Folger's Theatre's last formal season coincided with the start of the Pandemic. Their production of "The Merry Wives of Windsor" was next to the last live show I saw before everything shut down. Their shutdown was; however, pre-planned and years in the making. How serendipitous to close their theater space for a multi-million dollar renovation at the very moment and during the very time frame when no theaters were open.
As work on this transformation is now in it's final stages, Folger's has teamed up with other venues and theaters to still produce/co-produce a season. You may recall, back in August I saw a production of "A Midsummer's Night's Dream" staged at the cavernous Smithsonian National Building Museum. Another play was co-produced with Theater J. And this production of "The Tempest" is in partnership with Round House Theatre in Bethesda, Maryland. I've seen "The Tempest" performed on stage once before, and it's one of the few plays by Shakespeare that I've also actually read. So I have a slightly better familiarity with the story--which is always helpful with Shakespeare. But even if I hadn't, this production was so incredibly accessible, that I would have undoubtedly enjoyed it just as much.
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| Nate Dendy as Ariel |
With Teller (of the Magician Duo "Penn & Teller) behind the design, magic is a foregone conclusion. The magic began even before the play, when Nate Dendy as Ariel suddenly arrived and began entertaining (and including) the audience with mime and card tricks. It must be pointed that this particular interpretation of The Tempest is essentially a restaging of previous productions. Teller conceived it and staged it in other venues (one or two I seem to recall--both on the west coast) before this one. Dendy is the one member of the cast who is reprising his performance here. No doubt having such an amazing opportunity to participate in something like this again as both an outstanding stage actor and an exceptionally talented magician all the reason he needs. I, for one, am so grateful that he did. In every way imaginable, he will forever remain in my mind the quintessential Ariel.
When visiting the Round House website and previewing the cast, I will admit, I was very excited by the number of talented "favorite" actors who were part of the production. In particular: Kate Eastwood Norwich, Naomi Jacobson, Cody Nickell and Megan Graves. Others like Eric Hissom, Kenyatta Rogers and Ryan Sellers have also come to my attention over the years for their solid performances. Add the fact that I have not seen any of these good folk on stage since before the pandemic's darkest days, and you can understand my great sense of anticipation. So, to be fair, today's matinee performance was only this cast's third before a live audience thus far, having just opened on the 23rd. Yet, I don't think it was evident in any way--and I can only imagine how much better this ensemble will become over time.
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| Eric Hissom as Prospero |
On another level this production was most noteworthy for it's synergy. Three examples leapt out. 1) Megan Graves performance as Miranda off of Ro Boddie's portrayal of Ferdinand. Introduced separately, both blossomed when the plot brought them together. It's the finest performance I've seen Megan give and Ro is a newcomer to me who I hope I will continue to see into the future. 2) Kate Eastwood Norris' Stephano against Richard R. Henry's Trinculo. OMG! First, Kate is without exception an actor of singular skill and force; a favorite of Folger's and Mine--I will never forget her Philip Faulconbridge in "King John"! Richard was completely unknown to me, yet from his first utterance as he made his way through the audience to the stage I thought, "Yes! Good! Who is this amazing person?" Together, their talents erupted with such humor and endearing buffoonery. Which brings me to 3) Caliban.
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| Hassiem Muhammad as Black Caliban |
Caliban deserves his/his own paragraph! The orphaned, befuddled, enslaved genie who is childlike yet menacing. Caliban is one of Shakespeare's triumphant creations. You might say too large for one actor to capture--and then you would LOVE how this production presented him. Caliban was played by two men. Hassiem Muhammad (Black) and Ryan Sellers (White). Imagine them: Naked save baggy ragged yoga pants of rough fabric in earth tones with painted marking to mirror the body paint adorning each man. Hassiem's where drawn to move his flesh lighter, and Ryan's to move his darker.
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| Ryan Sellers as White Caliban |
Add to this such a talented musical quartet, with two female vocalists (Lizzie Hagstedt and Kanysha Williams) whose harmonies were in turns heart-warming and bone-chilling performing tunes written by Tom Waits in conjunction with the action and mood of the play. Add again an amazing three-story tall set designed by Daniel Conway to look like the bastard stepchild of a Grand 19th-Century Barkentine crossed with a turn of the 20th-Century Vaudeville stage. Include costumes designed by Sarah Cubbage ready for a steampunk convention or a pirate party-house. And did I mention magic? When the show was over, the standing ovation completed, the lights up...I just stood there staring at the stage. The line from Sondheim's "Into The Woods" from the Baker's Wife after her tryst with Cinderella's Prince was ringing in my head. You remember. She looks at the audience right after the Prince dashes off in search of another maiden and says, "What...was THAT?"
If you live in the DMV, you have until January 1st to see this. I should say don't wait to purchase your ticket. This one is going to sell out. Trust me.
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