REVIEW: THE TEMPEST @ THE GOLDEN HINDE

🎭 The Tempest

📍 The Golden Hinde, St Mary Overie's Dock, Cathedral Street, London, SE1 9DE

🗓 Tuesday 22nd September 2026

⭐️ 2 Stars

AN UNCOMFORTABLE, CHAOTIC SPRINT THAT GETS LOST AT SEA

As I headed along the Southbank towards the iconic Golden Hinde last night, I was filled with excited anticipation for what I was about to watch. You know I’m an absolute sucker for a bit of site-specific drama. I mean, what could possibly be more theatrical than shoving Shakespeare’s biggest maritime disaster onto a literal, honest-to-god 16th-century galleon replica docked right in the middle of Bankside? It sounds like an absolute dream on paper, especially as part of the Totally Thames Festival. But in reality it felt less like a magical island romp and more like a very cramped health and safety nightmare.

I wanted to love this, I really did, but the production was unfortunately littered with issues from the very beginning. Adapting and abridging a text like this is no mean feat, but this script suffers from massive pacing issues and a total lack of flow. THE TEMPEST is one of the few Shakespeare plays that I personally am not that familiar with, and honestly, as I sit here writing my review, I still remain unfamiliar with it. I really struggled to concentrate, and my mind was constantly wandering.

Having the text hacked down to a breathless, 60-minute sprint meant there were gaping plot holes. Quite frankly, it was confusing, and borderline boring. If you don't know the plot inside out, you haven’t got a hope in hell of tracking who is who. This six-person ensemble is pulling double duty, and one minute someone’s a shipmate, the next they’ve thrown on a makeshift cloak and they’re a duke. It’s chaotic, and not in the fun, avant-garde way.

I admire the creatives for trying something different, but if I'm honest, the staging was an absolute mess. I've seen amateur companies successfully pull off promenade Shakespeare where you follow the story around, and I've even seen other shows aboard this historic structure, but this just didn't work.

Then there was the diabolical seating situation. We were basically told to pack ourselves into the dark corners of the wooden hull like actual cargo. When we herded onto the middle deck, it became a complete nightmare. As someone who is six foot tall, in their forties, and living with back issues, it was just not a nice experience. I ended up sitting on the floor and then violently struggling to get back up again because of how tight the space was. If you're over five-foot, prepare to spend an hour intensely hunching. There were also several older people in the audience who were visibly struggling with the lack of space and the constant clambering up and down those thin, steep stairs.

To make matters worse, at one point the audience is split in two so different scenes can happen in separate parts of the ship. The trouble is, the two performance spaces were right next to each other. I was desperately trying to focus on the action unfolding right in front of me, but I couldn't because of the muffled shouting bleeding through from the adjoining scene. There's a very thin line between creating an "immersive atmosphere" and just being deeply uncomfortable, and this production firmly crossed it.

There were, thankfully, a few saving graces. Charlie Woodward as Ferdinand gave the absolute standout performance of the evening - it's just a shame he had so little to do. Meanwhile, Cassandra Wilson swirls around the decks with a lovely, ethereal energy as Ariel. Unfortunately, the rest of the company clearly isn't used to performing Shakespeare. There was a lot of heavy overacting going on, while some cast members felt like they were literally just reciting the text with zero intent or emotion, draining any remaining life out of the performance.

They also struggled technically. The ambient noise of the busy surrounding area frequently drowned out performers who desperately need to learn the art of projection. The production's audio choices didn't help either, featuring some entirely unnecessary sound effects. Why on earth did they need to play piped-in sounds of a creaking ship? We are literally sat aboard a replica of history! It felt completely gratuitous.

Ultimately, this entire production left me with an overwhelming feeling that it was aimed strictly at the tourist market. Maybe people who aren't used to watching Shakespeare will find some joy in seeing a unique staging in a historic location, but sadly, it's not a production that I can recommend. The Golden Hinde is a gorgeous piece of history, absolutely, but maybe let's leave the heavy text work on dry land next time.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair, and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one reviewer.  

My ticket for this performance of The Tempest was gifted by Chloe Nelkin Consulting, who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given. 

CAST:

Cassandra Wilson as Ariel / Miranda; Hadrian Conyngham as Caliban / Boatswain; Zoé Badovinac as Prospero / Antonio; Oliver George Wood as Trinculo / Sebastian; Lauren Grierson as Sebastian / Alonso; Charlie Woodward as Ferdinand

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 10 minutes, with no interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Atmospheric special effects such as moments of darkness; Mild shouting and violence; Alternative seating

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