It has been a very long time since I last saw a production at The Globe and I had forgotten how joyful and free these shows are. Once I'd put aside my rather puritanical views on how one ought to behave at the theatre I relaxed, joined the rest of the audience and bought into a theatrical experience that is unique and ultimately compelling. No one else, other than those who were amongst this afternoon's audience, will see The Tempest as we saw it. This is why The Globe is a fabulous venue and must be supported and preserved. Every show battles with different distractions and is therefore unique.
This production of The Tempest, directed by Jeremy Herrin, is entertaining and accessible. The opening tempest is played as a ship sails across the 'sea' of audience members in the pit. The sounds of the storm literally echoed around the corridors of the Globe and so he had us, we were caught in the midst. It seems churlish to highlight individual performances in such a strong company - not a weak link - but a few names are deserving of special note. Roger Allam has been on my radar since I saw Les Mis as a teenager and I loved his Prospero, protective, mischievous, believable and really rather brilliant. James Garnon's Caliban was less the expected grotesque and more the sad and sympathetic. His demons and spirits were the planes, helicopters and crying babies that punctuated the afternoon, reactions to these interruptions were seamlessly woven into his performance. I found myself waiting for him to come back and the audience adored him. Of course I have to mention Colin Morgan as Ariel, one word for this - delicious. Surprisingly physical, Morgan was ethereal and terrifically enjoyable to watch. I hope we see much more if him on stage in the future.
When all is said and done is it worth the ticket price and thee hours in a wooden bench in slightly chilly weather? You bet it is. My companions on this occasion loved it - engaged throughout and didn't notice the time passing such is the pace of this show. If you've never done The Globe before I can highly recommend this production as a first timer, see this and you will go back. It's terribly bawdy but that's what this theatre was built for and what it revels in.
Ed: With apologies to our reviewer who gave this 4.5 stars but we can't do 0.5 so I upped it to 5!
