The Tempest on Aspen Island. Directed by Nicholas Bolonkin. February 7 to March 1, 1997, Tuesdays to Sundays 8 pm.
National Summer Shakespeare presentations are an established ritual, and deservedly so. The Tempest, stylistically a conventional production, gains much and loses a little from being performed on Aspen Island. It's strength is the accuracy of the language - accessible Shakespeare in which the sense of every speech is clear.
The spirit world of the island became manifest when the opening storm scene blew up gusty breezes in the trees and Prospero's star appeared as a spectacular meteor over the lake. Each night will be different as far as these natural portents go, but the Carillon tower is an impressive cell for Prospero and cyclorama for lighting effects.
The production is quite spare, focussing on the text and the plot. For my taste, there could have been much more movement, particularly when Prospero recounts the background story to Miranda. I found myself looking for a larger, more magical Prospero to show his power over the whole island. However, as the action moved around the audience, the story began to tell itself and we were drawn in.
Acoustics are problematical, usually because, with the audience in the centre and the action alternating from one side to the other, someone on the edge as I was could find the more distant voices hard to hear. My thought would be to place the audience in four groups so that action could surround them or could take place in the centre for scenes where the words needed to be clearly distinguishable.
Ian Macdonald's music - some Purcell, Dr Arne and his own compositions - and the surround sound effects made the atmosphere come alive, with some nice singing from the spirits. Kate Early's Ariel held together what otherwise can be scattered scenes: her relationship with Prospero was strong and her singing, recorder playing and quality of movement kept up our interest in the character.
There was a relaxed warmth in the air on opening night. I see The Tempest as a worthwhile community event, connecting people from the university and theatre scenes, with an audience looking to renew their acquaintance with an old friend - Shakespeare.
© Frank McKone, Canberra
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