The Tempest

The finale in Phyllida Lloyd’s trilogy of all-female (and multi-ethnic) Shakespeare productions at London’s Donmar Warehouse is this 2016 staging of the play that (despite the later Henry VIII) is usually seen as the culmination of the Bard’s creative career. As in the two previous entries in the series (Julius Caesar and Henry IV [reviewed in VL-9/19]), the premise finds the play being performed by inmates at a women’s prison, and once again Harriet Walter takes the leading role. She—or rather the convict Hannah—plays Prospero, the exiled duke of Milan who employs magic when his enemies are shipwrecked on the island on which he resides with his daughter Miranda. Prospero uses the power of the sprite Ariel to bring about not only his own restoration but also the marriage of Miranda to Ferdinand, the king’s son. The text has been trimmed substantially and altered to allow for contemporary references and sporadic musical numbers, while some rudimentary technological effects have also been added. A more overt political theme also emerges in the characterization of Hannah—here identified as a lifer for her role in a robbery with left-wing overtones—who at the end remains alone in her cell as her fellow inmates are released. Like its predecessors in Lloyd’s series, this Tempest presents an imaginative variant that can serve as a complement to more traditional productions. Extras include an introduction to the play, a plot synopsis, audio commentary by Lloyd, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a cast gallery. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)