The audience's journey in Shakespears' age
„To be, or not to be, that is the question“. Although it was not this Shakespeare quote that you could hear at Schloss Dyck on Monday, it was a great performance of Shakespeare's „The Tempest“ by the American Drama Group you could watch.
It was not just once they fascinated the audience that day but twice. Not even the hot weather could keep them from showing their best. The audience was caught by this compelling performance and the eager listening was only interrupted by hearty laugh every now and then.
“The Tempest” is believed to have been written in 1611 by the famous English author William Shakespeare and deals with the fate of Prospero, Duke of Milan, and his daughter. Bannished by his brother Prospero had to flee to an island where he takes revenge through his magic to restore his honour and to return to his home.
The American Drama Group, formed in Munich by Grantly Marshall in 1978, did not perform one of Shakespeare's plays at Schloss Dyck for the first time. In the past years they already brought others on stage including Shakespeare's famous “Romeo and Juliet” and “Macbeth”. Every year they take the audience on a journey back to Shakespeare's era for which they need surprisingly few properties.
Not just Shakespeare fans are being enchanted by those performances. Every year there are school classes that find their way to the castle yard and are more than happy to be astonished that “Shakespeare isn't as boring” as they thought.
For sure nobody could have been disappointed by this outstanding theatrical performance by the actors. Not even Shakespeare himself could have done better!
We cannot wait until next year when the American Drama Group /TNT theatre Britain is back with “Twelfth Night”.