Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon – until 4th March 2023
Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh
5*****
This production of The Tempest is absolutely mesmerising. Spellbound, I was enthralled from the moment the great storm began to final falling rains as the lights went out.
The combination of techniques director Elizabeth Freestone’s employs to tell Shakespeare’s second shortest text, loses the protracted wordy interactions and long speeches. Not by dumbing The Tempest down or cutting it, but instead, by bringing the story vibrantly to life, with music and movement. Strong and then subtle actions. Elements of fierceness and then moments of pure tenderness which take your breath away. Each character is multidimensional. It would have been so easy for the peripheral comedic cast to become ‘one note’ but there has been meticulous care to ensure this is not the case.
The Tempest deals with both tragic and comic themes. It opens with a dramatic storm, but prior to that, Prospero, the former and rightful Duke of Milan and a great magician, has been betrayed and usurped by their treacherous brother Antonio. Escaping by boat with their infant daughter Miranda, Prospero fled to an island, surviving with the island’s only other inhabitant, Caliban, a feral half man-half monster, and an airy spirit, Ariel.
Twelve years later, Prospero conjures up a storm using the help of Ariel, after learning a ship carrying their brother Antonio is passing nearby. The storm is devastating, the ship is destroyed, Antonio is shipwrecked, along with Alonso, King of Milan, Ferdinand (Alonso’s son and heir to the throne), and other court members. Prospero is determined to regain rightful airs and secure the safety of Miranda. Using magic, the shipwrecked survivors are divided. The story unfolds and is told through music and songs that evoke the spirit of enchantment on the island.
This production of The Tempest turns the tables by having the main protagonist as a female. Alex Kingston took on the role of Prospero and commands the stage with such grace and skill it’s difficult not to be left stunned and in awe. Interacting with the audience and great physical presence along with melodic delivery of lines, she embodies the magic and, in this version, motherhood, of the Duke of Milan and had my jaw dropping to the floor as the show reached its stunning conclusion.
Heledd Gwynn brought Ariel to life with an energy and dynamism that you can’t fail to love. She lights up the room with her sprite like delights in her playful moments and fills you with a terrible darkness that chills when she is doing Prospero’s bidding. With a naturally ethereal quality, a singing voice that sent tingles down my spine and a hint of the style of ‘Bowie’, Gwynn makes the character’s airy tricksiness believable, which balanced so well with the sadness at wanting to attain her freedom and longing that next mission set by Prospero would be their last.
At first, I was confused by Tommy Sim’aan’s Caliban. There was nothing monstrous about him. To look at him he is the epitome of a perfectly beautiful man. There is nothing ‘savage and deformed’ as Shakespeare had written. I feel in this production it may have been to show that monsters come in all shapes and sizes. After all Prospero was betrayed by her brother and the King of Milan in all their grandeur and finery. Tommy Sim’aan played Caliban to perfection, mainly a physical performance but each line was delivered flawlessly.
Simon Startin and Cath Whitefield as Stephano and Trinculo bought just the right level of hilarity, quirky and clownish without overreaching into idiocy. Peter de Jersey delivers an exquisite Alonso, as is Jamie Ballard’s powerful Antonio, ultimately, all the cast are superb, there isn’t a single weak link in this chain.
A wholly immersive set has been cleverly created from theatrical cast-offs and recycled junk, whilst retaining mesmerising elements of spellbinding beauty. Elizabeth Freestone, following recommendations from Paddy Dillon’s ‘Green Book’, has ensured the costumes, set and props all resemble or are items found washed up on beaches or discarded in skips. This adds to the islands shipwrecked vibe, the set strewn with life’s detritus that has washed up on its shores. This ‘litter’ is personified to embody key characters and moments in the story as a powerful storytelling tool.
Tom Piper’s set is masterful at combining the desolation of humanity and the unwavering strength of nature. Grass growing through the floor tiles, real trees, oil drums, washing lines, huge pieces of the ship jutting out from the backstage, which rise and fall to give the stage different height levels. The amazing cast were key in bringing this set to life and moving each piece into place, items having multiple roles which fed into the ‘recycle’ and ‘sustainable’ themes. The Tempest features a live orchestra of eight, who accompany key moments with some truly fantastic music. Even their instruments are tin pans and junk, which add to the percussion sounds of the sea, the wreck and a lost world. Adrienne Quartey’s almost folky soundscapes to complement the gentler moments, this production is significantly elevated by the careful and complex thought put into the audio aspects of the show. The lighting, designed by Johanna Town, is spectacular. A huge lighting rig hangs at the back of the stage, blending into the derelict set and aimed at the audience, which shakes and rattles during the storms.
The Royal Shakespeare Company have triumphed with this production of The Tempest. Incorporating key themes which embrace the zeitgeist of today and incredible performances from Alex Kingston and the cast as a whole. This is a production that is thought-provoking, entertaining and leaves you believing there is still magic left in this ‘brave new world’.