If you hoped that “what’s past is prologue” to Aaron Posner’s new production of “The Tempest” at the Folger Theatre, think again. Despite the recent handful of diverse incarnations of William Shakespeare’s final drama produced upon the banks of the Potomac over the past few theater seasons, Posner has dramatically pared down the bard’s work to conjure up a storm more tropical depression than catastrophic hurricane.
The magical tale of a usurped duke and his wide-eyed daughter stranded on an enchanted island in the Bermudas becomes anorexic under Posner’s deliberate revisions. Pages of exposition are sheared in favor of a sleek story that focuses on the betrayed brother’s forgiveness and folly than on any anger or resentment harbored within. When Prospero, the betrayed brother to the new duke of Milan, works his “rough magic” here, tossing ashore his brother and an entire host of Italian royalty, it seems more like the winds of a benefactor blowing than a man hell-bent on revenge.
And without that necessary dramatic tension to worry us, Shakespeare’s stormiest drama seems nearly impotent.
The Highlights
Visually, Posner’s “Tempest” is an elegant affair, with a creative design team and a cast ripe for action. John Boesche is credited with the special effects that open the evening, a series of lively film sequences projected onto a circular screen that hovers above the stage and serves as a makeshift ward for Marybeth Fritzky’s enslaved Ariel.
And the exclusion of comic foils Stephano and Trinculo makes for exciting interpretation. Here, both drunkards are portrayed by Todd Scofield’s deranged Caliban, as products of his wicked imagination — one as an empty bottle, the other, well let’s just say he’s always close at hand.
The Lowlights
Posner, the lauded director of last year’s puppet-centric “Measure for Measure” and a dreamy “Two Gentlemen of Verona,” has carved out his own niche by boldly reinventing the classics with a fresh touch and ingenious aesthetic unlike any of the other visiting directors who pass through Washington regularly. But here, Posner’s tricks don’t seem to adequately serve such a rich, dynamic story, and his streamlined, scholarly version is too slender for its own good.
The Cast
Michael Rudko is a warm, surprisingly paternal figure as Prospero, and Rudko’s sorcerer is a tamed animal, almost reluctant to perform his own mercurial magic and carry out his ill-intentioned plot. Here, his young daughter can’t offer much of an antidote to such an even-tempered Pops, and as a result, Erin Weaver’s Miranda comes across as cloying, until she lights up whenever her prince appears.
Mikaal Sulaiman is a most sensational Ferdinand, “a thing divine,” offering a welcome boost of adrenaline. His scenes with the awe-struck Weaver are electric with youthful energy.
But the evening’s enchantments belong to Scofield’s demented Caliban — portrayed as a slow starter destined for the short bus — and Fritzky’s dark Ariel, an interesting proxy for Stevie Nicks under the influence of the occult.
The Designers
Kate Turner-Walker’s costumes are a visual treat under Dan Covey’s extraordinary lighting design, and Lindsay Jones composed the original music and challenging sound design for Posner’s clever audio concepts.
Munch on This
Perhaps the overarching theme of such a tepid “Tempest” is that Prospero has been baptized by his own catalytic storm, washing away past hurts and offering a “brave, new world” internally, as he denounces his previous supernatural powers. Although this “Tempest” simply doesn’t live up to the prime expectations reserved for Posner’s work, his abbreviated take still offers a few unique elements — even if it doesn’t define itself as one of the area’s superlative productions.
If you go
“The Tempest”
» Venue: Folger Theatre, 201 E. Capitol St., SE
» Times: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 7 p.m. Sunday
» Tickets: $32 to $50
» More info: 202-544-7077; folger.edu/theatre
