Shakespeare's The Tempest as an opera

In the 17th century Restoration era, Shakespeare’s plays were considered ripe for improvement. King Lear was re-written to give it a happy ending and The Tempest was injected with romantic material and turned into a ‘musical’.

It was hugely successful and for nearly two centuries it was this Restoration version not Shakespeare's original that was most familiar to audiences. This weekend, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment will perform the score of the Restoration Tempest with some dramatic interludes at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at the Globe Theatre.

Elizabeth Kenny, music director for “A Restoration Tempest” and Theorbo player at the orchestra told the programme about the performance saying the theatre company "wanted to create something from which Shakespeare's kernel could expand into music and dance".