Friday, June 29, 2006

A Terrific Tempest

By Susan Steinberg, The Independent

"The play's the thing," according to Hamlet, but so are the players in S.F. Shakespeare's current production of "The Tempest."

Acclaimed Bay Area star Julian Lòpez-Morillas polishes the central character of Prospero, the treacherously-deposed Duke of Milan, to a fine definitive luster. His progress from bitter hatred of his betrayers to a redemptive state of magnanimous forgiveness embodies the, playwright's ideal vision of human self-perfecting.

First he must acknowledge that his usurping brother and the equally-conspiratorial King of Naples were not the only ones guilty of his fall. In a bitterly painful monologue he admits his own failing: by becoming absorbed in studies, and neglecting his responsibility to rule the people, he had created the power vacuum for his brother's "crime of opportunity." Still he harbors the long cherished dream of revenging himself on his enemies, whom he has magically caused to be shipwrecked on his desert island.

Prospero's beautiful daughter Miranda has been raised in innocent freedom, knowing only her benevolent father and the lustful monster Caliban, hideous son of the sorceress who had ruled the
island long ago. Using magic arts, Prospero keeps Caliban as an angry household drudge, hav-
ing failed to nurture him with human kindness that cannot take hold on his evil nature. Caliban's
opposite is the fanciful sprite Ariel, who flies to carry out Prospero's commands.

But both the brutish "hagseed" and the airy spirit are unwilling captives to their master's powers, and he must finally abjure those powers and free both creatures to achieve his own human peace. Having recognized that each represents an aspect of his character helps him and the audience come to terms with the dual nature of mankind—part beast and part divine—and strikes a mortal balance.

Prospero's most painful sacrifice is to relinquish his beloved daughter to Prince Ferdinand, son of his avowed enemy. Allowing the noble beauty of their love to overcome his long-nurtured resentment, he frees himself from the terrible burden of hatred that has poisoned his spirit over the years of exile. Moved by the sympathy of Ariel, who is "but air," for his suffering victims,
he forgives all who once wronged him, declaring, "The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance."

His painfully introspective honesty also "holds the mirror up to nature" for those listeners who
can admit recognizing some of their own failings in his. The reconciliation of the play's conclusion proves a cathartic and uplifting experience. After the brutal world of Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Maebeth, Othello, and the tragic fruits of implacable hatred in "Romeo and Juliet," Shakespeare finally inspires us with the possibility of achieving a nobler and happier human society.

Written for presentation at a wedding in the elegant royal court of James I, successor to Elizabeth, "The Tempest" calls for elaborate staging. There is a gorgeously-costumed masque of mythological characters so popular for court entertainments. Ariel must fly through the air, and invisible spirits conjured up by Prospero's magic arts must torment the guilty parties. Aformidable challenge for any director, but even more so with a limited budget and the requirements of a multi-purpose mobile set meant to travel to a series of outdoor parks. "The creative staging utilized in this production overcomes all obstacles, and effectively presents scenes ranging from a tempest at sea to the sumptuous masque featuring Ceres, goddess of fertile abundance on earth; Juno, queen of the heavenly gods; and Iris, her rainbow messenger, who connects both realms.

An ingenious concept is the use of double casting to underscore the duel nature of humanity. The multi-talented Julia Motyka plays both the girlishly guileless Miranda and the mischievously calculating Ariel, alternating vocal tone, body language and movement with seemingly impossible speed. Similarly Daveed Daniele Diggs as the noble, love-inspired Prince Ferdinand, assumes bestial postures, vicious facial features, and a harsh threatening voice as Caliban.

The two highborn plotters, one brother to the King of Naples and the other to Prospero,
also play their base counterparts, the comical servants Stephano and Trinculo. Both as grim assassins and as hysterical drunken bumblers, Brian Herndon and Michael Ray Wisely inhabit their characters to perfection.

The schemes of both pairs to murder a noble ruler are thwarted by Prospero, who sadly notes the
inherent villainy in all men of weak conscience, whether aristocrats or peasants. That he has risen above such base urges of human nature elevates him by contrast to near-iconic status.

Despite the triumph of his spirit, it is as a tired and powerless old man that he addresses the audience in a poignant rendering of the traditional curtain speech, appealing for a show of approval. As he had previously proclaimed, "Our revels now are ended, ... these our actors were all spirits, and melted into thin air... and, like this substantial pageant faded, leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep."

Through Prospero the playwright has given posterity both a grand vision of human potential, and a humbling reminder of our frail and ephemeral nature. Little wonder that generations over the
centuries have esteemed this play as the pinnacle of Shakespeare's art.

Done well, "Tempest is a pleasure. Done to perfection it is a gem. Done as a free show, it is a
miracle. As Gary Martinez, the play's most persuasive elder statesman Gonzalo, announces after the curtain, "Word of mouth enthusiasm is our best publicity." That this critic attended opening night and returned for the second night's performance is my personal tribute to its excellence.

Blankets or low chairs are recommended for the performance, pre-show picnics are welcome, and family attendance is encouraged. Children will especially love the gravity-defying "spirits" and the scenes of "monstrous" comedy, and so will adults.

An enhanced sound system that renders each word clearly, evocative costumes, haunting music, and a superb professional cast that understands how to deliver Elizabethan English as familiar speech combine to make this a rarely accessible classic. Truly, anyone who misses the opportunity to see it is "more to be pitied than censured."