor (he had the costume right down to the fez and the mannerisims... though actually it worked so good choice I guess?)
Prospero was good (but honestly I've seen Patrick Stewart and Mark Rylance as Prospero at different timens and how could you beat either of them?!) but I liked Miranda more I think and she (Ami Sayers) and Ferdinand (Robin Rightmeyer) were lovely and very sweet together (although omg when Ferdinand & Alonso were reunited and were doing some fake talking in the back of the scene? SO awful *g*)
But I think mostly I loved Ariel best. I always love Ariel to be honest, it's such an amazing part and so conflicted and there are so many ways to play it from very human to completely unearthly and the way Ariel interacts with Prospero can be read in so many ways too! Here we had an Airel who was clearly very affectionate towards Prospero and their goodbye scene was very touching but he also pouted and sulked when Prospero delayed freeing him so it wasn't an easy relationship. Christopher Rowland's Ariel was also quite human, he seemed to feel things quite deeply but then he also kept standing with his head tipped to one side looking very much like an inquisitive bird which I really liked <3 also he was all kinds of pretty *coughs*
So thumbs up all round. Not a production to blow you away but well worth seeing for itself as well as for the completely magical venue!
It's a good job I like The Tempest really as I'm seeing at least one more time this year (at Wilton's) and I'm still debating whether to see it at the Theatre Royal Haymarket too...