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Nadine Mather and Chloë Loubser
An African Tempest blows me away
The Royal Shakespeare Company and the Baxter Theatre joined forces to produce The Tempest, with Sir Anthony Sher taking the part of Prospero, and John Kani playing Caliban. Those are the big names, and let me come right out with it; it was not the big boys who blew me away. But before I lay into them, let me tell you more. Janice Honeyman directs, making The Tempest relevant and immediate by locating it on an enchanted island off the African coast, and filling the play with rich and eclectic animistic African symbols.
The costumes, the music, the set and the puppets are wonderful! Hilette Stapelberg has created costumes and masks for the spirits that look as if they are knitted or crocheted, but are totally effective in being African. (If you can't imagine it, go see the play and you'll see what I mean!) The live music is sensitive and adds hugely to the African feel of the play. But what really blew me away was Janni Younge's puppets. The puppeteers double as spirits and it is an inspired combination. The puppets, and indeed the spirits, are largely responsible for giving the play its movement, its African energy and its magical mystery. Choreography is by Chris Kindo and he gave the spirits their fast-moving and fluid movement. Talking of spirits, Ariel is played by Atandwa Kani (John's son) and he succeeded in presenting an African Ariel that was beautifully credible and playful. He was magnificent on curved stilts and surrounded by floating red wings.
Perhaps I should mention some of the human parts. They were, for me, quite overshadowed by the fabulous spirits, but nevertheless there were some good performances. Tinarie van Wyk Loots was charming as Miranda and captured her innocent excitement with men. (Maybe if we were starved of their company, we could also appreciate them more?) OK, I could understand her getting a bit excited with Ferdinand played by Charlie Keegan; he is one of Cosmo's hottest men, and when he was lifting all those logs to prove his love for her, he did have his shirt off and those pecs, that six pack, that cute little waist - you get my drift? Mention should also be made of Wayne van Rooyen and Elton Landrew who played the jester and the drunk butler. It is very difficult to pull off the comic roles, and they managed admirably.
Back to the big boys. I was underwhelmed by the performances of Sher and Kani. Sher didn't inhabit the African idiom and even though he was giving up his “rough magic”, it was hard to imagine that he had ever been imposing or powerful. And Kani as Caliban was rather wooden - not monstrous enough, not simian enough.
So, don't go to The Tempest for the big names. But do go for everything else. It is wonderful.
Written by Daphne Cooper
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