Rock brings Shakespeare to life
Shakespeare's The Tempest was another superb production at Spalding Grammar School.
For the second year in a row director David Wheeler turned to Shakespeare to create a scintillating and exciting production of Shakespeare's last play The Tempest.
Blending modern rock songs such as I Can't Dance by Genesis and the Rolling Stones' Jumping Jack Flash with a specially shortened version of the text, this was Shakespeare for the 21st century, Shakespeare as you have never seen it before.
Wonderful, side-splitting comic relief was provided by Chris Beale as Trinculo, Joe Bombardini as Stephano and Alex Moss as Caliban.
Kerry Warner (Miranda) and Ryan Gilmartin (Ferdinand) accurately and sensitively portrayed the innocence and touching pangs of first love with sensitivity and lan.
The performances of Jack Royle (Alonso) and Max Knight (Antonio) were assured, finely nuanced and displayed a maturity which belied their years.
One of the boldest and most innovative features of this wonderful production was the decision to cast Ariel, not as one male actor, but as five females.
Lizzie Clark, Rhiannon Baxendale, Tace McWilliam, Natalie Tyner and Flora Dick performed with aplomb and verve, and this exciting casting turned traditional interpretations of the play upside down.
The greatest plaudits, though, should be saved for Paul Hilliar as Prospero, whose mastery of Shakespeare's verse, whose subtle nuances of tone and diction and whose sheer stage presence went to make up a performance that was magisterial, sensitive and emotionally gripping in its authority.
The Grammar School Hall was transformed into a theatre in the round, creating an intimacy between actors and audience and like the last two Grammar School productions this production was seen last week by more than 550 primary school children, whose infectious delight and enthusiasm for the comic scenes and the songs were clear.
With brilliant choreography by Sarah Bentley and highly effective lighting by Alan Dropkin, this was a production that continued the tradition of populist yet ground-breaking theatre that the Grammar School is known for.
Congratulations to all concerned and especially to David Wheeler, whose vision of Shakespeare for everyone was fulfilled by this superb production.
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Weather for Spalding
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: West
