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JAMES WALSH is moved by a provocative and original take on the relationship between ecology and architecture, and a plea to work with, not against, the materials and minerals of our world
Tempestuous mix of magic and philosophy
GORDON PARSONS sees a high-tech Shakespeare that’s true to his humanist intent
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EWAN CAMERON witnesses a political farce that lacks a clear message
EWAN CAMERON picks out two fascinating music shows, fusing the Korean, and the Celtic, with the modern
BENJAMIN POTHIER suggests that Palaeolithic cave paintings in Spain point to the ceremonial use of hallucinogenic flora
The bard confirms that the right has a humour bypass, and replays the English Revolution on period instruments
The Tempest
The Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Stratford-Upon-Avon
4/5
AT THE end of his career Shakespeare, ever the innovator, took on the contemporary development of the masque as popular entertainment.
With its focus on visual and musical impact, the form lends itself to The Tempest’s mixture of magic and philosophy, with the thematic opposition of nature versus nurture largely replacing dramatic tension.
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