The Tempest

Midas Touch Productions and the Lord Chamberlain's Men present in Cyprus the last complete play by William Shakespeare in a production similar to the one directed by the author - no stage or sets, no female actresses, live music and strong emphasis on the language.

The Tempest is a play that has delighted audiences for almost 400 years and is regarded by almost all scholars to be Shakespeare's last complete work. Although it is clearly a comedy in the classical definition of the genre, this late masterpiece is very concerned with issues such as the nature of authority, the clashing demands of revenge and forgiveness, of justice and mercy as well as dwelling on the affairs of the heart.

The Lord Chamberlain's Men will continue its popularity by bringing the show to some of the most beautiful open-air venues in the country, offering audiences outside the capital the perfect opportunity to see Shakespeare's plays performed to the very highest standards, in the way the Bard first envisioned them...with an all-male cast!

A brief plot synopsis...

King Alonso of Naples, his son Ferdinand and their entourage encounter a violent storm and are washed ashore on a strange island inhabited by the magician Prospero, his beautiful daughter Miranda, Ariel, a sprite who carries out the bidding of Prospero, and the ugly, half human Caliban. Miranda has never set her eyes upon any human being other than her father and when she is immediately struck with the beauty of Ferdinand, her life on the island is turned upside down. The story follows this affair, but not without first taking the audience on a truly magical journey of love, comedy, revenge and forgiveness.

Editor's Notice:
Founded in 2004, The Lord Chamberlain's Men Theatre Company is the modern incarnation of Shakespeare's original troupe of the same name. Performing with an all-male cast, we aim to revive the traditions of Elizabethan theatre and to bring to life the greatest works of drama as they would first have been performed.

Director - Andrew Normington
Musical Director - Jonathan Yesten Thomas
Dance - Darren Royston
Costumes - Polly Laurence, Will Skeet

Cast
Matt Bannister - Prospero
William Vasey - Miranda / Antonio
Craig Gordon - Ariel
Kristian Philips - Caliban
Shaun McKee - Ferdinand / Sebastian
Paul Hassall - Trinculo / Alonso
William Reay- Stephano / Gonzalo