Eyeball Theatre consists of a ‘rag-tag group of students, graduates and academics, none of whom have any professional training but all of whom have theatrical pretensions’.  They believe theatre should be seen – not just heard. This was evident in their interpretation and performance of ‘The Tempest’ of which James Hartman the director said, “forgive our arrogance, but they thought the text rambled a bit.’ So he went at it with a pair of scissors! Both the cuts and the added visual interpretations added interest and cut down tedium in this excellent production. Marooned on a deserted Island Prospero (Ayman Oghanna) and his daughter Miranda (Rebecca Palmstrom) live with the only existing Islander Caliban (Anslem Ibing) the disfigured son of the dead witch, and the islands strange spirits one of which Ariel ( various performers) has become Prospero’s slave. During his time on the island he has studied the dark arts in anticipation of a time when he is able to wreak revenge on his brother Antonio (Anselem Ibing) and Alonso, (Lea Pascal) King of Naples, without whose help the plot to usurp the Dukedom would not have succeeded. The magical storm raised to wash the protagonists ashore also brings the Kings son Ferdinand (Chris Zegel), where much to his delight the two youths fall deeply in love. Woven around the stories of revenge and love are others of greed, remorse and forgiveness. Any long descriptive narrations such as the storm and shipwreck and the family history are acted out by Ariel utilizing puppets and models. Ariel is played either by Holly Harris on her own or by anything up to four actors at once. Caliban is disfigured in such a way that he has a giant member which is as much his costume as the rags he wears. This makes his attempted seduction of Miranda both comical and horrific. Part of the appeal of this production is the paring down of the script, the utilisation of more than one Ariel, the use made of three planks of wood with rope handles, the giant white sheet that is the backdrop utilised as a back curtain and a screen to display puppets or back lit views.  This young enthusiastic and talented cast produce an excellent, entertaining and interesting piece of theatre. ****