The Tempest by William Shakespeare, the last show of the Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts’ main 2023-24 season, opened on Friday, May 17, to a nearly full house at the Josephine Louis Theater. Manna-Symone Middlebrooks directs the production. Middlebrook, a master of fine arts directing candidate at Northwestern University, explains her point of view in the director’s note.
“The fact that we continue to live with the repercussions of centuries-old systems of oppression like settler colonialism, capitalism and patriarchy is … trash,” she wrote. “By creating false senses of hierarchy and dominance, fueling greed and entitlement, and triggering anger and hatred, the toxicity of these systems can poison the relationship we have with ourselves, each other and the planet.”
An island covered in trash is the main setting. It’s an allegory for the toxicity, hatred and damage caused by humans, behavior that is, sadly, timeless. The main characters thrive in their surroundings and manage to find beauty and happiness.
“The Tempest is a story about how we reignite the soul after toxic human systems have corrupted it, how we realign with nature and how we link love with justice to move toward collective liberation,” Middlebrook wrote.
It’s a timeless play produced in an imaginative, modern way, but audience members unfamiliar with the play should read about its themes or a summary in advance.
The 13 cast members deliver their lines with verve and emotion despite the complex, awkward and unnatural-sounding language of the original text. One central change to the original is the main character of Prospero is now a woman, masterfully owned and acted by Detra Payne, assistant professor of instruction in acting at Northwestern.
Middlebrook is not the first director to make Prospero a female character. Two notable occasions include 2000, when Lenka Udovicki directed Vanessa Redgrave as Prospero at the Globe Theater, and 2010, when Julie Taymor directed Helen Mirren as Prospera for the film version of The Tempest.
Under Middlebrook’s fine direction, Prospero is “a magical sorceress” fighting political treachery to regain her rightful power in Milan and secure her daughter’s future. She’s the ultimate Mama Bear doing whatever it takes to right the wrongs done to her by her brother, Antonio (played by Augustus Saint Glick). Luckily Prospero has plenty of magical abilities that she can conjure at will.
Payne, Isadora Coco Gonzalez as Miranda and Mario Wulf Montes as Ariel are especially compelling. Regular attendees of Wirtz performances will recognize Gonzalez from Me … Jane, Frida Libre, Working and Matilda. Montes was previously in Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really.
The sets, hair, wigs and makeup, sounds and lighting contribute mightily to the overall atmosphere of the production. Those responsible include Alayna Klein (scenic designer), Mark Park (wigs, hair and makeup designer), Seojung Jang (lighting designer) and Joe Court (sound designer). Ben Argenta Kress is the skilled costume designer. In a pre-production video, Kress said his team was inspired by the Senegalese artist Fabrice Montiero. Kudos to each of them for a creative and unusual festival of sensory stimulation.
Roger Ellis as movement director delivered several original dance sequences that took advantage of costumes made of plastic sheeting. The modern dance number with the full cast was especially joyful and fun.
Many of the cast members have tiny microphones taped to the sides of their skulls. It was unfortunate that Payne’s microphone was not working properly during the first half of the show as those unaccustomed to Shakespearean diction and vocabulary need to concentrate to follow the play.
Ultimately, The Tempest is about forgiveness, redemption and freedom. It’s a fine way to end the season. We leave thinking about timeless themes and the impact we have on one another.
The Tempest will be on stage through May 26. Tickets are available online and at the box office in the Barber Theater lobby at 30 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston. The box office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Friday, and Saturday, from noon to 4 p.m. The box office is closed Sunday and Monday.
Theater review: Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ brought up to date is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.