"The Tempest" by Your Chance Productions
Derby Theatre
It seems like an age since I last watched any Shakespeare on stage and how I've missed it. And I had no issues with understanding the great man's words, so it looks like after all this time Shakespeare is sinking in for me.
The Tempest follows the story of Prospera, who was overthrown by her sister Antonia and banished to a desert island with her young son. Here she befriended island spirits and learned powerful magic, 12 years later, when her sister and other nobles who helped overthrow her pass near the island on their way back from a long voyage, she takes the opportunity to get her revenge and shipwrecks them on her island, where she casts a series of spells and tricks on them. Along the way, Prospera’s son and Alonsi’s daughter start to fall in love, thieving servants get too confident and land themselves in trouble and the island spirits work their magic on all.
Will Prospera get her revenge? Will the lovers be able to marry? Will Alonsi find peace? Will the thieves get their comeuppance? and will Ariel finally win her freedom?
Well, for anyone who does not know what happens, best pop along to Derby Theatre to find out! For those of us who know, well it's just great to sit back and be reminded of the wonderful, magical story that Shakespeare hath writ.
You may also have noticed that there is already some changes afoot!
Samantha Badman as Prospera, The Duchess of Milan who was shipwrecked on the island where she had time to hone her magical skills to bring about the storm that brought her sister, and her enemies to the island so she could get her revenge. I've seen Samantha in several productions over the years and in this role she really gets to grip with this part; I really enjoyed this performance.
Kate Lewis as Ariel, the favourite spirit of Prospera and carries out all of Prospera's wishes. Kate is one of many new faces within Your Chance Productions, and I hope that I get to see more of what Kate can do as she is literally bewitching. Loved her costume which really made her look like a wispy spirit with long flowing wispy material, and great make up also.
Wahnnetta Williamson as Seba, Alonsi's sister and close friend to Antonia. Another new face to the Your Chance fold, and with so many newbies it really shows how well this group have gelled to produce this quality of Shakespeare.
Harry Marciniak as Stephano, a butler and the other half of the comedy duo with Trincula. Believing his Masters to be killed Stephano makes himself quite at home on the island and his ego gets him caught up in some nasty plots that land him and Trincula in a lot of trouble. Harry is new to Your Chance Productions but I had the pleasure in seeing him in "Pink Mist" at Nottingham's Lace Market Theatre in November. His take on the role is new to me as I've never heard a Mancunian Shakespearian character. Great fun to watch with many comic moments, both physical and in his delivery. Harry also plays a good drunk, which made me think how much method acting was needed!
Molly Gudz as Trincula, who is the entertainer in Alonsi's court and the other half of our drunken duo. The first thing I noticed about Molly is how much she resembles Kylie Minogue in build and looks, so she won me over straight away. A lovely pairing of actors with Harry and Molly as they bounce off each other really well.
Chantelle Ruston as Antonia, the villain of the piece, a manipulative young woman who seized control of Milan, taking it from her sister Prospera. You can tell that Chantelle really got into this villainous part, and looked to have enjoyed being the baddie, and I enjoyed her performance.
Emma Merrey as Caliba. Caliba has a lot of issues and a lot of anger towards Prospera who she believes stole the island from her. Again, Emma slipped into the role really easily. There are so many different character-driven roles within this play and you could really feel the vitriol burning inside of Emma's character.
Sophie Smith as Alonsi, The Queen of Naples and mother to Ferdina. It was nice to see the breaking down of the character from being quite a harsh woman to softening when she learned that Ferdina had survived the shipwreck and had found herself a beau in Mirando.
Oliver Ridgeway as Mirando, Prospera's son. Mirando is only young and completely naive, especially when it comes to how he feels about Ferdina. Oliver is yet another newbie to the group but I don't think he is new to Shakespeare as he is completely fluent in delivering the text as Shakespeare had meant it to be delivered. It was as if it were a second language to Oliver. The scene where he and Ferdina "proposes" was beautifully acted and very tenderly delivered and I am sure that I heard an audience member say "aah" when the scene was over. Oliver also has a great face for acting as he depicts the feelings that his words promote in his face. Some actors, especially with Shakespeare deliver the lines but sometimes you get the feeling that it is just that, line delivery. Oliver totally lives and believes the text and shows us that he does.
Jessica Horsley as Ferdina, daughter to The Queen and a brave warrior. Ferdina thinks that she is the sole survivor of the shipwreck and soon becomes very fond of Mirando. Again, an excellent pairing of actors and the chemistry between these two was electric; you could tell the way that they stared into each other's eyes when they were acting.
Philippa Buchanan as Gonzala who loves all things in nature and sees good in everything and everyone. I love to watch Phillipa because she is what I call a "safe bet" in any cast, whether it be Shakespeare or Sondheim. You just know that she will deliver exactly what is wanted by the Director and what is needed for the role and the play. Need I say more? It's always lovely to see her class and capability.
Directed by Jessica McLean, she has brought out the comedy elements of this play brilliantly, as well as the drama needed to make the production a very enjoyable piece of theatre. Just a shame that it's only on for two nights.
There was a lovely soundscape of waves and bird noises throughout which really places you in an island setting.
A percentage of the ticket sales will also be donated to the charity Inspirative Arts who provide creative arts for children and adults and help them develop emotional resilience and improve self-esteem.
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