The Tempest – again (Sheffield Lyceum, 23rd April 2009)
Having seen this Baxter Theatre/RSC production in Stratford (Courtyard Theatre), I was really keen to see it in a different playing space. The proscenium arch theatre in Sheffield did present a very different viewing experience, but none of exceitement I felt when I saw the production in February was lost.
In a proscenium arch theatre, the audience are separated from the performance. It is like watching a framed picture and as you are aware of rows of the backs of other members of the audience in front of you there isn’t that sense of being really close to the action, but feeling at a distance from the actors, dancers and musicians. In Sheffield the house lights are down, whereas in Stratford they were up so there was much more sense of being aware that the actors could see you and were responding to you.
At Sheffield, I was much more aware of the changing colours. The strong green and blue backgrounds contrasted with the very dark backgrounds when Caliban was on stage. I hadn’t really seen this in Stratford. In Stratford, I watched the performance from several different angles. In Sheffield all the action was in front of me. The action is much more contained on a proscenium arch stage. In Stratford the sea serpent and the mariners use the whole stage, which means they are surrounded by the audience. The Sycorax puppet enters from different parts of the theatre making it very magical.
I felt the production worked well in the different space, but it does highlight how the Courtyard stage draws the audience in and how close you are to the actors and action.
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Julie Raby 