Peter Brook, an artist crowned by the years

From 1957 to 1990, Peter Brook directed different versions of Shakespeare's work The Storm. And yet, at the age of 96, he returns with a brilliant new stage proposition, this time in a more experimental form, that of a show created from a research around the play. Freely adapted from the original work with the collaboration of Marie-Hélène Estienne, the text, though reduced to a 1h15 performance, remains at the heart of the work, without losing any of William Shakespeare's poetic value.

«Shakespeare is inexhaustible,» explains Brook in an interview with the audience after the show's premiere. Ever more curious about Shakespearean mysteries, the author of Empty space or Suspension points remains true to its artistic style: that of a theater where the stage is almost bare, leaving room for the original flavor of the text.

This quest for sobriety is aptly served by the actors, who have the gift of bringing words to life and sowing the seeds of their imaginations in the audience. The airy grace of young Paula Luna (Miranda), the bewitching charisma of Ery Nzaramba (Prospero), the hilarious vivacity of Fabio and Luca Maniglio, the incredible adaptability of Sylvain Levitte (sometimes in the role of Caliban, as Ferdinand) and the luscious energy of Marilù Marini (as Ariel) make up a perfect sextet whose vibrations are in perfect harmony, and whose complicity reaches our senses as soon as they enter the stage.

Listening, the absolute paradigm of theatrical art according to the British director, exists here thanks to the triple conjunction of silence, experience of speech and awareness of others. The sobriety of the acting and the ability of the actors to be «in the present», reactive to their environment, create a strong link between the fiction and the audience. In fact, you can't take your eyes off what's happening on stage. If silence rules on stage, it also reigns in the auditorium.

A «theater of the few»

We also enjoy Brook's famous «rope exercise», adapted to suit the dramatic circumstances: Miranda (Paula Luna) and Ferdinand (Sylvain Levitte), the island's two young lovers, use very thin sticks to form a line along which they walk towards each other, with one stick balanced on her head. A beautiful metaphor for the recognition of souls. It also highlights the remarkable skill of the two actors, reminiscent of the technique Peter Brook regularly teaches his actors: to place oneself in a state of extreme concentration and invoke an imaginary world, in favor of, among other things, honesty and precision in acting.

This «theater of the little», as Marie-Hélène Estienne conceives it, brings us right back to the essential: humanity. Philippe Vialatte's lighting, inseparable from the sound, subtly enhances the human palette of the characters in The StormThe comic pivot of the duo Trinculo and Stephano (the Maniglio brothers), the lightness of young Miranda and the mischievousness of Ariel, Prospero's witty servant, all come together harmoniously.

That said, Peter Brook insists on the inner complexity of each character. And on the fact that, in his opinion, Shakespeare never takes sides. An interpretation that explains the multiplicity of versions of his plays and interpretations of his characters. In fact, this is one of the things that links Brookl to Shakespeare: «we're all of the same cloth», as the former confided. Peter Brook is, so to speak, the eternal optimist in brotherhood. His creation Tempest Project with Marie-Hélène Estienne is a fine illustration of the sensitivity with which he perceives the world.

January 20-22 | Théâtre de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (78)
April 22-30 | Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Paris (75)

Write to the author: chloe.delassis@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Marie Clauzade