The Tempest – Burnt Orange Theatre / The Drayton Arms Theatre

Burnt Orange Theatre inject youthful energy and creativity into their take on The Tempest at Drayton Arms Theatre.

The Tempest

I’m endlessly impressed by how youth theatre companies tackle Shakespeare.  First Intermission Youth Theatre, and then yesterday I had the opportunity to see the work of Burnt Orange Theatre and their take on The Tempest.

I’m not as familiar with The Tempest as with some of Shakespeare’s other plays (although I have seen it).  For me this is a positive, as it means something to discover.  In this case it also put my memory to the test as the extremely pared-back 80 minute version felt like it skipped a few too many scenes towards the end.  I didn’t think I would be advocating for longer run times, but there we go.

But for the most part, this Tempest adaptation hits the right notes.  It’s fast-paced, funny and flirty.  In a move which likely started as a necessity and morphed into an opportunity, the 14-strong cast remain on stage throughout.  When their character is not in a scene, they watch events unfold, acting as spirits or the island itself.  I liked the concept even if once or twice the chorus of clicks and sighs distracted me from what I was supposed to be watching.

Ariel Four-in-One

Another effective choice is the four-in-one Ariel (which sounds like a laundry product but isn’t).  Alix Lander, Vere van den Broek, Zaafir Virmani and Zoe Agbonkonkon share the role, often moving as one.  It’s a great angle on an other-worldly, shape-shifting, chimeric spirit.

The programme for The Tempest informs us that the company had only 14 rehearsals before going on stage last night in their opening performance.  It’s an impressive feat: it went almost without a hitch.  As a company they are lively and committed, and there are some great individual performances in there.  I liked Miranda (Chloe Chaffin) particularly in loved-up scenes, thought Prospero (Ioan Oosthuizen) had a great command of Shakespearean delivery, and enjoyed the scenes with Stephano (Sarah Carvalho) and Trinculo (Florence Chevallier). That is not a commentary on the other performances, merely a few highlights.

So it seems to me that with this much budding talent and creative thinking, Shakespeare is in good hands.  The Tempest is on for a few nights only, but Burnt Orange Theatre also has Constellations coming up if you would prefer a change of pace.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3.5/5

The Tempest on until 27 April 2024.  More info here.