Palm Trees, Prospero and Pizza: My Take on Holmes' The Tempest

The Tempest: A Review

By Margaret

Palm trees, Prospero and pizza; Wednesday, 12 October, was a day to remember. 6am saw the Drama and Literature classes of Years 11, 12 and 13 loading onto a coach for a 7-hour, music-filled ride to Shakespeare’s Globe, London. After a bite to eat and a browse at the Globe gift shop, we took our places in the Yard, channelling the spirits of the Elizabethan groundlings of old.

Shakespeare’s The Tempest is a wild ride in its tamest form. However, we were unprepared for the delightfully chaotic, zany, roguish rollercoaster of a comedy we experienced. Sean Holmes’ modern, beach-resort take on this classic play was the perfect combination of slapstick humour, drunken frivolity and fiery romance. This was well-balanced with thematic undertones of freedom, colonialism, power and justice, which added a rich tone to the performance.

The stage was brimming with captivating actors– Prospero gave an especially winning performance while sporting a bright yellow pair of budgie smugglers. The enslaved fairy, Ariel, quickly won the audience over in a bedazzled cowboy suit, and the sweet but witty Miranda was enchanting. Trinculo and Stephano were a riot, giving us a rousing rendition of ‘Three Lions’ and a side-splitting romp around the stage in Harry Potter costumes. The assortment of pinstriped aristocratic castaways was both amusing and riveting. The deposed monster, Caliban, stole the show by leading us all in a stirring call-and-response number. The most poignant moment of the performance was undoubtedly the closing scene. We stared, spellbound, up at Prospero as he gave his final speech. Silence reigned as he climbed down from the stage and made his solemn exit through the crowd. We wordlessly formed a pathway for the Duke, transfixed by the sorrow that gripped the whole theatre. I will never forget the thrill in the breath I released as we cheered during the finals bows, smiles and laughter all around.

We spent a happy evening at a nearby Pizza Express, touched with thespian inspiration by the legacy of the Bard. We discussed the play’s quirks and quibbles next to a pleasant twilight view of St. Paul’s across the Thames. A sleepy bus ride back to school concluded our trip, but though we had returned, I doubt that any of us was quite the same person we had been that morning. As Prospero said, ‘We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep’.

The Tempest review: a super-fun take on Shakespeare's magical final play

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