Reviews

"The overall mood of the entire production is one of almost torpor-like calm. It is full of beautiful effects, but not much dramatic tension. But then, right at the end, Mendes pulls off a brilliant coup. "- Sarah Crompton, Telegraph

"Mr Mendes's production makes no radical statements, although Mr Camargo's gothic androgyne, Ariel, is an appealing innovation. With a nightclub pallor, dressed alternately in a sleek, black Jil Sander-ish suit, a slinky evening gown or a winged contraption that recalls the 90s superhero movie The Crow, this Ariel is a more sombre sentinel than the familiar, flitting sprite. It's a fresh, unexpected approach, and Mr Camargo speaks the verse with a cool beauty. Despite a moment of early violent conflict (one of the bits that doesn't quite ring true), Ariel's rapport with Mr Dillane's Prospero is intimate, touching and real." - Charles Isherwood, New York Times

"It takes a director as powerful as Sam Mendes to turn Shakespeare's supremely poetic Tempest into something as deplorable as what the Bridge Company is offering at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. All lyricism is wantonly excised." - John Simon, Bloomberg

"The production is stunning." - Entertainment Weekly

"The world of the imagination is skillfully brought to life in Sam Mendes' handsome, stately production." - The New Yorker

"This is a beautifully spoken production, every word clear as bell." - Variety