A moderate audience, seated on the Regent stage for the intimate performance were enthusiastic from beginning to end of this rambunctious, hilarious, outrageously entertaining show.
Known for her brilliant, comedic takes on Jane Austen (Austen Found, Promise and Promiscuity) and Dickens (Olive Copperbottom), Ashton takes on the bard himself in The Tempestuous.
Showing an encyclopedic knowledge of Shakespeare’s plays, Ashton mashes elements of The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, MacBeth, Much Ado About Nothing and more into a wickedly funny story of female emancipation.
In the world of The Tempestuous, Sicily’s beloved King Enzo is dead.
Now Princess Rosa, a stroppy spinster, must navigate the tempestuous waters of belching step fathers, lusty suitors, popping cod pieces and menopausal witches, to face her destiny.
Throughout the performance, Ashton leapt from character to character with lightning speed, depicting conversations between two, three and four people at once and even the odd sword fight.
Interspersed with the action were a series of original songs, written and impressively sung to familiar tunes by Ashton.
Audience participation added a delightfully random element to the performance, with Ashton gently encouraging those involved and responding with quick wit and a sense of fun.
All in all, The Tempestuous was another hugely entertaining outing from the brilliant Ashton.
