Shakespeare at the George | The Tempest

This, which was the opening night of the run, took place, literally, in a tempest! But as forlorn theatre-goers huddled in the George dining room, hoping the inclement weather would pass over, one lady cheerfully said, "If we always waited for the rain to stop, we'd never do anything at all." Quite so - this is the only attitude with which one can approach any outdoor event in England, even at the height of summer. When the rain calmly and relentlessly pours down, the only thing that one can do is keep calm and carry on.

The stage crew delayed the start by about fifteen minutes, which allowed for the worst of the rain to pass off but ensured that the seats were still very wet. However, no true Englishwoman was ever deterred by a little damp:

All rugged up and ready to go at The Tempest*

The courtyard of the George is a brilliant place for Shakespeare; it dates back to the 1600s and still has the upper gallery across the far end. It is thought that the touring companies of players would perform in such inns when they were on the road; they could knock up a trestle stage on one side of the yard and make use of the gallery above. The plebs stood in the yard and the well-heeled could watch from the bedroom windows opening onto the courtyard:

Somebody did watch from one of these windows (presumably in dry and toasty comfort), but about a third of the way through they got bored and disappeared!

I will always have a soft spot for the George, however hard it rains, because this was where I saw my very first Shakespeare play, way back when I was a little twinkie of eight. In a pleasing symmetry, that production was also The Tempest; and no, it didn't rain then - in fact it was a perfect evening, thankyou for asking.

I still have the bookmark which my parents bought for me at that first Tempest (left). Sadly, they are no longer sold, so my souvenir this time was a Shakespeare at the George keyfob (right).

But the play, you ask? Well, it was colourful, lively, good humoured, and the scenes with Trinculo and Stephano were genuinely funny. Prospero was very strong, Miranda soldiered bravely on after acquring a wet derrière early on in the piece (she had to perch decoratively on a green bank which was, of course, soaking wet), and Ariel was peculiarly annoying. She tried to turn her role into a ballet dance, which should not have annoyed me so much as she was no doubt trying to capture Ariel's intangible airiness. But the fact remains that it did annoy me! The musicians were excellent and the gallery, festooned with flowers and leaves, looked very pretty - and a nice contrast to the grey sky and lowering clouds above!

The gallery. NB the clock is wrong.

But the crowning glory of The Tempest will always be the language:

Be not afeared, the isle is full of noises, 

Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.

Sometimes a thousand twanging instruments

Will hum about mine ears, and sometimes voices

That, if then I had waked after long sleep,

Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,

The clouds methought would open** and show riches***

Ready to drop upon me**** that, when I waked,

I cried to dream again.

All in all - I wouldn't have missed it for the world :D Thankyou, Grandma!

Website for Shakespeare at the George: http://satg.org.uk/

* Photos from my phone so please excuse the poor quality.

** Too right!

*** rain 

**** this is why we have raincoats nowadays