The Tempest dir Trevor Nunn, design Ralph Fiennes, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Andrew Jarvis
Reconciliation. This is the mood throughout. Everything stems from Ralph Fiennes’ fine Prospero as he dons his magical cloak and incants the spell which precipitates the storm. He is ready to forgive. The production feels eighteenth century: in is the masque of the three goddesses, sung in mock-baroque fashion; in is the illusory feast which so stills the ship-wrecked dukes; in is the harmonic balance between action, singing, music and staging; and in is a contrived sentimentality with flying cherubs and counter-tenor arias. The production is big with arielists, projections, while the constancy of the hour-glass downstage reminds us that there are tasks to be completed. From the innocuous log-fetching of Caliban and Ferdinand to Ariel's right to freedom and Prospero's restoration as the rightful Duke of Milan. The comic duo, Trinculo and Stephano, replete with shanties and folk songs as they tame/civilise their moon-calf, Caliban, with the celestial liquor, offer an ironic counterpoint to the vision of kingship and kingdom, as does the gentle, yet steadfast Gonzalo. To each the isle is full of strange noises that are harmonious or dissonant depending on what is in their hearts………… 
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