Just when you think there can’t possibly be any more ways to re-imagine a Shakespeare play, along comes Rebekah King’s condensed version of The Tempest, performed in the unique surroundings of the iconic Golden Hinde, the Elizabethan galleon that was the first English ship to circumnavigate the globe. Director Callie Nestleroth uses the ship as part of the storytelling of the play, with creaking boards and cramped spaces creating an intense, almost claustrophobic, atmosphere. The Golden Hinde is presented as an additional character to Prospero, Ariel, Caliban and the rest as the tale of shipwrecks, magic, relationships, vengeance and eventual reconciliation unfolds, with the audience on board as shipmates.
The ensemble cast of six navigate the tight spaces, avoiding audience limbs and overhead beams, moving up and down narrow stairs between the decks nimbly as they play multiple characters. The talented cast commit wholly to the multiple characters they play in surroundings where they are up close and personal to the audience members, clearly relishing the performance. In this cut-down production, there isn’t the space for all the characters in Shakespeare’s original. While King has tried to squeeze in as much of the story and characters as possible, this results in a narrative that feels confused at times, and some character identification could be clearer as the cast switch between roles. She’s kept the original text (other than Ariel’s vital audience instructions on where to go and to “mind your head” on the low beams) so it’s possible to luxuriate in the language of the work and the atmosphere of the unique setting and not focus too much on the unfolding of the plot.
Overall, not an entirely successful presentation of The Tempest, but the setting and atmosphere warrant a star of their own.
There will be two further performances of The Tempest on the Golden Hinde on 22ND September. Tickets are available from: The Golden Hinde – Find out what’s on at The Golden Hinde
Reviewer: Carole Gordon
Reviewed: 8th September 2026
North West End UK Rating:
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