Last Updated on December 21, 2024
Jamie Lloyd’s production of The Tempest – such stuff as dreams are made on.
The Tempest, set on a magical island, is one of William Shakespeare’s most complex and captivating works. First performed in 1611, it is a romance, drama and fantasy that probes themes of power, betrayal and forgiveness. Shakespeare intertwines human ambition and supernatural forces in a play that is, at its simplest, pure entertainment. The island is a stage for Prospero’s schemes, inhabited by the ethereal Ariel and the rebellious Caliban. As the shipwrecked nobles navigate this strange domain, they encounter trials that force them to confront their sins and ambitions.
In this production of The Tempest, the traditionally male role of Prospero is reimagined for Sigourney Weaver who, in her West End debut, plays the ousted Duchess of Milan, mother to Miranda – both exiled there years ago. It’s an unlikely and not entirely successful casting with an almost expressionless Weaver largely seated on stage throughout the show, delivering blank verse at times as if she was reading from an autocue. The emotion that Prospero should feel, wrestling with a thirst for vengeance and a desire for control is missing, replaced by a maternal concern for Miranda (Mara Huf) and for Ariel (Mason Alexander Park). Director Jamie Lloyd’s interpretation of this Shakespearean classic leaves little of the deeper elements of the play and instead draws the audience into a contemporised fantasy where boy meets girl and falls in love and where forgiveness means everyone can live happily ever after.
The Theatre Royal in Drury Lane is a glorious and beautifully preserved venue owned by Andrew Lloyd Weber. A visit, in its own right, is a fabulous night out. Better known for staging musicals, Lloyd Weber wanted to bring Shakespeare back to the venue, having seen Sir John Gielgud in the last production of The Tempest there in 1957.
Jamie Lloyd, renowned for his talent in reimagining well-known works with fresh perspectives, has crafted a production so transformative that you might not realize you’re watching Shakespeare if you didn’t know already. It’s cinematic and contemporary with minimalist staging and sharp visual aesthetics. Haunting music from Ben and Max Ringham and Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante sets the atmosphere, with billowing charcoal silk sheeting creating the storm and a grey lunar set from Soutra Gilmour punctuated by brilliant theatrical lighting from Jon Clark. With that in mind and with the end game being ‘entertainment’ this is a good night out. Mason Alexander Park as Ariel descends from the sky on several occasions, a spirit who can manipulate the elements and conjure up mischief, all with the end goal of winning Prospero’s promise to set them free. With excellent, if sometimes over-amplified vocals, and, for my money, the best costumes of the night, Park is well cast and a convincingly fluid and otherworldly character.
James Phoon as Ferdinand is a Disney prince, while Mara Huf as Miranda seems a somewhat out-of-place at times Californian cheerleader type of character who delivers her line ‘O brave new world, that has such people in’t’ with an irony better suited to Aldous Huxely’s vision than to what is intended here to be a miraculous development.
Caliban, a growling, scheming Forbes Masson, is convincingly evil while Mathew Horne as Trinculo and Jason Barnett as Stephano make an excellent comedic duo. Selina Cadell is a sensitive and honourable Gonzalo, almost embarrassed to be in the company of Alonso (Jude Akuwudike) and Oliver Ryan (Antonio)
Set aside any preconvictions you have about The Tempest and you’ll enjoy this show, though the headline star is less convincing than the remainder of the cast.
Until 1 February 2025 January 2025
Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Catherine St,
London WC2B 5JF
lwtheatres.co.uk
Looking for something different? Check out our roundup of the best theatre in London for Christmas 2024
The Tempest Returns to Drury Lane in Alien Form – Review
The legendary Sigourney Weaver makes her West End debut as Prospero in The Tempest – an enchanting story of revenge and forgiveness
Event Type:
Event
Event Attendance Mode:
OfflineEventAttendanceMode
Event Status:
EventScheduled
Performer:
Organization
Performer Name:
Jamie Lloyd Theatre Productions
Start Date:
2024-12-19 16:11
End Date:
2025-02-01 16:11
Availability:
InStock
Availability Starts:
2024-12-19T16:11:01
