Prospero's magic unfortunately doesn't have any effect on helicopters. Last night's performance at Shakespeare's Globe was seriously disrupted by what seemed like a scene from Apocalypse Now -- a fleet of passenger helicopters heading downriver to the O2 for a Beyonce concert. I hope the singer (said by the Evening Standard to be flying in to her concerts from a luxury hotel in Berkshire) and her entourage will be asked urgently to adjust their route.
The Globe has always suffered from stray plane and helicopter noise, but last night's interruption, which went on for about 30 minutes during the first half of the play, gave a new meaning to Caliban's words 'The isle is full of noises'. Cast members were reduced to rolling their eyes skywards and pausing to let the noise die down. Luckily after the interval the Biggles squadron made themselves more scarce, so we could enjoy the play, despite the temperature falling to a few degrees above freezing.
Roger Allam brings different qualities to the central role from Patrick Stewart, who was an outstanding Prospero in 2007. He is less of a shaman or magus than an ordinary man bent on revenge. His opening scene with Miranda reveals a wounded, raw anger. Prospero is determined to revenge himself on his enemies for deposing him as Duke of Milan twelve years previously. In this production by Jeremy Herrin, his rage at being usurped finds an echo in the anger of Caliban, who has also been dispossessed. 'This island's mine!' he exclaims. The parallel between the two characters is more skilfully drawn than in any production I have seen of this play. And Prospero's decision to forgive and be reconciled with his tormentors has a much greater impact because we have seen his inner fury.
At the Globe it's thankfully the actors who bring out and embody the play, not the stage designers. This production has an exceptionally strong cast, and it finds out a lot of hidden laughter, not just in the overtly comic scenes with Trinculo and Stefano. Allam is perfectly partnered by an excellent Miranda (Jessie Buckley) and Ferdinand (Joshua James), both RADA-trained and appearing at the Globe for the first time. The key to performing at the Globe is to build a much closer relationship with the audience than is possible in a darkened indoor theatre. Allam won an Olivier Best Actor award a year ago for his portrayal of Falstaff in Henry IV, and the other cast members also have the experience to handle the intimidating open spaces of the Globe stage without hamming it up. James Garnon as Caliban, Peter Hamilton Dyer as Alonso, Sam Cox as Stephano and Trevor Fox as Trinculo are all excellent. Garnon is a particularly sly and intelligent Caliban, alternately standing as an equal to his partners on the stage and then shrinking back, semi-human and crouching on his haunches.
Herrin's production lasts just ten minutes short of three hours, which some might find a little long. He leaves in some passages which are often cut short, and also the masque scene, which becomes a slightly comic interlude in which Prospero joins in the flim-flam. I'm not entirely persuaded by this. But it's an clear and very illuminating presentation of the play in authentic period costume which will help me forget the misconceived RSC production by David Farr I saw at the Roundhouse in 2012.
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