ED2011 2/5 Reviews ED2011 Theatre Reviews

The Tempest (Squeaky Door Productions)

By | Published on Wednesday 31 August 2011

A thinly characterised Prospero bellows his lines at the floor, gruffly shouting whether elated or enraged. Each scene ushers in a new form of boredom, and farce is a tone that the play achieves well – albeit not always intentionally. Sections between Stephano and Trinculo achieve a vaudeville air that is the production’s greatest strength, though the hammy acting of the drunken duo is tiresome. Furthermore, the potentially rich conflict between Prospero and Caliban is reductively aggressive, as the two push each other around the stage in an imitation of the Force from ‘Star Wars’ to demonstrate their magical powers. An unimaginative and scatter-brained production, this dramatically monochrome play is saved only by the briefest moments of comedy.

theSpaces On Niddry Street, 8 – 13 Aug, 7.00pm (8.30pm), £6.00 – £8.00, fpp302.
tw rating 2/5
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