‘The Tempest’ – William Shakespeare. Directed by Elizabeth Hunter. Stage Management by Lex Bryan. Movement Direction by Daniel Abraham. Costume Design by Carolyn Jones. Hair and Makeup Design by Jeanné Callinan. Theatre@First’s, ‘The Tempest’ runs from June 6th – June 22nd, with rain dates on June 27th – June 29th, at Nathan Tuft’s Park at Powderhouse Circle, 850 Broadway, Somerville, MA, 02144.
By Charlotte Snow
Shakespeare in the park is a time-honored tradition among English Lit nerds, parents dragging teenagers to see “something cultured,” and theatre-makers alike. The factors that stop audiences dead in their tracks from going to are 1.) it’s Shakespeare and 2.) there’s always a chance that it could be BAD Shakespeare. (We all have some idea, or flashback, as to how bad BAD Shakespeare can truly be.) Thankfully for all, Theatre@First’s fails to disappoint and their production of ‘The Tempest’ casts a spell over its audience.
For those unfamiliar with ‘The Tempest,’ or to those who were taught it terribly in a high school English class, it is believed to be one of Shakespeare’s last plays and focuses on the themes of transformation, power, and colonialism. The plot follows the former Duke of Milan, Prospero, and his daughter Miranda who have been living the last decade on a magical island. Using the island’s spirits, Prospero uses magic to conjure a tempest that shipwrecks the vessel containing the court of Naples, along with those who usurped his title and were responsible for his outcast. In addition to seeking his revenge, he cleverly sets up a romance for his daughter with the newly shipwrecked prince and employs his spirits, Ariel and Caliban, to do his bidding.
It is considered a ‘problem play’ given its ambiguous ending and continual mistreatment of the island’s spirits. Theatre@First directly confronts the play’s more problematic attitudes towards native issues by turning Caliban into the defacto protagonist. This is rightly done, both for the reason above and because Caliban’s actor, Robert Thorpe II, is the standout of the production who most consistently makes the language his own and wields the text to his will. Thorpe’s presence heightened every scene he was in and elevated the audience experience.
This production was particularly potent when it allowed its actors to be the most playful and indulge in the play’s more comedic, and sometimes even slapstick, moments. The trio of Trinculo the clown (Emma Picht,) Stephano the drunkard (Aly Branciforte,) and Caliban the “monster” (Robert Thorpe II) quickly became crowd favorites. Alice Hunter also brought a quiet and witty humor that sold Miranda as teenaged and naive all at once.
Some other highlights of the production include the costumes, which are reminiscent of a watercolor illustration in a book of fairy tales. There are two drummers who punctuate their hits at just the right moments to underscore sections that are particularly dramatic – making the island come alive and fully immersing the audience in the story. Director Elizabeth Hunter’s direction of the larger group scenes is particularly inventive, especially the way actors and scenery enter and leave the playing space.
The movement and choreography work well and add visual variation, but the movements of the spirits were generalized and ultimately looked nondescript. And while the direction and stylization shines during group and ensemble scenes, the quieter two to three person scenes didn’t have that same level of focus and sharpness of intent. All of that said, these are more minor gripes and shouldn’t stop you from enjoying a magical evening of Shakespeare in the park.
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