LET IDLE MUSE’S INDULGENCE SET YOU FREE
Idle Muse Theatre Company’s production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest immerses its audience in a dark and stormy night full of magic and mischief. This quirky cast delivers comedy and a complex tapestry of character connections.
Joel Thompson, Michael Dalberg and Jennifer Mohr
The moment you step into the theatre, L.J. Luthringer’s sound design—a standout element throughout the production—envelops you. A thunderstorm is already well underway complete with lightning expertly done by lighting designer Laura J. Wiley. Luthringer and Wiley’s artistry works in harmony to completely immerse you in the titular tempest. The only thing missing is a spray of sea of water, which is for the best: I love magic, but like to stay dry!
Joel Thompson, Jennifer Mohr and Michael Dalberg
The Tempest is Shakespeare’s final play, in which he tells the story of the exiled Duke of Milan, Prospero (Elizabeth MacDougald), and his daughter, Miranda (Caty Gordon). Enduring an isolated life on an Island, Prospero stirs up a magical tempest to intercept the royal ship bearing the current Duke of Milan (Orion Lay-Sleeper), the King (Jack Sharkey), and his son (Boomer Lusink). With the help of Ariel, a spirit played by multiple actors here, Prospero enacts his plan to return to power.
Caty Gordon and Boomer Lusink
The Tempest juggles quite a few characters and plot lines, which poses a challenge for directors of this comedy. Director and adaptor Tristan Brandon handles the parade of characters quite well especially considering the very small playing space. This production is housed in The Edge Off-Broadway Theater, a small black box.
Members of the Cast of THE TEMPEST
Brandon chose to expand the cast further than called for by dividing Ariel up amongst six actors—this is perhaps the most successful choice of this adaption. Ariel is a spirit who can work magic in multiple places at once across the island, so it seems only natural that the sprite be made up of multiple actors. Each actor seems to represent a different aspect of Ariel’s personality: Emely Cuestas speaks more mischievous lines; Gary Henderson embodies the comedy; Emily Pfriem the timidity, and so on. The Ariel ensemble also stays present onstage through much of the production, walking behind the audience with musical instruments, further deepening the immersion.
Orion Lay-Sleeper and Xavier Lagunas
The whole cast handles Shakespeare’s words well, and a few are truly fluent in the language. Fluency, in my mind, is the difference between actors understanding each phrase they’re speaking versus truly understanding every single word. I have found that fluency hard to come by, so it’s a delight to see it.
Orion Lay-Sleeper and Eric Duhon
The cast delivers Shakespeare’s comedy with varying degrees of success. The funniest trio is certainly Michael Dalberg as Stephano, Joel Thompson as Trinculo, and Jennifer Mohr as Caliban, all of whom form a drunken party enjoying the shipwreck’s barrels of wine. Dalberg in particular is one of those who is truly fluent in Shakespeare and knows how to deliver his words with comedic timing. The three are the comic relief of the show, even though comedy persists to some degree throughout.
Xavier Lagunas and Jack Sharkey
Jennifer Mohr pulled double duty in this production (as did many of those involved) and designed some lovely costumes. I was particularly drawn to Prospero’s robe and Trinculo’s corset and suspender combo. I would also like to commend Laura J. Wiley and Tristan Brandon for their set design. They used the small space very effectively, creating an immersive forest with branching trees and a large tree stump centerpiece for the cast to play around.
Elizabeth MacDougald
I left Idle Muse’s The Tempest impressed by this small but mighty production. There is clear passion and creativity in this space, and they give audiences a lovely way to experience Shakespeare’s final work.
Members of the cast
photos by Steven Townshend/Distant Era
The Tempest
Idle Muse Theatre Company
The Edge Off-Broadway 1133 W. Catalpa Ave.
Thurs-Sat at 8; Sun at 3
ends on October 20, 2024
for tickets ($20-$30), call 773.340.9438 or visit Idle Muse