The Tempest at RSC
Actually, we tried to see this production in Stratford last September - we had third row tickets in the stalls, had booked a convertible Mini for the drive to the country and were booked into a fab country house - then Bridie's kidney stone decided to have a case of bad timing and put her in hospital. We were lucky, because the the tickets were soooo good, we managed to resell them and the country house and hire car company were sympathetic to the emergency and didn't charge us - and who said customer service didn't exist in the UK!
Anyhoo - "the play's the thing..." We got tickets for the London season and went along last night to be dazzled. Despite knowing that Forbidden Planet was inspired by The Tempest, Steve still felt the need to hit the internet before the night, just to make sure he knew what the story was about.
What can one say, of course it was amazing! The scene, closer to an Inuit island, than Mediterranean - the entire play dominated by the tempest for which it is named, with massive multimedia screenings of the storm between acts.
Patrick Stewart played a bitter, but benevolent Propero, who was, as always, an inspiration. He imbued the bitter and usurped duke with a humour and love for Miranda, his daughter, bitterness and vengeance for his enemies followed by his humbling forgiveness that closes the play. Yet again we were struck with his presence and talent.
Of particular note was Julian Bleach, who played Ariel, we first saw him in Shockheaded Peter (Shockheaded Peter website) in New York and at the interval last night, we were scrambling for the programme because his voice was so familiar! He played a strange, raspy voiced Ariel, one that was both menacing and poignant - not to mention he had the best entrance in the play - emerging from the stomach of a seal as a bloody bird!
As we walked back to Waterloo over Waterloo Bridge, it was a beautiful clear night - St Pauls and the Oxo tower on our left, the London Eye and Big Ben on our right - wish we had had the camera - we had one of those moments where we realised, yes, we are in London and aren't we lucky.
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