Review: The Tempest at Brockley Jack Theatre
Published on February 17, 2018 July 20, 2019 by Liz
Controlled Chaos Theatre Company aims to promote diversity in the theatre, "including giving women a chance to take centre stage in the male dominated classics". And they don't come much more male dominated than The Tempest, a play in which the sole female character does exactly what she's told by her father, then falls instantly in love with the third man she's ever seen. Controlled Chaos aren't the first company to turn that gender imbalance on its head with an all-female production; the Donmar did it last year, setting the action in a women's prison, and a gender-reversed production at the Brockley Jack in 2005 saw all the male roles not only played by women but actually converted to female characters.
Photo credit: Kevin Kamara
This production keeps things much simpler: the characters are still male, and there's no framing device; the only difference is all the parts are played by women. As in any gender-blind production, it's a welcome sight to see female actors getting a chance to take on the meatier roles that Shakespeare never thought to grant them. That said, without any context it's not always exactly clear what purpose the all-female concept is serving, and somewhat tentative performances from some of the cast dilute the powerful statement that could have been made by placing women in these positions of authority.
However, there's still plenty to smile about in this version of Shakespeare's tale of revenge, romance and magic on a deserted island. After a fierce storm shipwrecks the King of Naples and his entourage, they discover the island where they've landed is home not only to mischievous spirits, but also to the ousted and vengeful Duke of Milan, Prospero, his daughter Miranda and his slave Caliban. As Caliban conspires with drunken newcomers Trinculo and Stephano to kill his master, Miranda meets and falls for the king's son Ferdinand, who's become separated from his father and the rest of their party. And while all this is going on, elsewhere on the island Prospero's brother Antonio plots to murder the king and put his dim-witted brother Sebastian on the throne.
Dylan Lincoln's production includes live music played and sung by the cast, to produce an atmosphere of magic and mystery, and also engages particularly well with the humour in the story. Carmella Brown's Ariel is a delight throughout, skipping around the stage doing Prospero's bidding with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Michelle Pittoni also stands out as Miranda, her comical wide-eyed wonder at meeting a handsome young man replaced later by horrified embarrassment as her father lectures Ferdinand about his intentions. Shereener Browne and Afsana Sayyed are good fun as Antonio and Sebastian, whispering childishly together behind the king's back before making a hilariously clumsy attempt on his life, and Ceri Ashe and Kimberley Capero make quite the raucous double act as Stephano and Trinculo.
At just over two hours, this is an accessible and entertaining adaptation of The Tempest, a perfect introduction for those unfamiliar with the story. As to whether the show delivers on its promise of a "bold re-imagining", I'm not sure – but there's plenty to enjoy either way, and any production that promotes diversity on the stage deserves to be celebrated.
Categories London theatre, Reviews•Tags Brockley Jack Studio Theatre, Controlled Chaos, diversity, London, review, Shakespeare, The Tempest, theatre
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