Armfield's new troupe storms in with Tempest

THE TEMPEST

Review: James Waites.

The Launch of Neil Armfield's Belvoir-based Company B is undoubtedly a historic occasion. The circumstances that have lead to the moment go back as far as the early 1970s renaissance in our performing arts, including the establishment of the original Nimrod Theatre and its move to the Surrey Hills space which now houses the new company. Equally, Armfield's own achievement as a director owes much to opportunities the Nimrod company offered him at an young age, and further lessons were drawn from his association with Jim Sharman's Adelaide-based acting ensemble, Lighthouse.

The truth is we have been waiting a long time for a company of this nature to be formed in Sydney. Armfield is the right person to do it, and Belvoir the ideal location. It is interesting that Armfield chose to rework one of his most successful productions, his 1990 The Tempest, to launch the company. The decision to avoid unnecessary risk (and thus box-office and public relations catastrophes) is also a lesson learned from the past. The whole mood of the launch, with its strong government and private sector back-up, also suggests that the city might actually be ready to support such an endeavour.

Only three actors return to the production - Ralph Cotterill (Gonzalo), Gillian Jones (Ariel) and Keith Robinson (Stephano). All produced excellent performances the first time round: this time Jones and Robinson take their interpretations to even greater heights.

While the overall design concept remains the same (Brian Thomson's setting, Jennie Tate's costumes, Alan John's score), the results are otherwise very different. John Bell's Prospero was an unforgettably classical interpretation, astringently heroic and impeccably articulated. Barry Otto's is a more idiosyncratic reading, trembling, doubting, over-reaching in his love of his daughter and sick with yearning for resolution of the long rift that has scarred relations with his brother, the usurping Antonio. We may miss a little of the all-controlling Magus in this characterisation, and the eventual confrontation with Antonio goes off with a whimper, but in return we are rewarded with many fresh insights. The humanity is profound.

One of the highlights of the original production was Max Cullen's Caliaban, his tragic moon-calf, deformed of intellect more than body, dragging forward a raft of new insights into the play. How amazing it is that in casting Aboriginal actor Kevin Smith in the part, we are rewarded all over again with another entirely new, and perhaps even more fascinating, perspective. The Tempest is, among other themes, a play about colonialism and the New World. To cast the only true tenant of the island as an Aborigine brings this 400-year old play right to our shore. To see him fooled by Stephano's culturally acquired pretensions (not to mention succumbing to his drink) is tragically resonant.

There are other remarkable aspects of Armfield's most assured reading. The often tiresome second plotline, the conspiratorial attempt of Alonso (David Wendham) and Sebastian (David Roberts) to murder Antonio while he sleeps is, instead of being rushed over in embarrassment, played out in meticulous detail, almost in slow motion. The attention given this scene brings it far enough forward for the whole play, for once, to make sense. But the one can go too far: the scene was stretched so far on opening night audience that concentration almost collapsed.

Another remarkable aspect of this production is the comic line supplied by the antics of Trinculo (Jacek Koman) and Stephano. After the devastating brutality of Koman's most recent roles (Roy Cohn in Angels In America and Claudius in Armfield's Hamlet), he reveals that his comic skills are equally great. Trinculo is described by Shakespeare as a jester, and Koman takes this as a cue. A hint of Roy Rene in the look adds another uniquely Australian edge. Robinson's Stephano is a tour-de-force, one which begs the question: when will this actor be lifted beyond the bridesmaid roles? But he, too, must learn to sense when enough is enough. Towards the closing scenes, there was a feeling that Robinson was pushing his comic luck a little too far.

Which brings us to the lovers, Miranda and Ferdinand. Cate Blanchett is a most beautiful young woman who also happens to be able to act. Her partner in romance for the evening is Jason Clarke, a recent Victorian College of the Arts. Clarke makes a most credible debut, and the two work excellently together.

This is a review that concentrates on details, but that is the way the production comes across. There is no doubt that Armfield continues to grow as a director, his bold shaping of this new version of The Tempest shows this to be true. But the impressive elements that make up the production also need to fall into line behind an overall scheme. That, of course, may only take a couple more run-throughs.

To all those with an interest in Shakespeare, or indeed the theatre in general, here we have a very remarkable production launching a most exciting epoch of Australian theatre. Definitely worth the price of a ticket.

The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday June 1st, 1995.

PRODUCTION DETAILS

VENUE: Belvoir Street Theatre, Surrey Hills, Sydney.
PREVIEWS: May 26th, 27th & 28th.
OPENED: May 30th.
CLOSED: June 2nd.
PERFORMANCES: 35.

DIRECTOR: Neil Armfield; SET DESIGN: Bryan Thomson; COSTUMES: Jeannie Tate; LIGHTING: Mark Shelton; MUSIC: Alan John.

CAST (alphabetical): Cate Blanchett, Peter Carrol, Jason Clarke, Desmond Connellan, Ralph Cotterill, Gillian Jones, Jacek, Koman, Barry Otto, David Roberts, Keith Robinson, Kevin Smith & David Wendham.

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Aussie Cate Online © 1999 Lin, Dean, Lance
800x600 screen size recommended.

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