Theatrical Spectacle

Abstract

Giorgio Strehler’s magician had a very different aim in mind. In the Milan production (1978) he was essentially a man of the theatre, and the Italian director employed his conjuring skills as a metaphor for the power of art in general and theatre in particular to change the world. This meant that Prospero’s objectives were seen in terms of stage effects which had a necessarily limited efficacity. The love of Ferdinand and Miranda did not elicit any undue surprise on the line ‘It works!’ Nor was Prospero thrown emotionally off-balance by the realisation that he had forgotten the conspiracy against him. Indeed, Strehler cut the celebratory masque, the more to emphasise the previous apparition of Ariel as the harpy: an interruption which by contrast is intended to have a profound effect on the spectators. This interpretation emphasised the autobiographical element in the play and minimised both the threats to Prospero and the necessity to act urgently. A production lasting — as this did — for four hours was little concerned with the magician’s temporal limitations.