 | The Tempest |  |
"Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." Act II, scene ii
Written: 1611
ODTÜ Oyunculari ; April 0, 2005 Ankara, Turkey
Starring :
Reviewed on : 2005-08-07 02:28:43 ; Reviewed by : Antonia Mandry
| It's not often that a university production can engage the audience as much as a professional one but Ufuk Sakarya's certainly approaches the mark. Using a translation of Can Yücel's, Sakarya's direction focuses most on the comic angle of the play. Prospero turns into a lovable grandfatherly dope, Ferdinand into a slightly silly and effeminate puppet, and Miranda as a seeming girl of 12 who marries the first man she meets. The plot is adapted and truncated to focus only on the basic action. The acting is above par excepting the Prospero who comes through as amateur. Both the Ferdinand and the Miranda play their characters with a sort of glee and consistency that is refreshing. But the true breakout is the Ariel. The spirits of the island are amazingly knowledgable and their dance and music reminds me of Celtic spirits. A series of transparent canvas sheets hanging from the ceiling are positioned so the spirits and stand behind them: seeing without being seen. When the other characters move around the stage, the spirits are able to manipulate the sheets to always keep them between the others and themselves. Occasionally, they come out from behind to interact. Ariel is a woman with a surreal face and an austere expression who watches what goes on around her with an intensity that disturbs. Her body moves oddly with a disjointed grace. The music that plays is eerie and otherworldly and the best parts of the play revolved around it. At one point, a series of dancers with white masks come out and reenact the events of the play with a mimicry amazing. Finally, this was a very satisfying production.
Cast names removed at request of production.
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Matthew William Peters, 1741-1814
Near the Cell of Prospero
Reviews
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October 26, 2011 |  | Guildford Shakespeare Company
July 26, 2010 |  | Krazy Kat Theatre
November 2, 2009 |  | Theater Freiburg
April 4, 2009 |  | The Baxter Theatre Centre and the Royal Shakespeare Company
February 20, 2009 |  | Classic Stage Company
September 17, 2008 |  | Darker Arts at The Rosemary Branch
February 26, 2008 |  | Ragged Wing Ensemble
January 27, 2007 |  | The Company of Ten
January 26, 2007 |  | Royal Shakespeare Company
August 18, 2006 |  | ODTÜ Oyunculari
April 2005 |  | Adana Devlet Tiyatro
December 17, 2004 |  | Theater Oobleck
April 2003 |  | Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
2001 |  | Royal Shakespeare Company
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