The Tempest
A significant theatrical event.
Why see The Tempest?
Prospero, Duke of Milan, his dukedom usurped by his brother Antonio, is put to sea with his daughter Miranda and some magical books smuggled in by his loyal councillor Gonzalo.
The sea casts them up on an island where Prospero, exercising his magical powers, makes a home for himself and Miranda.
One day a great storm, which Prospero has conjured, breaks up a passing ship and delivers to him the members of his usurping court. Treacherous brother, fellow conspirators and old friend alike come under Prospero's spell. Shakespeare's last play.
Cast
Michelle Beck
Christian Carnargo
Ron Cephas Jones
Stephen Dillane
Juliet Rylance
Thomas Sadoski
Creative
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Sam Mendes
Set Design by Tom Piper
Costume Design by Catherine Zuber
Lighting Design by Paul Pyant
Sound Design by Simon Baker
Music by Mark Bennett
Music Director: Stephen Bentley-Klein
Choreography by Josh Prince
Casting by Maggie Lunn & Nancy Piccione
Directed by Sam Mendes
Set Design by Tom Piper
Costume Design by Catherine Zuber
Lighting Design by Paul Pyant
Sound Design by Simon Baker
Music by Mark Bennett
Music Director: Stephen Bentley-Klein
Choreography by Josh Prince
Casting by Maggie Lunn & Nancy Piccione
Reviews
Customer reviews
LP
Riding out the Storm
As the serpentine Lord Voldemort, Ralph Fiennes proved he can brandish a wand with malicious intent. Now, as he steps into the shoes of one of the literary grandfathers of nuanced magic, Shakespeare’s Prospero, it’s clear that Fiennes can summon up even greater powers.
Headlining Trevor Nunn’s strictly-limited run of The Tempest, he quietly commands the stage- delivering Prospero’s rich monologues with a brilliantly subtle conviction. It’s not an overstated performance, as the character of Prospero tends to be with all its emphasis on magic and vengeance, and I think it works well within Nunn’s somewhat anachronistic approach to the play’s staging. This is a production that relies less on a hi-tech bag of tricks to create illusion than on aerial pulleys upon which acrobatic cast members pivot and fly above the stage- an unusual throwback to an Elizabethan system of wires and winches that is refreshing in our technological age.
Yet although Nunn’s play is grounded in tradition, I felt the opening tempest itself was disappointingly unconvincing- as if the sound effect box was at its lowest volume. Given that this is the eponymous tempest, it was not nearly dramatic enough and, in my opinion, a hugely imbalanced spectacle. Quieter moments could have benefitted from a few better-timed violent thunderclaps, whilst the ones that did boom and crash served only to drown out some of the script’s key lines. The projection of moving waves, with the actors acrobatically spinning in tandem behind, seemed a bit flat- imaginative circus acts may be entertaining, but they do not whip up a credible storm. Later, the visionary dogs that hound Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban seemed almost laughable as cast members pounced onstage on all fours-another instance when a bit of CGI wouldn’t have gone amiss.
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paul Christopher
b+
If you like a muted Prospero then you will enjoy Ralph Fiennes. His performance might work on a movie screen but was a yawn in the Royal Haymarket.
At times, I wasn't sure if this was the Tempest or Caliban the musical
Ariel was played most cleverly by a trio of talent
On the whole this Tempest shouldn't be missed
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