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The Tempest
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Emily
(new)
Aug 09, 2011 01:03AM
Hallo hallo! Here's an absolute Bardolitor who is wondering whether, besides Julie Taymore's version, there is a decent version of "Tempest" to see. For the record, I have not yet seen Taymore's version, but I'm in the research part of preparation to direct "Tempest" in a few weeks. Thanks!
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I have the BBC version of 1980 with Michael Hordern as Prospero. I thought it was rather conventional. Unfortunately, like so much Shakespeare, I think the greatest versions have been on stage, without any visual record to go with them.I'd be most interested to hear how you approached staging the play.
I read a great interview with three directors from the RSC and their approaches, and one of the things they mentioned was that Tempest ends up being very much a personal exploration for the creators (more than, say, his plot-heavy tragedies). As I was reading it, and thinking about Shakespeare's own timeline, all I could think was of an aging author (Prospero) who is trying these plotlines that sort of go nowhere. It's the beginning of a thought, but I find seeing other productions - conventional or not - extremely helpful in clarifying my thought. If something worked, I want to know how and why; if something didn't work, I'm glad to let someone else show me the pitfalls to avoid!Have you done a production?
Me? I can barely produce a Spanish omelette!I saw a production here in Norwich with Richard Briers at Prospero. It made excellent sense of the scene where Trinc. and Steph. steal clothes from the line. The shipwrecked aristocrats are all dressed in the costumes of early 20th century imperialism -- sashes, ceremonial swords, epaulettes and the like, and the clothes on the line are ludicrous parodies of the style.
I would have Caliban done as a proud but enslaved native, finally destroyed by alcohol, Ariel played by a woman (there is nothing in the text to say Ariel is male), and Prospero's warning to Ferdinand,
If thou dost break her virgin-knot . . .
possibly prompted by an excess of on-stage affection between the young lovers.
