The Tempest blows in new direction

This was Shakespeare’s The Tempest as you’ve never seen it before.

Russian peasants dancing with sickles, performers being washed naked on stage and the bestial Caliban transfixed by a credit card PIN machine in a boutique shop.

This Cheek by Jowl production was performed in Russian with English subtitles on screens at the side of the stage. There were some odd expressions in the translation, but this did not matter. The on-stage action told the story perfectly. And the director Decland Donnellan gave the Bard’s play a refreshing revamp, including some hilarious scenes which delighted the arts centre audience.

The familiar story was all there but there were elements of a Communist society with a Russian version of Prospero (Igor Yasulovich) controlling everyone on the island, including the spirit Ariel (Andre Kuzichev) and Caliban (Alexander Feklistov), who gave a wonderfully funny performance of a disgruntled slave/worker.

Anya Khalilulina was also outstanding as Prospero’s daughter Miranda, crawling around the stage like a wild animal and leaping at the first real man she has seen when the shipwrecked Prince of Naples, Ferdinand, arrived.

Ferdinand (Yan Ilves) appeared naked on stage while being washed in preparation for his wedding to Miranda, who had earlier removed her top for a wash.

The wedding celebrations were well staged with sickle-wielding peasants dancing and three “goddesses” (men dressed as buxom country women) scattering corn, until Prospero shouted “Stop” and signalled a return to reality.

Another well conceived and amusing scene brought 21st century capitalism into the mix. It featured Caliban leading two of the stranded sailors in a plot to dispose of Prospero but being distracted by a shop full of smart clothes, mobile phones and a credit card PIN machine.

This new look version of The Tempest has added much fun to Shakespeare’s original while adapting the politics to suit time and place.

Verdict: Russian masterpiece

Peter Gawthorpe