Brimming with magic and romance, William Shakespeare’s The Tempest plays in the Roy Couzens Theatre at Westville Boys’ High School February 12 through February 16, 2018. One of Shakespeare’s last and greatest works, The Tempest is part fairy tale, part romance and nothing but pure magic. From the crash of the opening storm, to the echo of the play’s famous closing lines, audiences will be spellbound by the beauty of Shakespeare’s language and enthralled by the brilliance of his invention. Prospero, the magician and exiled Duke; Miranda, his beautiful daughter; Caliban, his half-human slave; and Ariel, a spirit of the air; are all part of the story, but Shakespeare is the true star in this late, great masterpiece of reconciliation and forgiveness.
Written around 1611, The Tempest is believed to be Shakespeare’s last play. Deserted on an island, the rightful Duke of Milan, Prospero, conjures a tempest to shipwreck his usurping brother Antonio and Alonso, King of Naples. Ferdinand, the king’s son, believes all others aboard the ship have drowned. When he meets Prospero’s daughter Miranda, they immediately fall in love. Some of the survivors of the shipwreck conspire with Caliban, Prospero’s beastly slave, to murder Prospero. But it is up to the wrongly banished ruler of Milan who now must decide whether to use his mystic arts to revenge or to forgive.
Among its’ many adaptations, The Tempest was recently produced as a feature film directed by Julie Taymor (2010) which starred Helen Mirren and Felicity Jones. Other productions (and not necessarily holding true to Shakespeare’s script) have featured such actors as John Cassavetes and Peter Fonda with the earliest film version dating back to 1905. The classic sci-fi film of the Forbidden Planet was based on The Tempest. Reportedly John Gielgud played Prospero several times and called it his favourite role. Over 40 operas have been written based on The Tempest along with ballets and orchestral works, including Tchaikovsky’s fantasy The Tempest and Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor which is subtitled The Tempest.
The Tempest is directed by Luke Holder, and runs from Monday 12th February until Friday 16th February, from 19h00 – 21h30, in the Roy Couzens Theatre at Westville Boys’ High School. All tickets on Monday are R10; thereafter tickets are R30 for learners in uniform and R50 for adults. Please note that all seating is unreserved. Doors open 15 minutes before the presentation.
For more information, or to book tickets, email [email protected]