TEMPESTADE: Theatre of Glass. To 23 August.
TEMPESTADE: Theatre of Glass.
Based on The Tempest by William Shakespeare.
Stourbridge International Festival of Glass.
Booking and information: 01384 399410 or www.itg.org.uk.
Runs: 1 hour, no interval, until Sat 23 August.
Review: Rod Dungate, 20 August 2008.
Adventurous, promising, sometimes beautiful.
This is a bold experiment based on a beautiful idea; it’s a performance with beautiful moments but which doesn’t fully achieve its potential – yet.
Stourbridge has a glass festival – the area is well known for making glass. Crisform and Atlantis Crystal are two highly regarded glass manufacturers in Portugal. So Clive Chandler, a West Midlands puppeteer and Jose Gil, a Portuguese puppeteer, had the idea of joining forces and creating a work with glass puppets at its centre. Light is projected through the puppets to create elements within a shadow puppet performance. In addition, the originators commissioned Edward Briggs, a rising young composer, to create a new score – central to the score is a whole set of specially made glass instruments; water filled wine glasses and bowls abound and there’s a fabulous double tiered glass xylophone.
The story is based closely on Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Prospero is created with a gorgeous and mysterious glass head. Magical images are created of Sycorax, of Caliban and particularly of Ariel’s imprisonment in a tree and subsequent release by Prospero. There’s much to enjoy and wonder at.
However, as yet, the team doesn’t tell the story clearly enough, indeed the story itself needs a stronger spine. Often images need greater precision. The impact of the show is, therefore, blunted. And we’d certainly like to see more of the puppets in front of the screen.
Edward Briggs’s score is marvellous, his composing and the glass instruments create an ethereal atmosphere.
At the moment, the three elements in this production – puppets, story, score – often appear to be working in parallel rather than being merged into one satisfying, organic whole. Perhaps this will come about over time.
Artistic Director: Clive Chandler.
Director of Manipulation: Jose Gil.
Producers: Sally Rew, Sofia Vinagre.
Composer, Musician: Edward Briggs.
Musician: Hugo Trindade.
Performers, Manipulators: Marcus Fernando, Jose Gil, Tina Hofman, Natacha Costa Pereira, Sofia Vinagre.
Ariel character Glass design by: Hugo Amado – Atlantis Crystal.
Glass Making by: Nelson Dinis, Rita Barata, Joana Silva – Crisform.
Puppet Creation by: Jose Gil.
Lighting Technician: Jim Duncombe.
Technician: Chris Cuthbert.
Additional Glass by: Rachel Elliott.
Consultant Graphic Illustrator: John Crane.
Bespoke Double-Psaltery made by: Paul Baker.
Glass Xylophone by: Jim Doble – Elemental Design
Student composers: Michael Hukins, Sarah Price.
2008-08-21 10:43:11