Under Development
...
There are some lovely performances on show here; Helena Franklin as Miranda, Prospero's
daughter and Keith Briars as her father were both outstanding ...
Andy Potter
Derby Evening Telegraph, 24th July 2002
We thoroughly enjoyed our evening at the performance of The Tempest (in Derby). It was such a lively, colourful production which made really good use of the setting. Let us hope that the weather is kinder for the rest of the week, especially for Caliban who seemed to spend a lot of time on the wet grass.
Kay Coulson
... Faced with the prospect of prospect of producing Shakespeare's "The Tempest", the first play ever produced here, in celebration of the theatre's 70th anniversary, it is almost inevitable that a company should pull out all the stops, which is just what the Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company does. A production which owes as much to its designer Julia Walker as it does to its director Jenny Billington-Earl, not to mention its music maker Michael Neil, it fills Prospero's "enchanted island" with more than "A thousand twangling instruments", and that's only for starters. From its introductory and inventive shipwreck scene - should the company ever take this production to Tresco on the Isles of Scilly then the ship's figurehead is certain to find a berth in Valhallah - to the firework and the final breaking of Prospero's staff, this is a spectacular show by any standard ...
At the Minack - Frank Ruhrmund
The Cornishman, 15th August 2002
Congratulations on a truly memorable production of The Tempest.
My wife and I retired to Cornwall five years ago and have not got round to visiting the Minack until now. We could not have chosen a more auspicious beginning than the 70th anniversary production last night. We took our 14-year-old granddaughter and her friend and it was a genuinely fantastic experience for all of us.
Keith Briar's wonderfully deep and authoritative Prospero, Laurence Conneely-Byrne's totally convincing Caliban (one of the great Shakespearean roles - my wife once saw Richard Burton play it brilliantly, though the welsh accent was slightly odd!), an entrancing and enigmatic Ariel from Joanna Hands and a delightfully innocent Miranda by Helena Franklin combined with an imaginative and colourful production in this unique setting (in perfect weather) and the inspirational music of Michael Neil all ensured an unforgettable evening. A huge thank you to all the company
Michael Jeans-Jakobsson
Falmouth
... I can definitely speak for six people who feel that the Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company has produced a wonderful play, hugely entertaining, in part extremely moving, completely faithful to the spirit of the Elizabethan era but with a modern emphasis on the timeless message of compassion ...
Vicky