The Tempest
About the Production
Torn from the sky!
Returning to its homeland from a royal wedding in distant Tunis, the ‘Napoli Rex’, flagship of the King of Naples’ airfleet, is pulled from the sky by a violent and unnatural storm.
The survivors find themselves scattered across a barren island populated with magical creatures and spirits, fearing for their very lives. Â And behind this seeming disaster is Prospero, an exiled sorcerer seeking vengeance…
Shakespeare’s final play is his crowning glory, a tale of magic, love, humour and redemption.
Theatre Workshop Coulsdon have placed ‘The Tempest’ in a steampunk-flavoured Victorian age, where the might of an industrial revolution with its airships, guns and steam-power is confronted with forces beyond its wildest imagining…
Years ago, Prospero forsook his duties as the Duke of Milan to study the arcane arts. With his attention elsewhere, he was unprepared for the coup that saw him dragged from his position and sent out to die alongside his baby daughter, Miranda. By merest chance they survived, crash-landing on a remote and barren island in the Mediterranean, and with the help of two servants, the sprite Ariel and the twisted creature that is Caliban, Prospero lived on and plotted revenge. Now chance again plays into his hands, as those he would mete out vengeance to have been driven to the island by a tempest, their airship torn from the skies and the passengers and crew thrown down. However, he has reckoned without Miranda (now grown to womanhood) and her response to these strange new visitors, one of whom she falls in love with…
Shakespeare’s last play is here transported to a neo-Victorian setting, played out in the traverse among the broken spars and debris of his downed airship, the ‘Milano’. Prospero’s sorcery here vies with magic lanterns and steam-powered pistols in a unique take on the bard’s farewell to the stage.
The Cast
Behind the Scenes
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The Reviews
Taking the Bard to new heights
Theatre Workshop Coulsdon is an adventurous group and I congratulate them on doing Shakespeare. I admired the airship but did not think it added much except give us an ‘in the round’ effect, with the audience on both sides and the ship down the middle. The plot concerns magic, sprites and other improbabilities so that the past is better when far distant.
There were some excellent performances, particularly by Richard Lloyd as Prospero. He well understood the speech patterns required of blank verse and had the additional advantage of a voice that exuded gravitas. Rachel Handler as the sprite Ariel I assume was trained as a dancer and with her balletic grace gave excellent characterisation to her part.
Twisted
Steve Jacobs as Caliban the slave was suitably twisted in body and mind and I enjoyed his ‘Uriah Heep’- ish subservience in the foot kissing scene.
Shakespeare’s comedy does not often travel well, but Luke Argles as Stephano the drunken butler combined well with Trinculo (Steve North) the court jester. They were a sort of superior pantomime ‘Brokers’ Men’.
Peter Steptoe for The Croydon Advertiser
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