 | The Tempest |  |
"Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." Act II, scene ii
Written: 1611
Ragged Wing Ensemble ; January 27, 2007 Berkeley, CA
Director : Keith Davis ; Starring :
Reviewed on : 2007-02-04 09:35:26 ; Reviewed by : Denise Battista
| Get ready for a workout, because this production is the epitome of
physical theatre. The company literally climbs the walls, and the
tempest, in question, along with the history of Prospero and Miranda’s
descent to this island of a stage, is translated through dramatic posing
center stage, surrounded by a fury of sound, a chaos between dark and
light, and a round of actors letting us know that “We are such stuff as
dreams are made on.” Unfortunately this dream is eventually “rounded with
a sleep,” at least insofar as some of my fellow theatregoers were
concerned. As the eye of this storm, I kept mine open, and found them
drawn to the female energy onstage. It is because of this play’s Caliban,
Miranda, and Ariel, although the latter portrays a stronger spirit than is
necessary, that this production deserves your good hands in the end.
A few days before the play, I had a chat with a friend about “The
Tempest,” and the need for a strong Prospero in order for this play to be
a success. I almost agree with this theory, although there are degrees of
success. This play does not have a strong Prospero. Not at all. Jeffrey
Hoffman is a heaviness upon the stage that must be carried, and he seems
clumsy and awkward in comparison to those who are rightly cast in their
parts. Hoffman dons a (t)horny magic helmet and carries a long staff,
using both to perform his magic, but I found his acting more puzzling than
potent, and it seems he did, as well. After performing his tricks, or
even after a session of deep thought, Hoffman seems to “come to,” shaking
his head and standing in a daze. How are we to believe that this man
commands an entire island and the lives and spirits that grace it when he
can’t even seem to command himself?
And how is he able to command Amy Sass as Ariel? Sass, who doubles as
this play’s choreographer, and triples as a daredevil, is appropriately
ambiguous in gender, and conjures frightening notions of medieval and
Renaissance spirits versus those that sprinkle fairy dust and dance in
rounds. This is one spirit I would not want to meet in a dark alley.
With stern and piercing eyes, a clenched jaw, and even a sense that she is
without emotion, except for an inconsistent eye roll behind Hoffman’s
back, Sass scales the rope ladders that climb the backdrop, using this
ship-like rigger to seemingly float in the air, invisible to the rest of
the stage as she listens and intervenes. She also conducts a band of four silent spirits, comprised of local freshman and sophomore high school
theatre students. These spirits make poor Ferdinand’s task of moving logs
Sisyphean in nature, and perform a magical masque at Miranda’s wedding
feast. This orchestra of spirits hands even more power to Sass.
Personally, I don’t know why Sass doesn’t take Hoffman from behind and
snag his staff and hat. I’m pretty sure she could take him. This is a
tough relationship to reconcile. Either Sass needs to relax, or Hoffman
needs to toughen up, and I don’t know that either is capable of such a
feat.
Wide-eyed and sweet, yet very ripe for the dashing Ferdinand’s (Cin
Sepehri) picking, nineteen-year old Ariel Hart plays a lovely Miranda.
Hart and Sepehri have undeniable chemistry, and both look and act the part of young and naïve lovers.
And then there is Caliban. I offer my hands to director Keith Davis for
this postmodern interpretation, and for finding Christine Odera to play
the part. I only wish my words could do Odera justice. She walks on all
fours – hands and feet, knees bent, legs spread wide – grunting and
growling, face looking down at the floor, but with a sad and dark mask on
the top of her head, which looks into the hearts and souls of the
audience. I immediately thought of Othello, and his description of his
travels. “Of the cannibals that each other eat, / The Anthropophagi, and
men whose heads / Do grow beneath their shoulders.” In this play, Odera’s
head grows beneath her shoulders, and it is eerie. She speaks with an
African accent, and raises her head to do so, leaving her body in its
deformed crawl. As she describes the beauty of the island to her comedic
and well-played counterparts, Trinculo (Aidan Fraser) and Stephano (Phil
Wharton), Odera is both frightening and beautiful, beginning what I
consider some of the most magical lines in all of Shakespeare with a
coarse growl, and evolving into the most intricate of speech, painting a
sad and lovely picture with her words. Odera commands this role, and is
the true magic of this play.
Other roles are not so captivating. Mark Jordan as Gonzalo is uninspired,
and his idea for a Sir Thomas More-inspired utopia is far from ideal.
Jordan, as he stumbles on both his lines and feet, seems to be more burden
than counselor to Hoffman’s captives, and his character, in effect, is
forgettable. And the usurpers are, well, forgettable too. But some of
you might not remember this because you were sleeping. In the end,
Prospero forgives, Ariel is free, and Caliban is left alone. But it’s the
girls who rule this island, and who are the true redemption of the play.
Ragged Wing Ensemble’s production of The Tempest, directed by Keith Davis,
plays at the Metal Shop Theatre in Berkeley, CA through February 24, 2007.
For more information, visit www.raggedwing.org.
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Matthew William Peters, 1741-1814
Near the Cell of Prospero
Reviews
|  | Akademietheater Wien
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
1997 |
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