Often played as tragedy with revenge at its heart, director James Tobias has opted to play this adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest more for laughs which means that this tale of forgiveness, generosity, and enlightenment has more of a pantomime feel to it than the supernatural and mysterious.
Opening to the travails of a ship at sea, we meet Prospero (Andrew Pearson-Wright) and his daughter Miranda (Katie Hamilton), and learn how 12 years ago his brother, with assistance from Naples, had usurped him as Duke of Milan. Put to sea in a rotten boat, they washed up on a distant island inhabited only by the son of a witch, Caliban (Lee Birnie), and a spirit, Ariel (Carlotte Balls). Since then, Prospero has ruled the island and its two inhabitants using magic arts and having divined that fortune has brought his old enemies close, he raises a tempestuous storm to bring their very ship to be dashed upon its shores.
Miranda has never set eyes upon another human so when she stumbles upon Ferdinand (Sean Barratt), son of the King of Naples, who has swum ashore from the wreck, a budding romance ensues, watched over by Prospero to ensure Ferdinand is as sincere as he appears to be.
Then other survivors appear: Alonso (Ed Tunningley), King of Naples; his brother, Sebastian (Barratt); and Prospero’s own sister, Antonia (Hamilton), accompanied by Prospero’s honest counsel, Gonzalo (Birnie). It’s only a matter of time before Antonio and Sebastian are plotting misdeeds which the loyal Ariel informs Prospero.
And then the fun begins as we meet jester Trinculo (Pearson-Wright) and drunken butler Stephano (Tunningley) who, chancing upon Caliban, serve up some of the funniest scenes. With Caliban hoping to turn the tables on Prospero, the ever-observant Ariel calls upon the spirits to provide some enchantment and mystery as this comedic tale unravels love and romance, treachery and revenge, and, in its search for justice, forgiveness.
Rochelle Parry’s set design is rightfully kept simple with an elevated platform stage and screen allowing the action to unfold at a range of levels although some consideration may be needed for sightlines when some of the action is played close to the ground. Her choice of costumes is inspired as they capture the underlying nature of each character as well as lending themselves to quick changes with the cast playing multiple roles throughout.
There was good use of background music to symbolise scene changes as well as hinting at the underlying supernatural mystery that lies at the heart of this play, although the overly comic nature of this production mean that this was less well explored with the emphasis more on fun and entertainment.
The cast perform strongly, with each moving seamlessly between roles that are the complete opposite of each other which is a testament to their own expertise.
Pearson-Wright serves up a less stoical Prospero which is still enjoyable whilst his drunken Trinculo provides a lot of fun. Hamilton captures the playful innocence of Miranda whilst equally embracing the cunning of Antonia.
Tunningley finds the humanity in Alonso whilst revelling in the drunken ambitions of Stephano.
Birnie sympathetically embellishes the rage and torment at the heart of Caliban whilst segueing to the calm candour of the loyal Gonzalo in a strong performance.
Balls is the constant with an energetic Ariel more Puck-like in behaviour and an interactive-narrator style presence more comic than magical, very much aligned with the production approach adopted here.
Norton Priory Museum & Gardens hosts a range of outdoor performances, but as one of Cheshire’s hidden gems, there is much more to explore and discover. Further details https://www.nortonpriory.org/
Immersion Theatre was established in June 2010 specialising in high quality family theatre and pantomime. Further details of the company and future productions at https://www.immersiontheatre.co.uk/
Reviewer: Mark Davoren
Reviewed: 24th August 2025
North West End UK Rating:
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