Review: The Tempest at Maynardville 2025, enchanting, entertaining and playful

I loved The Tempest which is on at Maynardville Open-Air Festival, from January 31 until March 8, 2025. I was enchanted by Sylvaine Strike vision of Shakespeare’s enchanted island. It is playful – not heavy handed – very different to productions of The Tempest that I have seen. At 90 minutes, this production whizzed by without lagging. Award winning, veteran thespian, Antoinette Kellerman rules the stage as Prospera (a feminine shift of Shakespeare’s male Prospera). In addition to Kellermann, the cast features: Albert Pretorius (Caliban), Jane de Wet (Miranda), Daniel Lasker (Ariel), Brent Palmer (King Alonso), Jefferson Lan (Ferdinand), David Viviers (Antonio/Stephano), Tankiso Mamabolo (Sebastian/Trinculo), Siya Mayola (Gonzalo/Boatswain) and Len-Barry Simons, Naoline Quinzin and Lungile Lallie as the Spirits.

In framing the main protagonist as female, Prospera, not Prospero as in Shakespeare’s text, Strike told me in an interview that she associates “magic and feminine energy” and that she “couldn’t un- see a female in that role” ie in the character. “I think that the role of a sorceresses, the role of a mother, instead of a father is more interesting and certainly a mother who was exiled from her dukedom because her brother felt intimidated by her power and ability to work with magic and her involvement with her art.” [https://thecaperobyn.co.za/interview-the-tempest-at-maynardville-2025-turning-personal-tragedy-into-magic/] The choice to invoke the character as Prospera wasn’t simply about gender bending casting. Under Strike’s guidance, it feels magical and natural. It is now a mother-daughter relationship- Prospera and Miranda – rather than a father and daughter relationship – Prospero and Miranda.

A petulant Ariel played by Daniel Lasker bowled me over with his physically animated and charged performance- his voice clearly ringing out with every utterance. He plays Native American Flute (ie live music on stage) and gives full thrust to Ariel’s Song. Albert Pretorius as the lumbering Caliban – brings mirth to Prospera’s servant- the “native” of the island. With his grunting and burping, he is scary (he is freaky) but is also someone we can empathise with as he grovels before Prospero. Fabulous characterisation. Strike has avoided playing the Colonialism card.  Strike: “… All we know is that it is an enchanted island; illusionary and magical. I am steering away from anything that is going to make it look like a colonial exploration because Shakespeare does that already. No matter where one is, when somebody takes possession of another person or enslaves another person then one is perpetuating the master and slave relationship. I don’t think we need to have it explicit shown to us. We can understand that this can happen anywhere in a place of fantasy or a place that we know, such as Africa …” Strike has humanised Caliban – an indigenous creature – of the island. Prospera, the abused and hounded has become the abuser of this first inhabitant of the island.

Yes, Prospera is bent on revenge on those who have banished her and muted her and tried to stop her magic. She facilitates a storm t to shake up the natural order of things but her struggle and grief is palpable – from the start. She is a mother stranded on an island with strange creatures and sprites, with her young daughter, Miranda (Jane de Wet, playing a very clingy Miranda).

The setting of Maynardville is key to the way the narrative unfurls with the natural foliage becoming part of the body of the work. The raked set – a wreck – a skeleton – becomes a playground, a jungle gym for the characters. Strike – “the natural world [being in charge]… we work with the elements of earth, wind, fire, water”. These were the “departure points for Strike and designer Niall (set and costumes) in conceptualising the physical emanation of the narrative. Griffin’s set is epic and the costumes are gorgeous (lots of earthy colours and textures). There is a sense of the costumes being constructed and upcycled from found objects – stuff that was there on the island. Prospera’s outfit is made from the sails of the ship that she was shipwrecked from and Miranda’s from sea foam [see interview].

Wessel Odendaal (original score and soundtrack) told me that he sees Maynardville as another character in the play. In scoring his music, he allows for space for the sounds of the park overlay his music, for instance the chirping of the crickets and hadidas in the park. Oliver Hauser’s lighting design also dovetails with the architecture of the park – the trees and foliage – delineating shapes and spaces and heightening the awe of the magic in the play. I was entranced by the synergy and seamless integration between performance, text and design.

I loved the clowning and elements of cirque (Naoline Quinzin – you are a wonder) and the energy and dynamism of the performers on the raked stage –the tension between bodies colliding in the wreckage and eventually finding stability and togetherness. Physical theatre drives this production – the bodies are the primary mode of expression. If you miss some of the dialogue or cannot hear every word (Maynardville is a noisy place), the narrative manifests visually and aurally. In addition to projecting, some performers are stronger than others in terms of characterisation and relationships to each other.   

Circling back to dialogue, silence is an important element in one scene in particular. It is not only what is said but what is not said. I won’t production spoil.

The tempest -the storm – is vividly conjured up -not with billowing silk or an obvious proxy for a storm. It is fierce, urgent and terrifying and yet supernatural. Conceptually the storm is inspired- a profound and powerful start to the play.

This Tempest is immensely entertaining. The devils are still there (“Hell is empty and all the devils are here” – that famous Tempest line) but they hover and are not foregrounded in this transcendent evolution of the Bard’s last play. Strike told me that she selected The Tempest for Maynardville 2025 because it is “the perfect mix of comedy and tragedy”. I must admit that it wasn’t a play that I associated with as a comedy. I associated darkness with the play and I found it hard to relate to as a story. After seeing this production, it is for me, like seeing a new play. I thoroughly enjoyed the comedic elements and the playfulness. I loved the tomfoolery of Tankiso Mamabolo (Sebastian/Trinculo) and David Viviers (Antonio/Stephano).

The Tempest at Maynardville 2025 is testament to the alchemy of theatre, synthesised by Strike, the creative team and cast. Core to this production is “forgiveness and turning personal tragedy into magic” – Strike. Watching this Tempest, I was very moved by the emotional transformation of the characters and ultimately the power of love to heal and restore family and societal relationships. Strike mused in our interview, that this is a play we need to see and reflect on and be inspired from: “We need to see light as opposed to darkness”. In this messed up world of ours, we need to reflect deeply on this play and this production invites us to see the light in our dark world and that is a beautiful take-home. The Tempest Maynardville 2025 is an enchanting experience, entertaining and playful in the playground of the park. Do not miss.

✳ Featured image: Prospera (a feminine expression on the character Prospero) is played by award-winning actress, Antoinette Kellermann in The Tempest at Maynardville 2025, Cape Town. Image: Claude Barnardo. Supplied.