It is still something of a mystery why full-blown opera did not take off in London until Handel’s day. Were Charles II and the cultural elite so distracted by Nell Gwynne and other ushers with attitude that they could not concentrate on a full evening of music? Or were they all too strapped for cash, in contrast to the systematic court patronage of Louis XIV? Purcell’s Dido seems to have seen the light of day at a girls’ school, rather than any public or private theatre. But there was semi-opera, a mixture of theatre, opera, and masque that did achieve considerable acclaim, and for which all the contemporary composers wrote. We need to recover more information through performance about this genre, and all credit to Jonathan Darbourne and Vache Baroque for reconstructing one of these confections for their end-of-season show.
As with any pasticcio a lot depends on the blend of ingredients that go into it, and here my doubts began to creep in. Darbourne says in his programme note that it was ‘not a difficult decision’ to use Shakespeare’s original text for The Tempest rather than the words provided by Dryden and Davenant for Thomas Shadwell’s 1670s version; but I am not sure this worked for the best. Shakespeare’s original contains some of his most dense imagery and coagulated language, typical of his late style. It needs very careful, focused direction to bring it off effectively, something that is hard for any production to achieve when much attention is directed elsewhere to the music and the evocation, using modern technology, of an ‘island full of noises.’ There is a danger of falling between two stools here that this production did not wholly avoid.
What this meant in practice is that the setting and production values were more assured than individual performances. The central performances lacked the light and shade and quicksilver variation in mood and tone that has to accompany the elusive magic of the island. Tim Delap’s Prospero was too fierce and angry throughout, and the personal development of Ferdinand and Miranda and other members of the cast that we need to see as part of their ‘re-education’ on the island failed to materialise consistently. The performers who fared best, unsurprisingly, were those who had singing roles as well. So, Stephanie Hershaw was a very convincing Ariel, athletic and mercurial in acting and with a bright, consistent silvery tone. Isabelle Peters’ rich velvety soprano stood out in all her scenes, especially in the culminating wedding masque, and she represented royal dignity and authority well as Alonso. Baritone Ross Cumming made the most of his buffo roles as Trinculo and Bacchus, and mezzo Camilla Seale projected Stephano’s posturing with highly credible acting and singing. Jonathan Darbourne doubled up very credibly as Gonzago as well as MD, delivering his lines with a straight-forward, simple sincerity that compared favourable with some of the other vocal delivery.
The ten musicians were placed to the side and back of the stage and did far more than simply play – they donned masks, acted as an instrumental chorus in the action, and engaged with the audience, with the kind of creative vitality we have come to expect from this ensemble. Director Paul O’Mahony and designer Caitlin Mawhinney had taken the back out of the tent so the lake and woodland of the grounds of The Vache offered a scenic backdrop and the surround-sound system brought us recorded noises from all angles. Scenery was kept to a minimum to ensure flexibility in the action, but any austerity here was banished in the wild array of costumes produced by Charlotte Murray. These truly came into their own in the wedding masque which was perhaps the high point of the evening overall, where everything came together convincingly.
The moral of this evening is that isn’t always right to go with Shakespeare, or, if you do, Shakespeare’s text has to be given due deference. This might seem a surprising line to take, but the sometimes fraught relationship between words and music in the history of opera suggests you have to choose what is right for the context; and in this case the original text, albeit of inferior, even slender literary quality, might well have been a better fit to give a fighting chance of reconstructing semi-opera and making it comprehensible and plausible as a genre. After all, in 1670 they chose not to go with the original, and they had their reasons, even if they are not ours.
Shakespeare, with music by Matthew Locke, Henry Purcell & others
Director Paul O’Mahony
Musical Director/Gonzalo Jonathan Darbourne
Cast: Hannah Barrie, Ross Cumming, Tim Delap, Leah Haile, Stephanie Hershaw, Tré Medley, Isabelle Peters, Conor Prendiville, Camilla Seale, Dom Swain
6 September 2026
3 hrs with interval
Photo Credit: The Photography Shed