The Tempest Tickets

To this day William Shakespeare is still one of our most widely performed playwrights: though styles and periods have come and gone, his penetrative eye for characterisation and unsurpassed literary dexterity have never gone out of fashion.  The latest instance of the still high demand for his work comes in the form of a new production by the Haymarket Theatre of his much loved work, The Tempest.

It is generally regarded to be his final play, and as such is a piece of great maturity by a writer who was at the peak of his strengths.  It’s magical plot and unforgettable characters have made it an audience favourite for hundreds of years.  The main character is the strange and powerful Prospero, a magician who was once the Duke of Milan.  We meet him and his daughter Miranda at the outset of the play, where they have been marooned on an island for over a decade by the Duke’s wicked sibling Antonio.  Alongside these are the colourful characters of Ariel, a spirit in the service of the magician, and Caliban.  The story twists and turns around Miranda’s first love and Propero’s cunning scheme to gain revenge on his enemies before he finally gives up magic for good.

The Haymarket Theatre have assembled a great team to bring this powerful work to life.  In the director’s seat is Sir Trevor Nunn, a well respected Shakespearean authority.  In his time he has one a great deal of Laurence Olivier Awards and Tony Awards for Best Director, and he is sure to perform the same magic which won him these decorations on this new project.  Taking the role of Prospero is the fantastic Ralph Fiennes, who has had a long career in film and theatre, playing such roles as Amon Goth in ‘Schindler’s List’, for which he won a number of awards, as well as Count Laszlo de Almassy in ‘The English Patient’.  Appearing alongside him is the national treasure that is Nicholas Lyndhurst, who you are sure to remember from for his roles in great British comedies such as ‘Only Fools and Horses’ and ‘Goodnight Sweetheart’.  A Bafta Award winning actor, he is bringing his expertise to the role of Trinculo.

With such an all star cast this really is a show that you cannot afford to miss.  Buy your tickets now and ensure that you manage to catch this fantastic opportunity to see some of the top talents in British theatre coming together to create an unforgettable event.