'Prominent Flaws in the execution' The Tempest by Braham Murray (SRT) 26th May 2015 @ Fort C

Synopsis:

The play begins on the deck of a ship in the middle of a violent tempest. It is about a man (Prospero) who pretends to be a sorcerer by using a tree spirit (Ariel) he rescued as a slave to perform magic for him. His power lies not in his magical skills but his ability to manipulate people into believing that he has such powers. He (and his daughter, Miranda) was banished by his brother (Antonio) 12 years ago and has been inhabiting on a remote island with another rescued slave (Caliban). Prospero creates a violent tempest to lure his enemies (King Alonso of Naples, Alonso's brother and son Sebastian and Ferdinand and Alonso's advisor, Gonzalo) to this island to seek vengeance.

Technicalities:

The play was rather boring with little action and too heavy on the speech. Most of the scenes had actors standing at the very front of the stage, disallowing audience from the back to able to view the complete action. Some of the scenes had Prospero popping out from a small window above the actual scenes playing out at the bottom, watching the scenes. Little emphasis were placed on him as a main character this way. The play was rather dry and was not really suitable for the mainstream audience.

On the other hand, adequate comedy relief was present to add more life into the otherwise rather dull dialogue exchanges. Conversations between Caliban and the rest of the cast were especially entertaining. The scene when Caliban, Trinculo and Stephano were drunk was extremely memorable. Sound effects and choice of music was accurate and appropriate. The pink-haired spirits’ performance was moving and committed. Ariel’s voice was captivating.

Conclusion:

Overall, the play was enjoyable but the flaws in the execution was rather prominent. It was, however, entertaining and a great way to spend a Sunday evening with your loved ones.