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On an unknown day in April 1564, a baby was born in Stratford-upon-Avon to the daughter of a well-to-do English landowner, married to a wool merchant and glove maker.
That little boy would grow up to be a man who is widely considered the greatest playwright of all time: William Shakespeare. And over the last 450 years, his comedies and tragedies have touched countless audiences across the world, starting with those in 16th-century Britain, from the proletariat to the queen herself.
Experts have said that Shakespeare—penning roughly two plays a year until 1611, five years before his death at age 52—invented humanity as we know ourselves, though this may be an overstatement. It is accurate to say that Shakespeare presents us, deeply, with so many essential human characteristics that are still central and basic to our understanding of ourselves, that what we learn in his plays is worth a library of great books.
And, more, what we learn is that language so entertaining, so powerful, often so beautiful and sometimes so funny, goes to the deepest core of each of us and helps us evolve in how we see life—specifically, our own lives.
“We are such stuff as dreams are made on,” Shakespeare writes in “The Tempest,” staging outdoors at Mulford Farm in East Hampton from Wednesday, August 6, through Sunday, August 24, by 18 actors from the Hamptons Independent Theatre Festival, or HITFest—as well as a staged reading, sponsored by Bay Street Theater, on Sunday, August 17, at Mashashimuet Park in Sag Harbor.
The play is built upon a fantastical dream, full of illusions and magic, with characters that stir the imagination—including Prospero, a former prince who has been overthrown; his 15-year-old daughter, Miranda; Ariel, a pure spirit; and Caliban, a creature who is only partly human and “not honor’d with a human shape.”
That two East End-based companies have chosen “The Tempest” for their summer Shakespeare production does not surprise Josh Perl, artistic director for HITFest, in the least. “Its story is very compelling,” he explained during a recent interview. “It’s Shakespeare’s most spectacular and magical play.”
Believed to be written in 1610—“The Tempest” is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the ousted Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter, Miranda, to her rightful place after 12 years of isolation. He conjures up a storm, luring his usurping brother Antonio and the complicit King Alonso of Naples to the island, where Prospero’s redemption begins.
“We have a different take on ‘Tempest,’” Mr. Perl said. “Most productions present Prospero as a totally in-control, elegant, stately kind of person. I don’t know about you, but if I were stuck on an island for 12 years with a couple of spirits and my now-teenage daughter, I would be nearly crazy.”
Mr. Perl explained that he envisions Prospero as partially responsible for being kicked out of office. He sees him as a complex character who was not fully paying attention to his duties, and one who is—by the start of the play—a bit mad.
And, in HITFest’s interpretation, Prospero is actually Prospera—acted by Corey Tazmania, which “adds a nice twist,” Mr. Perl said.
“In all the productions I’ve seen, the daughter is looking up to [Prospero] as if he’s God’s gift to whatever,” he said. “In our production, we’re going to present what I think is a more realistic picture of a parent-daughter relationship—especially with a young teen. We’re going to emphasize playfulness. We’re going to do songs and dancing. And the storm that opens the show is going to involve children from the audience to help create it. It’s going to be interactive and fun.”
While HITFest will stage a full production, complete with an outdoor set, Bay Street Theater’s artistic director, Scott Schwartz, will direct a reading led by John Glover, one of America’s foremost Shakespearean actors, who recently starred in “Much Ado About Nothing” at the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park in Manhattan.
“‘Tempest’ is one of Shakespeare’s last plays,” Mr. Schwartz noted. “It is, I believe, him looking backward on his own life and his career, and at the beginning of his exit from ‘this stage’ to what there might be beyond. There’s a wonderful sense of thoughtfulness and reflection in the play. It also has such theatrical magic, and is great fun. ‘Tempest’ has some of his most brilliant verse and memorable characters. It’s a combination of comedy, drama and magic, all in one play, that makes it particularly special.”
The Bay Street reading will focus on the play’s playfulness, beauty and whimsy, the director said, with Mashashimuet Park and late summer as the perfect backdrop.
“Shakespeare is talking about the magic we all have in our own lives, and also how we look at our lives, and bring them to culminations,” he said. “We, hopefully, can bring a little bit of a dream into our own lives.”
HITFest will stage “The Tempest” on Wednesday, August 6, at 7 p.m. at Mulford Farm in East Hampton. Performances will continue Wednesdays to Sundays, through August 24; no show on Friday, August 8. Admission is $20, $17.50 for seniors, $10 for students and free for children under age 10. For more information, visit hitfest.org.
Bay Street Theater will stage a dramatic reading of “The Tempest,” starring John Glover, on Sunday, August 17, at 7 p.m. at Mashashimuet Park in Sag Harbor. Admission is free. For more information, call 725-9500.
on Jul 29, 2014