The Tempest

‘The Tempest' is a play written between 1610 – 11, by of course William Shakespeare. This is thought to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on an enchanted remote island, where Prospero, the Duke of Milan, plots to restore using manipulation and illusion his daughter Miranda to her rightful place. He conjures up a storm to lure his brother Antonio and King Alonso of Naples to the island. There he brings out Antonio’s lowly nature, the redemption of the king and the marriage of daughter Miranda to Alonso’s son, Ferdinand.

As there are many aspects of putting on a Shakespeare play the production team had a large amount of freedom with regards to the staging of this. The team decided upon a cleverly thought out set with moving backdrops, along with the use of static room sets. All this was complimented with some well designed lighting and fabulous sound arrangements. There was also an upper stage of which housed the band for the evening.

The opening scene involved the whole cast including the creatures of the island, which performed an interesting circus themed opening, controlled by a ringmaster. This concept was backed with superb music and singing by the band. This then of course, was followed by the terrible storm including it being created. On board the storm hit ship the passengers and crew where all seen staggering about.

As the play moved on we were taken to the relative calmness of an enchanted island. This was a magical place where we were introduced to Prospero, interestingly this part was played by a female, the right Duchess of Milan and daughter Miranda. We were introduced to the Ariel’s, the spirits who were tied to Prospero and controlling the forces of nature. Along with Caliban a savage and deformed slave to the Duchess. Followed by Ferdinand, son of Alonsa the queen of Naples, Stephano the drunken butler and also added characters Stephanie, Stephanetti and Stephanata who were also shipwrecked. They were all ladies’ maids to the wedding party. Along with Trinculo the Jester and Jesters Trinculini, Trinculari and Trinculeppe, again added characters. The queen of Naples Alonsa, again usually a King, Gonzalo, Sebastian and Antonio where next along with Lord’s and Lady’s Adriana, Francisco, Eduardo, Marco and Isabella.
The entrances and exits upon stage were interesting, with cast entering and leaving from all directions. The lighting design was superb and supplemented the scene changes and backdrops throughout. The use of the live band was interesting and helped to converge and concentrate the minds of the audience on what is such a complex story line. They sounded amazing throughout and were a well appreciated added extra. The costumes should also be commended as they were exquisite and complimented the story. The props were also of a fabulous standard, including the period bike.

The direction of this play should be highly praised, as the use of interesting scenes, scene changes and interpretation of the script made this such a captivating play to watch. The use of characters moving the set was also a different approach and added to the overall smooth running of each scene. The choreography was apt, well thought out and professionally executed. The whole play was extremely dramatic and everybody involved should be proud of what they have managed to achieve. 

I would like to thank the well presented front of house team and the cast members for the warm welcome. I am looking forward to seeing how you stage Beauty and the Beast in 2015. Once again thank you. 

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