Staff Writer Mohana Mitra provides an in depth review of ‘The Tempest’ emphasising where the production stood out and, where it fell short on its opportunities.
Studying ‘The Tempest’ in high school was not necessarily the most enjoyable, considering the fact that we were limited to tediously reading the text and answering questions over the course of a year. This was mostly the reason why I was so apprehensive, walking into the Theatre Royal Drury Lane to watch Jamie Lloyd’s interpretation of ‘The Tempest’. I think it’s suffice to say that the play convinced me to watch more of Webber’s work, and also illustrated the importance of experiencing theatre the way it was meant to be, that is, on the stage!
The plot of Shakespeare’s ‘Tempest’
‘The Tempest’, written by Shakespeare around the end of his career, tells the story of an exiled and left for dead Duke (here, Duchess) of Milan, Prospero, and her quest for revenge on her traitorous brother, Antonio, and the King of Naples, Alonso. Having conjured up a storm at sea to strand them on her island, Prospero, aided by the spirit Ariel trapped in her servitude, proceeds to use her knowledge of magic to confuse and torture the shipwrecked men as she avenges their betrayal of her. She is offered company on the island by her daughter Miranda and the native half-demon Caliban whom she keeps in servitude. Also shipwrecked on the island are other characters like Ferdinand (the prince of Naples), Gonzalo (Alonso’s advisor and a friend of Prospero’s) and Trinculo and Stephano (holding minor positions in the King’s court). Over the course of six hours, Prospero torments the men and then reveals herself, ultimately forgiving them in exchange for her Dukedom back, while Ferdinand and Miranda proceed to grow enamoured with each other.
Stand-out performances from the cast
Moving on to specific performances, I believe every actor was spectacular in their own right! I disagree with a few reviewers when they say Sigourney Weaver was underwhelming in her performance with respect to her previous works and prestigious reputation – I believe it was a clever show of restraint from the director and actress to not overshadow the others and be confident in the role of a vengeful but weary Prospero, especially due to the play’s demand of the character to be in complete control at all times and oversee every event silently, preferring to let the ingenuity of the elaborate plot to shine through.
However, I do agree on the point about Weaver’s verse-delivery falling a bit flat with respect to the demands of a Shakesperian play, causing the audience to lose concentration during Prospero’s monologues. This also leads to Prospero’s ultimate realisation and decision coming across as a bit of a surprise to the audience, with hardly any time spent on building up the intensity of the moment.
Mason Alexander Park was a pleasant surprise, to say the least, in their take on the elusive and mysterious spirit Ariel. Being introduced for the first time to their work and ending up leaving in awe of their portrayal of Ariel – it was nowhere near to what i’d imagined the character to be like when i read it (perhaps, partly due to my fault of being unimaginative) but upon being introduced to Park’s take on the role, it immediately made a lot of sense with respect to the spirit’s “personality” and demeanor – characteristics I had not paid a lot of attention to in my initial reading of the text. It goes without saying that their performance in the play inspired me to seek out more of their work like ‘The Sandman’ and ‘Quantum Leap’.
Forbes Masson was unrecognisable and a joy to witness in his role as Caliban, the demi-monster, as he crept, rolled and pranced around on the stage, providing necessary comic-relief from the emotionally-heavy plot. However, in spite of Masson handling the character with the care it deserved, I, having studied the original text of the Tempest, was left wanting more of an emphasis on Caliban’s history with Miranda and Prospero. Despite the play featuring Caliban’s emotional “Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises” speech, I wonder if the production could have benefited from taking their time with it and letting the audience feel for Caliban’s plight while also keeping in mind his assault on Miranda.
Mara Huf, meanwhile, took me by surprise with her portrayal of Miranda. From mostly dismissing Miranda as a teenager blindly in love with the first specimen of the opposite gender she sees, Huf’s portrayal of her made me question my idea of the character from my reading of the play. The actress’s take on the character is unique and youthful, with her bringing a sort of levity and strength to the dialogues that I had not initially expected from the character. From her very first dialogue-delivery, Huf made it clear that her version of Miranda was not one to back down easily, much like her mother, and also managed to maintain the inexperience and innocence that the character’s age and situation demands.
Technical areas of expertise
Now, moving on to the specifics of ‘The Tempest’ that stood out to me, the set design deserves the first mention, showcasing a clever utilisation of space! It featured a number of dunes at varying intervals, giving the illusion of a vast distance covered on the stage, also helping create a divide between separate events taking place at the same time on separate sides of the island. The emphasised darkness of the set, along with the sheer fabrics swirling in the abyss certainly lent a hand in building the majestic and mysterious nature of the production. Moreover, Ariel’s frequent descents from high above on a harness coupled with Alexander Park’s vocal timbre and intensity made for an otherworldly experience altogether.
The sound design seemed to echo and emphasise the vision behind that of the set, with the focus being the creation of a space disconnected from reality and time, where spirits hum and whisper but also put a tune to their words through the ambiguous and powerful voice of Alexander Park.
The costume seemed to be a point of emphasis for the production, featuring the characters in outfits that seem impossible to attribute wholly to any certain time or place, but mostly coming across to be inspired by science fiction. With most of the characters’ outfits looking as if they were picked up from the set of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune”, Ariel and Caliban seemed to stand out with their ambiguity. Mason Alexander Park dressed in a grey and black ensemble resembling armour lined by feathers, was the image of gender-ambiguity, exuding intrigue with every gaze and stance as they proceeded to carry out Prospero’s bidding. Forbes Masson, meanwhile, in skimpy leather and a black corset, brought across the emphasis on the camp aesthetic choices in the entire production.
Thematic changes and potential
The gender reversal when it comes to Sigourney Weaver’s casting as Prospero had, in my opinion, the potential to become an integral and important part of the production. However, with the lack of emphasis on the implications of the change, from the power dynamics in the courts of Milan to the relationship between Prospero and Miranda with respect to perhaps Caliban or Ferdinand, the audience is left at a loss as to why the change was made at all. The lack of focus on the implications of a woman in a position of power brought to mind the debate behind the possible casting of a female-presenting James Bond, with some arguing that rather than simply casting an actress in the iconic role, filmmakers should focus on creating an original female character that is just as good of a part as that of Bond.
Overall, the production attempts to present a unique experience of the iconic play ‘The Tempest’, but ultimately is not as successful in creating a new interpretation despite the numerous opportunities that presented themselves; exploring Prospero’s character or Prospero and Ariel’s relationship in depth (given the undeniable chemistry between Weaver and Alexander Park) could perhaps have given a new take to the production which it desperately was in need of. However, it was successful in its aim to entertain and awe the audience, with the majestic artistic choices and dystopian feel, coupled with a few stand-out performances like Mason Alexander Park! The production left me excited to explore more of Lloyd’s work, especially the upcoming production of ‘Much Ado’ about ‘Nothing’ at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, starring Tom Hiddleston, Hayley Atwell and much of the same cast!
