Berkshire

<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25836" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-gonzalos.jpg" alt="SHPTempest-gonzalos shipwreck" width="1000" height="667" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-gonzalos.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-gonzalos-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-gonzalos-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-gonzalos-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-gonzalos-720x480.jpg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" />
Does anyone really understand a work Shakespeare wrote? I mean I know we get the gist of it eventually, but it takes a bit of time to warm up ye olde English and focus your ear on the words. Without the actors&#8217; performance and the creatives, I&#8217;d be a bit lost at sea.
Which is pretty apt, given that South Hill Park&#8217;s latest belter from the Bard is <a href="https://www.southhillpark.org.uk/events/the-tempest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Tempest</a>. I must confess, I wasn&#8217;t as familiar with this story as some of Shakespeare&#8217;s other plays. It was one of the last he wrote alone and actually one of the shortest in terms of words – just the 16,625 (I counted). Which is ironic, as the production here is actually pretty long. but more about that later.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25841" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-prosperos.jpg" alt="SHPTempest-prosperos woman witchcraft surrounded by spirits" width="3680" height="2456" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-prosperos.jpg 3680w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-prosperos-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-prosperos-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-prosperos-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-prosperos-720x481.jpg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 3680px) 100vw, 3680px" />
If you don&#8217;t know the story (I find a quick Google helps) – there&#8217;s a peppering of magic, it&#8217;s heavy on love and betrayal, with a little dusting of forgiveness. The opening scene is of a ship, carrying Italian royalty and crew, caught in a storm. Everyone fears they&#8217;re done for as the ship starts to sink. They make it to an island where the one-time Duchess of Milan, Prospero (traditionally played by a man, but is a woman here) and her daughter Miranda live with a spirit called Ariel and a grotesque monster-like creature called Caliban.
Miranda pleads with her witchy woo mother to save their souls, but she is, in fact, the architect of the drama in a power play, that could end in tears. Not wanting to spoil the entire storyline for you, the drama unfolds when the shipwrecked travellers are separated on the island. At Prospero&#8217;s bidding, Ariel directs each group&#8217;s movements but must lure the King of Naples&#8217; son to her cell to hook him up with Miranda. But that is far from the end…
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25803" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/South-Hill-Park-The-tempest.jpg" alt="South Hill Park The tempest man caught in hanging ropes and two women talking one on her knees" width="1000" height="666" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/South-Hill-Park-The-tempest.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/South-Hill-Park-The-tempest-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/South-Hill-Park-The-tempest-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/South-Hill-Park-The-tempest-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/South-Hill-Park-The-tempest-720x480.jpg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" />
This fantastical adaptation reunites director Joe Malyan and award-winning set designer Victoria Spearing, who together have the ability to make magic happen on the stage. Malyan adds contemporary creativity to Shakespeare&#8217;s work. Nothing too wacky to cause traditionalists to recoil in horror, but enough for it to feel modern and relevant – music and singing used for dramatic effect, life a film&#8217;s score. Stunning.
Spearing&#8217;s sets always blow my mind and the large hoop of ropes cleverly and convincingly represents the ship&#8217;s rigging, the enclosed space of Prospero&#8217;s cell and the landscape of the island. Very very clever.
<div id="attachment_25840" style="width: 1010px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-25840" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-25840 size-full" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-Ariel.jpg" alt="SHPTempest-Ariel" width="1000" height="666" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-Ariel.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-Ariel-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-Ariel-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-Ariel-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-Ariel-720x480.jpg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" />Amy Wilding as Ariel</div>
As for the cast, it was the females who really stood out. Sophie Spencer&#8217;s Prospero was knock out. A mind-boggling amount of lines (with only one or two stumbles near the end) but put in a shift as she juggled her character&#8217;s desire for power and revenge, with motherhood. Amy Wilding is utterly mesmerising as Ariel – what a voice! Laura Hannawin&#8217;s squeaky portrayal of the jester Trinculo, cut through the darkness and offered a bit of comic relief.
<div id="attachment_25842" style="width: 3690px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-25842" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-25842 size-full" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-monster-and-joker.jpg" alt="SHPTempest-monster Caliban and joker Tricolo " width="3680" height="2456" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-monster-and-joker.jpg 3680w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-monster-and-joker-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-monster-and-joker-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-monster-and-joker-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/02/SHPTempest-monster-and-joker-720x481.jpg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 3680px) 100vw, 3680px" />Alex Daykin as Caliban and Laura Hannawin as Trinculo</div>
Special mention goes to Alex Daykin who played the enslaved monster Caliban and had more than a hint of Alex Serkis&#8217;s Gollum about him. He crept, crawled and contorted his body like a creature from the deep. Seriously impressive.
What&#8217;s not to like? Well, the first half will be a test of endurance if you have the attention span of a goldfish. It is 90 minutes long, followed by 50 minutes after the interval. Despite a numb bum, I wasn&#8217;t clock watching. But if you have a weak bladder or low blood sugar, Tena pants and snacks may be required.
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THE MUDDY VERDICT
Good for: If you love the classics, or are looking for something a little different, this show is a dead cert. Older teens will also love this creative interpretation.
Not for: The first half of this play is long and maybe too much for some.
<a href="https://www.southhillpark.org.uk/events/the-tempest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Tempest</a>, South Hill Park, Bracknell. now to 8 Feb.

The Tempest is midwinter magic

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