The Tempest

The Tempest by Companhia do Chapitô is a performance about magic, monsters, spirits and booze on a cursed island. The Chapitô ensemble uses a physical theatre expression. The ensemble has developed a distinct comical style of its own, in which stories are told with a minimum of text, whereas the performers express themselves through mimicry, body language and a minimum of props.

Fast as lightening the three actors Jorge Cruz, Marta Cerqueira and James Viegas switch between the ten roles of the play, with gestures and grimaces they fight themselves as much as each other, and they play their way to the play’s theme and central conflicts.

Shakespeare's text is still in, but the words are fewer and are delivered in heated outbursts in English and Italian – and through body language, gestures, mimicry and lots of comedy. The only props on stage are a black table cover and a book. With this, Chapitô conjures a dream world where innocence, love, fear, evil and revenge collide under the powers of a great magician.

As a director John Mowat likes to start from nothing, with a naked stage. With the actors he improvises the different situations.

In the process leading up to The Tempest he came to the following conclusion: Despite everything, meaning has nothing to do with common sense.

Source:

Porsgrunn International Theatre Festival, www.pit.no, 29.07.2010, http://www.pit.no/show_details.asp?ID=768

Ingegärd Waaranperä, Dagens Nyheter:

"...closer to Shakespeare than the circus’ ring after all, with its finely tuned actors in all their acrobatics. Besides it is unique in the magnificent, poetic manner it utilises the piece of cloth."