cast includes
Anthony Sher, John Kani, Tinarie Van Wyk Loots
directed by
Janice Honeyman
Janice Honeyman takes a definite risk in setting The Tempest in Africa.
There’s a chance that it can come off as a simple gimmick or worse an irrelevant re-contextualising, but the new context works in all sorts of ways, and the production as a whole has vigour and thrust often absent from this sprawling piece.
The imperialist setting makes Shakespeare’s frequent references to slavery jar from the start since Caliban and Ariel are both black men under the tight reigns of the white Prospero.
This is made even more explicit as Prospero washes the white paint from Ariel, granting him his freedom, revealing not the usual waiflike androgyny, but a virile, athletic physique.
This is an all-or-nothing production and the wide-ranging use of theatrical devices such as dance and puppetry pays off in revealing Shakespeare’s exotic world of magic and strangeness. The African-style music is a little twee in places, but where is it used either sparsely or at full pelt it works best.
As Prospero Anthony Sher initially comes across as uneven and shambling, but this is only because we are so used to seeing a more pompous Prospero played by actors who want to show the wise and dignified side of themselves, as well as of the character. This was much more interesting, with life and froth about him.
Miranda was played refreshingly too, by Tinarie Van Wyk Loots, who had taken to living in this wilderness as it should be lived- scratching her scruffy head and sitting in unladylike shapes. This makes perfect sense as Miranda is never supposed to have seen another woman in her life, so there’s nobody for her to imitate her customary womanliness from.
She was played as an open, wild thing, living as she does in the open, with wild things- which gave Ferdinand’s attraction to her a more distinctive, physical and therefore believable touch.
Among a very good cast of jokers and small-time villains Caliban is a central pillar. Played by John Kani he was tragic in being so much more powerful and dignified in his presence than anyone else on stage, but stripped of his vitality. A great twist comes at the very end as Prospero’s plea for forgiveness, ordinarily spoken to the audience, is directed towards Caliban himself.
LONDON:
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