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>the tempest by the theatre practice >reviewed by jeremy samuel >date:
30 apr 2004 >tired
already? go home then |
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THE TEMPEST is a difficult work to stage - it consists, for the most part, of various groups of people wandering about an enchanted island, all under the control of magician/ruler Prospero. The various strands of the story can seem fragmentary and unrelated, so it is to the credit of this production that it makes this play feel like a satisfying whole. Three actors play all the characters, in part contributing to the sense of unity that pervades this production. It also helps that Austrian director Martina Winkel's set design evokes an island without being too specific, with bowls of water and heaps of sand dotted across the space, so that we move fluently from one location to another without the disruption of set changes. |
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>>'This production's great strength is in the sheer sense of magic that pervades every moment.' |
Chacko Vadaketh is a majectic Prospero, and displays fine comic timing as Stephano. Jonathan Lim turns in a suitably grotesque performance as Caliban, although his triumph is his Ferdinand, in which he captures the bashfulness and rather grubby sensuality that pervades adolescent courtship. Yeo Yann Yann is a revelation - her Miranda is utterly compelling, growing imperceptibly from awkward girl to confident young woman. She has a little trouble speaking the Shakespearean verse, but her presence is undeniably watchable. |
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There are plays that engage your brain and plays that engage your heart. I always thought of THE TEMPEST as being in the former category, but The Theatre Practice has shown that this play has a great big heart beating beneath its intellectual surface. |