Festival review

Peter Brook’s legacy: Tempest for eternity

Ery Nzaramba

(Bild: Wiener Festwochen/Marie Clauzade)

The late director of the century's unparalleled "Tempest Project" touches the soul of the theater at the Wiener Festwochen.

Quite a few visitors have followed this event for the rest of their theater lives: Peter Brook's exploration of Shakespeare's farewell work "The Tempest" has influenced generations, has often been copied and still flourished in this particular way shortly before the death of the director of the century. He subtitled the "Tempest Project" he created with Marie-Hélène Estienne "After Shakespeare". What prudence at a time when anyone who is under-exposed can take their pick of world literature!

Here, on the other hand, the core of the text and Shakespeare's conception of the world is laid bare on an empty stage for 85 minutes. All the characters follow the dream of freedom, the ugly ghost Caliban (Sylvain Levitte, who also transforms into the handsome prince) as well as the good ghost Ariel (enchantingly played by 78-year-old Marilù Marini) and Miranda (Paula Luna), who glows with love. Prospero in the guise of the noble, charismatic Ery Nzaramba is black, as he was 30 years ago. But not under the compulsion of silly diversity dictates, but because what is shown here, with its charm, lightness and depth, actually transcends eras, styles and ethnicities.

Brook was the last of the three pioneers to leave - along with Giorgio Strehler and Peter Zadek. There would be no harm in following the respective direction again.