The Tempest - RSC

This was rather lovely. Wasn't wowed by the digital ariel, human version more interesting although I did like all the changing backgrounds and use of visuals and at the start with those moving lights i'd have sworn the ship was moving, thank goodness it wasn't one of my lurching gravity days or i'd have been a goner. As noted by Ryan lovely set and cast, I really liked the Prospero/Miranda dynamic, a very mutually reassuring and physically comforting one, the mad moustaches on show from the king and his brother and the malevolence of Antonio, it seemed very much that he wouldn't be making the mistake of letting Prospero live a second time. I do like a bit of SRB Shakespeare since it always seems like the most natural speech in the world for him, I wasn't intending to but found myself propelled out of my seat at the end, it wasn't for me a production worth ovating for but the last speech clearly did something for me.

Oh and lovely comfy seat with loads of leg room! Made up for the wandering round london i did trying to get there, i suspect from above it watched it would have turned out i was going in circles as i kept coming up against building works but hey ho it means i can count going to the theatre as exercise.

The badges are too small.

I like to make an impression and reassure anyone who thinks you have to dress up for the theatre that you can in fact come as a rain lady instead.

The age gap was big but the usurpation took place 12 years earlier so possible, it was the most hate filled, power hungry Antonio I've ever seen, a sharp contrast to Prospero and they did share a physicality so wasn't a problem for me.

Just on the way back from the matinee of this. The Ariel projections are good but a bit pointless when the actor is also on the stage.

SRB is great but Miranda and Ferdinand have been done better, and the two headed monster scene has been funnier.

I don't know about a young Colin Baker but Antonio resembles a young Dinsdale Landen, doesn't he?

Good singing in the masque scene.

Just by way of information you can day ticket this for £10 and almost the whole of Row A is available.

Yes, you won't have a problem Polly. I was in Row D yesterday and it was fine. (Although wish I'd found a £10 ticket!).

Hated the clunky CGI, just before it's used a gauze is lowered into place. Such terrible stage craft and the fabulous Ariel is always to be seen which belittles the point of CGI?

That's aside it's really good and moving. Such a strong message of forgiveness comes across, perfect RSC Christmas show fodder

Beautiful music with Hockneyesque projections for the masque.

Adored Mark Quarterly. I need to see more of him on the stage.

I always have mixed feelings about SRB but here he was excellent. A national treasure, well a treasure for us theatre and radio 3 geeks!

Grabbed a £10 rush ticket from Today Tix for the matinee yesterday. Fabulous view from the front view, did not disappoint.

Odd production - stellar performances from Simon Russell Beale & Mark Quartley, but just bizarre projections that really do not add anything to the play.

Well for a Christmas show it did have spectacle, but the motion capture projected imagery was the least interesting aspect of it - especially the imagery of ariel when he was standing at the side of the space. The projections onto the Masque dresses worked well but the live motion capture was jerky and clumsy and not necessary. The physical effects, as they should be in theatre, were great. The disappearing feast worked well when I saw it. I still feel theatre is about the live and tangible, and of course we should have cross over works, but it as the practical stuff in this show that was so glorious.

I thought the technology and projections worked very well, better than I expected. The problem was that when they switched them off we were left with a dull, plodding and horribly old fashioned production devoid of any hint of interpretation. I mean for example you've got to do something to make sense of Caliban other than putting him in a stupid costume and have him over-act. A director with greater visual flair than Doran could have integrated the projections into the entire play.

Some performances were dodgy (Miranda) but SRB very good, but I'd have preferred to see him in a small-scale pared-back production.

Just got back from the matinee this afternoon. It's a beautiful production - love the Mary Rose set - though I'd rather have Ariel physically centre stage than a projection as he was wonderful, the stand out performance for me. I wasn't that keen on SRB's Prospero, to my surprise. He came across like a tired old headmaster on the verge of retirement, and I didn't like the delivery and pace of the early scene with him and Miranda (Heathcote Williams' dangerous Prospero in Jarman's film is still my favourite). I liked the villains but with a bit of tweaking they could have wrung more humour and audience engagement from it, I think. A great Trinculo and Stephano - yes, I too thought LoG/Psychoville! Caliban was off so we got an understudy but he was OK.

I have to add that the young person sitting next to me was the most annoying person-to-be-sat-next-to yet in my recent theatregoing, fiddling with, rattling and chewing her numerous bracelets throughout (why not go the whole hog and bring in a fidget spinner?). The combined effort of angry looks from me and the two people in front finally stopped the bead rattling with half an hour to go, but she signed off by yawning loudly in the final speech.