Miranda, Prospero and Ferdinand
Photo by T. Charles Erickson
The master magician Prospero
has been sent in exile, with his young daughter Miranda, to a deserted island
by his brother Antonio, with the help of Alonso the King of Naples, because of
jealousy. Prospero is the rightful
Duke of Milan and now, twelve years after the deed, he is set to enact his
revenge.
A ship carrying Alonso and
Antonio and Alonso’s son Ferdinand and brother Sebastian is traveling home from
Tunis where Alonso’s daughter Claribel has just wed the King and Prospero has
sent a giant storm, a tempest, to cause it to shipwreck.
Let yourself surrender to the
spellbinding enchantment which director Darko Tresnjak has woven into the
Hartford Stage’s magnificent rendering of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”
until Sunday, June 10.
Daniel Davis is riveting as
the powerful Prospero. Thanks to
Gonzalo (Noble Shropshire), one of his enemy’s henchmen, and his initial help
of food, water, clothes and a library of books when Prospero and a three year
old Miranda were set adrift in a small boat, Prospero has thrived on the tiny
island. With the aide of Ariel
(Shirine Babb), a spirit only he can see, and Caliban (Ben Cole), an ungrateful
and menacing son of a witch, he has learned to survive. While Ariel serves him, she only
desires her freedom, but Caliban resents his presence and wants him gone.
Through his incantations,
Prospero separates the men on the ship into three groups, so that Alonso and
his son Ferdinand each believe the other is dead. Two of Alonso’s servants Stephano (Michael Spencer-Davis)
and Trinculo (Bruce Turk) are delightfully drunk and fall in with Caliban to
plot a ridiculous defeat of Prospero.
The handsome young Ferdinand (William Patrick Riley) is immediately
smitten with Miranda (Sara Topham), so quickly that Prospero feels he must
place a few obstacles in the path of true love so “too light winning (may) make
the prize light.”
Meanwhile Antonio (Jonathan
Lincoln Fried) and Sebastian (David Barlow) have treachery firmly in mind as
they plot to murder Alonso (Christopher Randolph) and the good-hearted Gonzalo
so that Sebastian can become King.
A forgiving Prospero, calm
after the storm, with the help of the Bard, makes sure everything works out as
“all’s well that ends well.” The
set designed by Alexander Dodge is wondrous to behold, beautifully complemented
by Fabio Toblini’s lovely costumes, Michael Chybowski’s inspired lighting and
David Budries and Nathan A Roberts’ dramatic sounds and original music.
For tickets ($59.50-90.50),
call the Hartford Stage, 50 Church Street, Hartford at 860-527-5151 or online
at www.hartfordstage.org. Performances are Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with
matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2 p.m.
Let Prospero and Ariel catch
you in their web of enchantment that is both mesmerizing and magical in its
utter imagination.
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