the meaning of life

I don't want to say too much more about the production, for fear of spoiling the suspense of the plot—which as presented here has a thoroughly enjoyable way of unfurling around you, changing shape and expanding scope as you begin to comprehend more and more of the context. I will say that overall, the play has a more accessibly powerful message about human life than Shakespeare's own romances do—though on mature reflection, perhaps simply because it's a little less multifaceted and indirect. You'll leave the theater a wiser person, one less inclined to avoid opportunities to realize your highest potential when they come your way, than when you entered it. And that can hardly be a bad thing, can it?

Williamson also makes spendid use of the permanent technical staff OSF provides. Set (Robert Blackman), costumes (Deborah M. Dryden), special effects were are all of the highest polish, truly top notch. This attention to detail pays special dividends when Segismundo suddenly awakens from his life of exile into the world of the court: you also gasp at the lush, unspeakably ornate realization this world attains on the Ashland stage.
 

the myth of matriarchy

The less said about the 2001 OSF Tempest, the better—lest the pleasures of composing an all-out pan alienate my Ashland contacts. And truly, this Tempest is not all that bad—just unpardonably dull and lacking in inspiration.

The sad part is, it would have required boatloads of inspiration to pull the director's concept off. For Associate Artistic Director Penny Metropulos has gone and given my character of Prospero a sex-change operation: he is now she, and goes by the title "Duchess of Milan," however unmetrical it may be (and despite the fact that she is still addressed as "Sir" sometimes).

And what a woman! Demetra Pittman plays Prospero as a mother possessed of a profoundly good if bleeding heart, her eyes full of tender concern for the creatures around her—and an unconditionally nurturing companion for Miranda her daughter.

sin grandly, or not at all

Now maybe this kind of conception could work if Metropulos had gone Williamson's route and first translated The Tempest into another language, then changed a good deal of the plot and even the ending to make it responsive to the brave new world she'd like to see in it. This is the route that the Martiniquan poet Aimé Césaire (who just last week finally retired as mayor of Fort de France after 55 years) followed in his anti-colonialist Une Tempête, to international critical acclaim. But not having the courage of such convictions—or the awesome talent required to pull them off—Metropulos merely emasculates the play, leaving little wonder that the production falls flat

Trinculo (U. Jonathan Toppo, left) and Caliban (John Pribyl) in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's 2001 production of William Shakespeare's The Tempest. Photo by David Cooper.

Nevertheless, handsome performances were turned in by John Pribyl as a uniquely articulated Caliban, the precision and interpretive lilt of whose line readings never failed to amaze. Cristofer Jean was even more showy, if slightly less substantial as a fey, strikingly featured Ariel—the star of several lushly decorative, vaguely Asian tableaux that Scenic Designer William Bloodgood and Costume Designer Christina Poddubiuk recompense us with.

Ariel (Cristofer Jean) and an island spirit (René Thornton, Jr.) in The Tempest. Scenic design by William Bloodgood; costume design by Christina Poddubiuk; lighting design by Robert Peterson. Photo by David Cooper.
 

Laird Williamson: remember that name

My advice to Ashland: the next time you think of doing The Tempest or another romance—and making it the longest-running play in your repertory season—you'd best put Laird Williamson in charge of it, instead of relegating him to late (Pericles) or early (Life is a Dream) half-season wonders. He'd do the job properly, and put Ashland on the map as the place to go in the new millenium to see Shakespeare's romances brought to life—as he already seems to be doing with the Denver Center Theatre Company, which is making the most use of his talents these days (to the raves of a local reviewer, obviously delighted with Denver's good fortune to have him there, in 1999 and 2000).

Other festivals—and playgoers around the world—take note: an opportunity at a Williamson production is not to be missed. I, for one, will be on the lookout for his next venue. Those of you who can, be sure to reserve your tickets and get to Ashland to see this Dream before it goes dark July 8. I guarantee—you won't regret it.