The Tempest at Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Not quite such stuff as dreams are made on. As someone suffering from ADHD, plays have always been very hit-or-miss for me. Lengthy monologues, if performed poorly, rarely manage to hold my attention, and poor enunciation or poor sound mixing means I cannot hear what is being said, I usually struggle to follow the story. I’ve always found this a shame, as there are some truly beautiful plays out there that are just difficult for me to properly experience. But such is the nature of the beast, and it has never stopped me from trying to experience more plays when I do get the opportunity. The Tempest at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane has been such a recent opportunity, made available to me through the £25 ticket scheme from Jamie Lloyd’s theatre company. While there are aspects of Jamie Lloyd’s recent style of directing I feel do not always serve the desired purpose, I applaud his and his production company’s mission to make theatre more accessible to the general public. There is a lot that can be said about the cost of live theatre in our current day and age, but that is a piece for a different day. For now, let us brave the storm and discuss The Tempest.

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*

My Review:

The Tempest is often considered to be the last full play written by Shakespeare, a capstone to his career. It tells the story of Prospero, a magician who had his dukedom stolen from him by his traitorous brother. An aged advisor named Gonzalo spared the lives of him and his infant daughter Miranda and sent them off to a deserted island where, 15 years later, Prospero raises a tempest to strand those who wronged him on this same island in an attempt to exact his revenge. Despite this being the initial aim, the play preaches forgiveness and mercy, asking us to "let us not burden our remembrance with a heaviness that's gone".

It is the latest production to get the 'Jamie Lloyd' treatment, so to speak. I have been fortunate enough to see some of Jamie Lloyd's older directorial work in 2014 when he worked on Urinetown at the St James Theatre (now The Other Palace) and Assassins at the Menier Chocolate Factory, but he is currently more well known for his 'immersive minimalism' style. This style was first most prominently seen in his Regents Park Open Air production of Evita, but really got a chance to shine in his acclaimed revival of Sunset Boulevard. He aims to take the audience along in his work, wanting them to give the work their own interpretations as much as possible. This is hallmarked by minimalist set design, simplistic no-frills costuming, and minimal use of props. Additionally, readmission into the theatre is not allowed while the show is running, as this would likely break the immersion for other audience members. This can be considered impressive to some, but borders on the pretentious for others.

Jamie Lloyd's personal touch is not the only change made to this production of The Tempest. Other than the runtime, the play itself had to be adjusted to account for the change in gender of its characters. Prospero and Gonzalo are both women and Ariel's gender is left ambiguous in this version of the play, and the script has been masterfully edited by Jonathan Glew to both account for these changes and to allow the play to fit into a 2-hour runtime. The only notable scene missing is the masque that normally takes place in Act IV, though one can assume this is the type of scene that would be most difficult to merge with Lloyd's style of direction. For those unfamiliar with the play, its absence goes unnoticed.

Despite the mixed reviews this play has been getting, I found myself greatly enjoying this adaptation of The Tempest. As soon as you enter the theatre you are brought into the world by a mix of lighting design and an eerie soundtrack playing over the speakers. The sound mixing and sound design for this show are exceptional, and despite being sat in the back of the stalls I found myself able to hear every word with crystal clarity. In keeping with what we have come to expect from Jamie Lloyd, the set is barren, comprising of little more than a few hills, a black floor, and some excellent use of curtains to indicate wind and water. I personally find that this works very well to depict this island that has been a cell to Prospero for so long, and some clever lighting design is all that is needed to indicate the various locations of the island that the characters have been banished to. It is a shame that the theatre's rigging and loading bay doors at the back of the stage are plainly visible in a lot of scenes, as they prove a distracting contrast to the scenes playing out on stage. Something as simple as a black backdrop may have solved this problem.

A bigger issue with the production is in its leading lady. Sigourney Weaver is billed as this production's main attraction, advertising the West End debut of this titan of the screen with a respectable number of Broadway credits under her name. Her Prospero is flat and monotone, and her performance can best be described as a monologue narration which lacks the conviction required for what Prospero is meant to convey to us as an audience. While she shows some emotional outbursts towards the end of the second act, it is clear from the first scene that the entire ensemble is acting circles around her. Mara Huf and James Phoon shine as the young lovers Miranda and Ferdinand, and Tim Steed is appropriately despicable as Prospero's traitorous brother Antonio. All three are set to play similar archetypes in Jamie Lloyd's upcoming production of Much Ado About Nothing, with Huf and Phoon starring as Hero and Claudio and Steed taking on the role of Don Jon, and I can confidently say they will do a phenomenal job.

The standout star of this production, however, is Mason Alexander Park as the spirit Ariel. From the moment she first descends onto the stage, she is utterly terrifying in her report of the tempest and resulting shipwreck she helped carry out. Ariel is present off and on throughout the play and is always very engaging to watch. Her final pleas to Prospero to release those who wrong her from her charms are incredibly heartfelt and in stark contrast to Weaver’s more monotone performance. Alexander Park is also set to star in Much Ado About Nothing, as Hero's waiting gentle-woman Margaret, and it is the performance I am most looking forward to.

Overall, I enjoyed this play more than I thought I would based on the mixed reviews it has been getting. Jamie Lloyd's style works very well for the most part, though the lack of props is very distracting when Prospero's choice of forgiveness over vengeance relies textually on the breaking of a staff and burying of a book whose existence has been barely established. Its main shortcoming lies in its star, who is the weakest in the troupe despite being a significant part of the play's promotion. The technical aspects of the production and the quality of the rest of the actors make up for a lot, however, and The Tempest remains an excellent choice of play to put on in this day and age. In a society so tempestuous and riddled with conflict as ours is today, its message of forgiveness is one we could all do with hearing more of.

Content Warnings:

The show has content warnings clearly displayed around the foyer and throughout the theatre, which were as follows:

This performance contains the use of:

Strobe, Flashing Lights
Sudden Loud Noises
Haze and Smoke Effects

No readmission into the auditorium whilst the show is in progress.

The show did have moments that I made note of that I felt would be worth mentioning, these moments were as follows:

The haze is a near-constant presence on stage and can be particularly bothersome for the first few rows of the stalls
The play contains depictions of the following:
- Slavery
- Madness
- Excessive Alcohol Consumption
- Ableism
- The use of derogatory language towards someone with a mental disability
There is a depiction of vomiting in the first scene of Act 2

Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope this review has proved interesting and helpful for you :)

- AnxiousTheatregoer