The Tempest
(Elizabethan Stage, through Oct. 6)
The Tempest, the last play Shakespeare
wrote by himself, contains the famous vale-
dictory speech beginning “Our revels now are
ended.” Because Libby Appel is retiring as
artistic director of the OSF after 12 seasons
(though she is directing a play next year), she
chose this tale of revenge, magic and forgive-
ness as her farewell play (as she also did years
ago at the Indiana Repertory Theatre when
she left for the OSF). That’s a timeworn tradi-
tion for Shakespearean directors, and one
expects a marvelous, inventive production to
cap off a splendid career.
This is not that production. Some parts
stand out: The humorous bits of The Tempest
— where Caliban (Dan Donohue) believes
that the drunken Trinculo (Christopher
DuVal) and Stefano (Michael J. Hume) will
free him from his servitude to Prospero
(Derrick Lee Weeden) — come off beautiful-
ly, with energy and synergy lacking in the
more serious scenes.
Why did Appel cast Weeden as her stand-
in, the magician who calls off his magic and
breaks his staff? He may have the deep voice
she thinks necessary for Prospero, but he can’t
carry off the role; he’s much too aware of him-
self as a serious ac-TOR. And if the Prospero
isn’t good, it matters little if Ariel (Nancy
Rodriguez) flits around with joyful wit or if her
cloud-clad sprites speak lines from various
sonnets to mark the love of Miranda (Nell
Geisslinger) and Ferdinand (John Tufts).
Though the script’s exploration of slavery
is cursory, some productions manage to inves-
tigate it much further, given all that happened
between the time the play was written and
today. This one balances an African American
Prospero with a white, and white-painted,
Caliban, but that is as far as the investigation
goes. And scenes where Ariel seems to flirt
with Prospero detract from an understanding
of Ariel’s own subjugation. I hear that Appel’s
T. CHARLES ERICKSON
deus ex machina can save the day.
Through all of this, Cleante continues to
plead for “moderation,” bemoaning Orgon’s
flying “back and forth between extremes.”
This respect for perspective, for a middle way,
would be the predominating factor in the fol-
lowing century and a half-long Age of Reason
(and is beautifully represented in Richard
Hay’s lush, vanishing point perspective set).
Vile figures like Tartuffe, who attempt to dis-
tort truth for personal gain, would be the
enemy in times like those, yet fools like Orgon
existed, and will continue to exist, even in
times like these. Fine ensemble work from the
cast and deliciously delivered Molière couplets
will leave you in stitches and pleading for
some “moderation” in your own life. — CA
Dan Donohue, famous as Scar in touring productions of
The Lion King, plays a white Caliban to Derrick Lee Weeden’s
African American Prospero
Cherry Orchard was excellent; unfortunately,
it closed in July, and so we’re left with this
smooth but less than stellar production. — SS
Tracy’s Tiger
(New Theatre, through Oct. 28)
The glorious
combative
wordplay
between
Petruchio
(Michael Elich)
and Kate (Vilma
Silva) makes the
early scenes
engaging
T. CHARLES ERICKSON
16 SEPTEMBER 13, 2007
What to say about Tiger? It’s fun and
funny, with some depth — but one can tell the
musical isn’t quite finished. This is its first
season: OSFers Linda Alper, Douglas
Langworthy and Penny Metropoulos worked
with playwright Sterling Tinsley to bring a
novella by William Saroyan (author of The
Human Comedy) to the stage. There’s a live
band, which means that even in tiny New
Theatre, performers must wear microphones
(a bizarre sight at the OSF). The songs sound
like the smoothest combination of Serious
Broadway and commercial pop, and the set-
ting — San Francisco, with songs like “Daly
City” — is clearly meant to appeal to the fes-
tival’s huge Cali audience. But the storyline is
muddled, which detracts from the several
moments of deeper connection.
Thomas Tracy (Jeremy Peter Johnson)
grows up with a sort of soul-embodying tiger
(a slinkily excellent Beat-inflected René
Millan). When he meets Laura Luthy (Laura
Morache), he falls for her because, well, she
has a tiger (Nell Geisslinger) too. Laura Luthy
otherwise has little to do and presents no kind
of real love interest (nor does the bland Tracy,
for that matter).
But there’s a scene with Laura’s mother
(Miriam Laube) that hurts Tracy’s chances
with Laura, and he keeps ignoring his tiger,
and … he is put in jail, where the best scene
takes place. Officer Earl Huzinga (David
Kelly) sings of a childhood experience with a
tiger-tamer (Linda Alper); somehow the one
song suspends time and takes the audience
into a land of tenuous connections, strong
emotions and the desires of youth. Some of
the extraneous stuff needs to go — and the
actors say they’ve been working with changes
all season, so perhaps Tiger will become
tighter and more meaningful. For now, it ges-
tures at Big Ideas and Big Thoughts but does-
n’t quite reach them. Still, it’s courageous and
worth some investment from audience and
performers alike. — SS
ew