NOLA Project presents a reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s ‘Tempest’ | Entertainment/Life
It can be a little difficult to find Project NOLA’s newest outdoor theater space. Located off the Lafitte Greenway in Mid-City, the former vehicle inspection station is a jumble of concrete, steel and earth-colored brick. It’s an unlikely setting for the company’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s lush island fairy tale, “The Tempest,” but with a little stage magic and audience imagination, the creative cast and crew deliver an enchanting take on the ode. from the bardo to reconciliation and forgiveness.
Adapted and directed by company member James Bartelle, the play is billed as “Shakespeare’s Tempest, Reimagined.” The title may suggest a revision of the classic, but the adaptation follows the original quite closely, boiling down to a short 90-minute run of the play’s intertwined plots. Shakespeare’s text is partly supplemented by Bartelle’s own pen, although the meter and style are imitated so effectively that most ears will hardly register where one writer ends and the other begins.
The show’s greatest success is its staging, as Shakespeare’s enchanted island paradise is brought to life by a strong, energetic ensemble and lively with original music, lively choreography and expressive costumes.
As Prospero, the exiled nobleman and sorcerer, Monica R. Harris has a strong command of the stage and script. As the powerful center of Shakespeare’s storm, the vengeful outcast wields supernatural authority over the island’s goblins, beasts, and a band of newly arrived shipwreck survivors, among them the political enemies who banished Prospero and his daughter Miranda years ago.
The shipwreck sets in motion the play’s three intertwined subplots: Prospero’s marriage between Miranda and Ferdinand, the king’s son; a staged overthrow of the despondent king by Prospero’s brother Antonio and his co-conspirator Sebastian; and the comic relief of two clumsy drunks, Trinculo and Liana, planning their own siege with the help of the island monster Caliban, who seeks to break the bond of harsh servitude with their master Prospero.
The truncated script means the plot unfolds predictably by the numbers and is heavy on exposition, although the abbreviated running time allows for a brisk pace that builds relentlessly to the play’s well-resolved conclusion.
The cast is uniformly impressive, including an ethereal performance from Leslie Claverie as the island spirit Ariel, whose lilting voice enchants and captivates in both song and speech. As Caliban, the native beast, Keith Claverie roars and growls in his bitter subjugation, expertly costumed in horns and animal skin. And Ashley Ricord Santos and Kristin Witt, as the hapless wine-drinking duo Trinculo and Liana, infuse some welcome giddy silliness into the political machinations of the play’s main plot.
Behind the scenes, choreographer Monica Ordoñez and composers Alexis Marceaux and Stephen MacDonald contribute to the production’s joyful charm, as do lighting and costume designers Joan Long and Megan Harms.
Given the pastoral nature of the play’s vibrant seaside setting, the stark industrial setting is a risk to overcome, a contrast to Project NOLA’s previous extravagant productions under the night sky at the New Art Museum’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden. Orleans. But the company meets this challenge head on, offering audiences a succinct, straightforward version of “The Tempest,” animated by a talented troupe of theater directors who effectively harness the power of Shakespeare’s storm.
‘THE STORM’
WHEN: Until May 25th
WHERE: 436 N. Norman C. Francis Parkway
TICKETS: $38 (upgrades and student discounts available)
INFORMATION: nolaproject.com
