Full disclosure: I’ve never been a big fan of The Tempest. I get why audiences got excited by shipwrecks, exotic islands and witchcraft back in the day, but the plot of Shakespeare’s only truly original work is a bit of a stretch even by his own convoluted standards. I defy anyone who isn’t already conversant with the play to fully comprehend the frantic opening scenes of the RSC’s latest version, and while Gonzalo (Ishia Bennison) provides some useful early narration and the pace eventually settles down, there’s an undeniable sense of style over substance to much of the proceedings.

Director Elizabeth Freestone’s production is notable as the RSC’s first to feature a female (Alex Kingston) in the lead role of Prospero, and when I spoke to the actor for the February issue of What’s On she argued the character actually worked better as a woman since a mother-daughter relationship between Prospero and Miranda (Jessica Rhodes) heightens the drama of their precarious existence on an island also inhabited by a male sexual predator (Caliban).

Which would make sense if it weren’t for the fact that Prospero can control ‘the beast’ with her magic powers, and Freestone also fails to truly exploit, or even demonstrate, any great bond between mother and daughter. If anything Prospero’s relationship with the spirit Ariel (Heledd Gwynn) is of greater magnitude, and their interaction at the finale is one of the rare moving moments in a production sadly bereft of them.

There are precious few laughs either, unless you find the drunken tomfoolery of Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban entertaining rather than laborious. Many of the audience on this night did, but I hope I wasn’t the only one squirming when Stephano’s fist-raising celebration after punching Trinculo (female in this production) to the floor earned laughs rather than gasps.

On the plus side, the ensemble cast acquit themselves admirably - Kingston leads from the front, with notable support from Gwynn and newcomers Rhodes and Joseph Payne suitably lovestruck as Miranda and Ferdinand - and Tom Piper’s set design is terrific, not only looking great but enabling the production to deliver on its stated eco-friendly message.

Which is just as well given that the programme devotes 14 pages to climate change, but the point is more creatively made by a set largely constructed from repurposed materials and a stage littered with the sort of debris that tragically washes up on islands across the planet. Ferdinand earns Prospero’s trust - and the hand of her daughter - by clearing it up, and the rainforest-style oasis that appears after their betrothal is a sight to behold, as well as providing hope that by doing our bit we can save our island too.

That, along with Ariel’s dramatic departure and Kingston’s show-stopping final scene, also help to redeem the show itself, which might endure some choppy waters but arguably comes out ‘tight and yare and bravely rigged’. Shakespearean for ‘good to go’.

3 stars

Reviewed by Steve Adams at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre on Thursday 2 February. The Tempest continues to show at the theatre until 4 March.