It’s a bit of a cliché to see reviews or adverts proclaiming, “Don’t wait; hurry now to see...”. In the case of the RSC’s latest revival of The Tempest, however, it’s justified. Why, especially when it’s hardly the only Tempest around (I’ll be reviewing another next week), and even this one will come into London next summer? Well, that’s the thing: I don’t think it’s going to work nearly as well in the Barbican as it does in Stratford’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Stratford’s deep thrust stage means the actors are playing to an audience on three sides instead of just one: we get to feel almost part of the action. And that’s especially valuable when there’s a risk that otherwise the action might be overshadowed by the backgrounds. Me, I think there’s a special circle of Hell reserved for stage designers who get over-enthusiastic about computer-generated imagery, so I approached this production not so much with a pinch of salt as a whole packet of Saxa.

Luckily director Gregory Doran and designer Stephen Brimson Lewis know better. Having enlisted the help of Intel for hardware and Imaginarium Studios (co-founded by actor Andy Serkis after his work as Gollum and King Kong) for practical know-how, they’ve not only summoned up Prospero’s magic to create a clutch of vivid backgrounds ranging from child’s-paintbox landscapes to snarling hellhounds, but they also transform the spirit Ariel. Actor Mark Quartley wears a motion-capture bodysuit which maps his movements in real time on to projections of him as a zephyr or a fearsome harpy. Yet Quartley himself remains onstage the whole time, so that we engage with the “real” Ariel and his own thoughts and feelings.

And oh, what a central relationship he has with his master Prospero. Normally a five-star review would imply utter perfection, and this isn’t a flawless production. Pretty much the entire royal family of Naples come from the shallow end of the gene pool, and even the supposedly entrancing Miranda, when emotional, lets her voice quaver as much as that of Minnie in The Goon Show. But Prospero... ah, Prospero is Simon Russell Beale.

Beale is unparalleled for turning actorly intelligence into emotional insight, and this pays off in spades in a play which is often thought to be Shakespeare musing upon theatre itself.  Prospero’s great speeches towards the end of the play are invested by SRB with a profound and perfectly balanced sensitivity to the wondrous potency of these visions and their ultimate insufficiency in the face of... living. It’s the best Prospero I’ve seen, and I think the best Simon Russell Beale, which is no small accolade. Don’t wait, hurry now to see.

Written for The Lady.