| performance details | Venue: Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough Dates: 8th - 12th May 2007 Tickets: Β£9.00 - Β£16.50 Box office: 01723 370541 |
Lightning crashes, the wind howls, waves crash. Everyone knows how Shakespeareβs The Tempest starts, right? Think again. Northern Broadsides Theatre Company start this sold-out production at Scarboroughβs Stephen Joseph Theatre with gentle xylophones, which segue effortlessly into a drunken sea shanty. | "at once horrible and humorous, Hugo evokes gales of laughter from the audience as he capers Gollum-like across the stage" | |
Of course, this is a company who are very comfortable with the term βexpect the unexpectedβ, having previously pitched battles onstage through the medium of beating empty oil drums and famous for producing their shows in thick Yorkshire accents. Couple this jarring opening with the unusual set - a raised wooden deck from which periodically lights flash and smoke belches - and itβs an odd, un-nerving start to the Bard of Avonβs swansong.
 | | Barrie Rutter as Prospero |
Thankfully, that sense of disconcertion only lasts seconds. No sooner has Barrie Rutterβs Prospero stepped onto the stage than we are sucked back into familiar territory, with the lush costumes contrasting wonderfully with the sparse setting. Sarah Cattle (appearing here in her first role for Northern Broadsides) is of particular note, bringing a lovely vulnerability to her Miranda and yet never sinking into clichΓ©, whilst Michael Hugo makes a wonderfully 21st-Century Caliban. Wonderfully physical, at once horrible and humorous, he evokes gales of laughter from the audience as he capers Gollum-like across the stageβ¦ whilst at the same time bringing them out in shudders of disgust. Itβs not a perfect production, by any means - some might find the musical interludes a little intrusive, and others might think the use of three actors (Nichola Gardner, Simone Saunders and Belinda Everett) to play Ariel more than a little gimmicky - but it would be churlish of me to pick faults with such an enjoyable evening. The tour moves on to Durham on the 15th and I would urge everyone - fan of Shakespeare or not - to catch it while they can. John Arthur |
