Radical Reimagining of The Tempest Breaks Every Shakespearean Rule
The Globe's latest production at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse represents a seismic departure from traditional Shakespearean staging. Experimental theatremaker Tim Crouch has taken William Shakespeare's late classic The Tempest and dragged it so far from conventional territory that it feels like discovering an entirely new theatrical continent.
Colonialism and Storytelling Reexamined
Crouch operates on the assumption that audiences possess basic familiarity with The Tempest's narrative, using this foundation not to simply retell the story but to launch a provocative exploration of colonialism and narrative construction. The production dismantles the play's traditional power dynamics with remarkable audacity.
Rather than presenting Prospero as a patriarchal authority figure, Crouch offers a diffident, collaborative interpretation. The island's inhabitants distribute Prospero's speeches like pirates dividing treasure, their weariness evident in how they handle Shakespeare's rich language. This approach fundamentally alters the play's colonial underpinnings.
Transformative Performances Redefine Characters
Faizal Abdullah brings profound dignity to Caliban, making clear through his performance that the island belongs to him. He claims his supposed master's words while interspersing them with proud passages in his own language, creating a powerful statement about ownership and identity.
Sophie Steer presents Miranda as an awkward, homeschooled fifteen-year-old girl rather than a passively beautiful prize, while Naomi Wirthner's earthy, grounded Ariel dismantles the magical elements that typically obscure Shakespeare's colonial logic. These characters appear less enchanted and more psychologically affected by their isolation, muttering lines like half-remembered stories.
Audience Integration and Contemporary References
Crouch employs delightfully cheeky strategies to blur boundaries between performance and reality. When outsiders arrive on the island, they're reimagined as people who might simply be visiting The Globe that evening. Ferdinand becomes a daffy usher who clambers onto the stage with his lanyard flapping, while villainous Antonia transforms into an obnoxious corporate theatre supporter who gets reprimanded for filming with her phone.
Patricia Rodriguez delivers the funniest interpretation as drunkard Stephano, reimagined as a loutish Spanish student carrying a clanking rucksack full of supermarket cans. When characters enjoy the magical feast, they consume mini tubs of Chocoholic Heaven ice cream rather than traditional faerie banquets.
Maximalist Design and Venue Confrontation
Rachana Jadhav's maximalist set design bursts with puppets, masks, treasures, and even secret disco lights that deliberately violate the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse's authentic candlelit aesthetic. Crouch seems determined to break every possible rule, confronting and reimagining everything that typically occurs both onstage and off at The Globe.
Provocative Yet Uneven Experience
While undeniably provocative and enjoyable, this Tempest moves at an odd, deliberate pace. The drunken subplot sings with energy and humour, while the main storyline occasionally mumbles through halting line deliveries. The production struggles to provide a clear subversion of the play's traditionally neat, purity-obsessed final scenes.
In traditional productions, Prospero renounces his power and magic in the conclusion. Here, he possesses nothing to relinquish. Despite this narrative ambiguity, the production generates genuine pathos as audiences depart, knowing they've witnessed something truly special that hums with mischief and vitality.
This radical reimagining challenges audiences to reconsider everything they know about Shakespearean performance while creating a production that feels vibrantly alive and urgently contemporary.
