Since I was a teenager, I’ve wanted to see the Royal Shakespeare Company perform live. Small dream accomplished.
The touring company is playing The Tempest at the Tokyo Globe and it’s an excellent production. They’ve blended music with Prospero’s magic to create something really powerful. The stage itself was fantastic–a sinuous rolling wave, raked sharply upwards at the back to provide a place to spirits to fly, the shipwrecked to swim to shore, and the firey, stormy elements to be seen.
It hardly needs to be said that the actors were incredibly good. It’s always a treat to see Shakespeare come to life. The plays are better enjoyed as performance than in script.
Was The Tempest as captivating as the BBC-produced Nicholas Nickleby that I fell in love with in high school? Almost. But it wasn’t nearly as long.
