REVIEW: ROUGH MAGIC, SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE

AG
Jul 23
2 min read

Updated: Jul 25

Young Apprentices are Kept Spellbound by this Magical, Olivier-Nominated Show

Something wicked this way comes to Shakespeare’s Globe, in the witchy shape of the Olivier-nominated Rough Magic.

Encouraged to dress as ghouls, fairies, and other magical creatures, we take our children to become eager Apprentice Guardians to Macbeth’s witches, in a show which is bursting with magic, slapstick and humour.

Monstrous tentacles explode from multiple trap doors, candles catch aflame on their own, and daggers float through the air - but the real magic is the fabulous cast in this rare beast of a show, which works on multiple levels to entertain both children and parents.

It tells the story of the Weird Sisters, whose fatal prophecy caused the bloody doom in “the Scottish play.”

The interactive performance in the intimate, indoor Sam Wanamaker Playhouse invites the little apprentices in the audience to help the brilliantly daft witches in their magical realm, controlling human destinies.

A mistake has seemingly been made by the youngest witch, leading to unwelcome fates for Henry IX and Macbeth, which they attempt to fix, in increasingly ridiculous and slapstick ways.

The chemistry and comedic talents of this all-female cast of five is spellbinding, and every corner and trapdoor of the space is used for characters and props to explode from.

Children eagerly search the theatre for toads; learn spells, make flowers burst out of the set and trick the baddies to help our heroes in their quest.

There are stand-out performances from the brilliantly funny and versatile Kerry Frampton - the play’s co-writer - who leaps between the roles of daft, thespian ghost Banquo; a flatulent, magic-making shadow spirit; a turbo-Scottish Macbeth who speaks entirely in tartan, and the wildly entertaining villain, Henry IX.

Armed with Prospero’s staff, the stolen Book of Destiny and a ginger wig, Frampton’s Henry IX commands the room, with hilarious ad-libs with the audience - who are actively involved in the show.

Children gleefully boo and giggle as she tells them to shut up, vomits at their revolting presence, calls them maggots and makes them draw her portrait, drive her carriage, or measure her head for a crown.

The slick and fast-paced show is also full of brilliantly funny and clever references to Prospero, Hamlet, Macbeth, The Tempest and Midsummer Night’s Dream.

It’s a wonderfully funny and deliciously mad introduction to the world of Shakespeare for 5-12 year olds, who are kept just as spellbound as their parents.

Shakespeare’s Globe, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT. 19 July - 23 August. Tickets from £15-£30