"The Tempest" tells the story of Prospero, the Duke of Milan (played by Bill Calder '12), who has been stranded on an island with his daughter Miranda (Sophia Archibald '13) after being unseated by his brother Antonio (Max Hunter '13) and the king, Alonso of Naples (Torrey Barrett '13).
Archibald is a member of The Dartmouth staff.
Using supernatural powers, Prospero brings all of the parties involved in his overthrow to the island more than a decade later. While Prospero struggles with whether or not to forgive his brother, there are multiple attempts for the king's crown, numerous acts of mischief caused by a devious fairy (Laura Neill '13) and a marriage between Miranda and the king's son, Ferdinand (Aidan Nelson '12).
The story is one of revenge, magic, ambition and romance themes that the Rude Mechanicals take on with vigor. The company's interpretation of the play is a largely humorous one, using props and gestures to insert comedy not necessarily written by Shakespeare into the production. Indeed, the comedic energy of the show was one of its greatest strengths.
With minimal costumes, few props and no set, the company's less is more' approach generally works well, although it requires the acting to shoulder a larger part of telling the story. Unfortunately, the actors occasionally fell short when tackling the more serious themes.
Calder's Prospero felt one-dimensional because of minimal variation in his voice and physical presence. Although his lines were well memorized, they seemed at times only to be memorized and not fully understood, a common problem for actors approaching Shakespeare. Neill's Ariel, a magical spirit who is Prospero's eyes and ears on the island, doesn't quite command the stage as the role demands.
The struggle with Shakespearian language was an issue for many in the cast. But while some of the players seemed to simply be reciting lines at times, performances by Hunter and Emily Baxter '11 lit up the room. Hunter had a fantastic grasp on his character, playing Antonio with confidence and skill, while Baxter excelled at physical comedy. Strong performances by Evan Ross '13 and Jenny Lamb '13 rounded out the cast.
Baxter is staff columnist for The Dartmouth.
Although some individual performances felt only satisfactory, the cast as a whole was solid, and the effect of communal directing was apparent. Certain directing ideas such as using a bench with ropes tied around each leg to enact the opening shipwreck scene gave the production an intelligent and creative atmosphere. The group performs well together and knows how to make the audience laugh a treat for both audiences and performers.
"It's a great feeling to work in that sort of communal and supportive and often silly atmosphere," Baxter said.
The biggest issue with the show was the choice of Occom Commons as a performance space. According to Hunter, the Rude Mechanicals "often try to present the plays in somewhat unconventional settings," and although Occom Commons qualifies as unconventional, it is also inconvenient.
Even though they make good use of the space, Occom Commons is simply not designed for theater. Hanging lights, sofas and doors prevent the room from shaking the feeling of being a dormitory common room instead of an island. However, their inventive interpretation of the room made use of the space in the best way possible.
Sixty chairs circled the center floor, leaving the rest of the audience to find space on couches, tables and windowsills. The use of in-the-round staging permitted more creative freedom, and the group took full advantage of it.
"It allowed us to make some really interesting, multifaceted moments," Baxter said.
Although the show may have benefited from being performed somewhere other than Occom Commons, the company had their reasons for not doing so. According to Lamb, by performing in Occom Commons instead of at the Hopkins Center, the Rude Mechanicals does not have to go through the Theater Department and maintains the entirely student-run aspect of their company.
Overall, "The Tempest" marks the sixth in a very solid series of performances by the Rude Mechanicals. Several great performances and creative directive choices displayed the level of talent the company possesses. Their energy and humor filled the stage to reawaken Shakespeare and draw in a diverse crowd of students and people from the greater Upper Valley area.