Review - Shakespeare 4 Kidz THE TEMPEST
Wolverhampton Grand

February 2005

Hundreds of schoolchildren from the Black Country and beyond cheered the stars on stage after this show, and it wasn't a pop concert!

In fact the show was a clever musical adaptation by Julian Chenery and Matt Gimblett of what is thought to be the last play Shakespeare wrote, telling the story of a boat hit and wrecked by a violent storm on its way from Tunis to Naples.

Packed with humour and sparkling songs that send you home humming, it could just as easily be enjoyed by an audience of adults - just like Return to the Forbidden Planet, also based on The Tempest.

There were howls of laughter for antics of Paul Parris (a brilliant savage, Caliban), Ed Burnside (Stephano, the drunken butler) and Matthew Hodgson (Trinculo, the jester), while Jason Lee Scott sang superbly as Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, who weaves his magic round his former enemies on the Mediterranean island.

Ali James (Ariel, spirit of the air) charmed everyone, as did Ellie Kirk, Prospero's beautiful daughter, Miranda who falls for the shipwrecked Ferdinand, son of the King of Naples (Matt McCarthy).

The Tempest, directed by Julian Chenery with Paul Reynolds' musical direction, was performed twice on Friday before continuing its successful UK tour.

Shakespeare was, sadly, never like this when I went to school.

Paul Marston