'The Tempest' storms into Asia

After blowing away Hong Kong audiences, Sam Mendes's "The Tempest" is set to hit Singapore this Friday.

Co-produced by Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM),  helmed by Joseph V Melillo, the Old Vic, with artistic director Kevin Spacey, and Sam Mendes-led Neal Street, the Bridge Project is gliding smoothly into its second year, after the global success of "The Winter's Tale" and "The Cherry Orchard" last year.

The project is a unique vision with a transatlantic cast and crew in a large-scale production of classical theatre and this year is serving up William Shakespeare's "As You Like It" and "The Tempest" that premiered, respectively, in January and February at BAM in New York. The latter is now on an international voyage and is eagerly awaited by audiences all over the globe.

Last March, I watched Sam Mendes' "The Bridge Project" at the Esplanade Theatre, and it was truly one of the best evenings I had spent at a Shakespearean production. Although many in the audience were excited about heartthrob Ethan Hawke being part of the cast, we also witnessed extraordinary performances from veteran actor Simon Russell Beale and young actress Rebecca Hall.

The first stop on this year's world tour was at the 38th Hong Kong Arts Festival last week when "The Tempest" was staged at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts' Lyric Theatre. The hype might not be as high as last year's — there are big name stars known in this part of the world - but the result was similar. Instead of showing off nifty production concepts like in many modern productions of a classic play, Mendes again allowed his cast to shine. And instead of clearly dividing the actors of two nationalities into two character groups from two cities as he did in "The Winter's Tale", this time he was been able to blend them into a strong ensemble. As a result, the audience sat back and enjoyed the beauty and integrity of the Bard's language and messages, and was able to relate them to life in the here and now.

Stephen Dillain as Prospero was commanding without having to show much authority or wave his magic wand. And, of course, Prospero assigned Ariel (the charismatic Christian Camargo who was always mercurial without having to run or fly) to perform most tasks. Juliette Rylance was credible in her youth and innocence as Miranda, while Edward Bennett's exemplary sincerity showed in Ferdinand's love for her.

The visual design for this magical romance was not spectacular with no sophisticated effects to wow the audience but it was magical enough when it needed to be, much like Prospero's power and Mendes's direction.

Tom Piper's set design was sparse-looking, but never empty, filled with fine details like the side walls that were partly mirrored.-The main acting area, downstage centre, was round and topped with sand while the upstage area — scattered with chairs where characters who were not in the scene but already on this island as if awaiting the call into the ring by Prospero and Ariel — was partly filled with water.

Apart from clearly accentuating different scenes with strong colours, various angles, and quick changes, Paul Pyant's lighting design added more magic with his attention to detail — for example, the reflection of the water on the back wall was mesmerising. Live accompaniment by two musicians ever present onstage added greater enchantment and merriment to the play, yet never drowned the actors' rendition of Shakespeare's words.

Having a British and American cast and crew in the same production staged on both sides the Atlantic may be a big deal in both New York City and London where unions jealously guard their turfs but for us in Asia, it's a rare opportunity to witness a quality production and see for ourselves what New Yorkers and Londoners are watching.

On that note, the word "Bridge" may have a slightly different connotation — links between one of the Golden Ages of world theatre to the contemporary and between the theatre capitals and the Far East, where the need for quality theatre is not frequently fulfilled.

The writer wishes to thank HKAF's Gigi Chang and SRT's Charlotte Nors for their assistance.

 Marooned on another island Starting on Friday, "The Tempest" lands on the island of Singapore.

Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) is again teaming up with Esplanade, again, in co-commissioning the production and bringing it exclusively to Southeast Asia.

Mendes comments, "The 2009 Bridge company hugely enjoyed the Singapore experience — the excitement of being in that city and the vibrancy of the theatre and its audiences was a real boon to them."

Spacey adds, "SRT has been an enormously valuable partner on the Bridge Project. They have established Singapore as the natural gateway to Asia for theatre."

Benson Puah, CEO of the Esplanade and Chairman of International Performing Arts Society, notes, "The presentation of works like [Royal Shakespeare Company's] 'King Lear' [2007, with Ian MacKellen in the title role] and 'The Winter's Tale' helps bring theatre works of exceptional quality to our local audiences. At the same time, it helps to put Singapore on the map as a choice location to present international works and further cement SRT's reputation as a serious presenter of note on the international stage."

After Singapore, the Bridge Project is bound for Europe - Paris, Madrid, Recklinghausen, Amsterdam, and Athens.

  TEMPTING

- "The Tempest" runs from Friday to April 10 at the Esplanade Theatre in Singapore.

- Performances are Wednesday to Saturday at 8, with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 3.

- Tickets cost from $S40 to 225 at www.Sistic.com. Visit www.SRT.com.sg.