Variety: Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s spectacle-oriented production of “The Tempest,” seen in prior versions at American Repertory Theater and a couple of other regionals, achieves what many stagings of Shakespeare attempt but rarely accomplish: It turns the bard into a genuinely popular entertainment. Adapted and directed by Aaron Posner and, more tellingly, the magician Teller, the show infuses the story of Prospero’s revenge and ultimate forgiveness of those who banished him years earlier with a high volume of quality illusions, as well as with deeply expressive music from Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan performed by an onstage band, plus an inspired, acrobatic take on a two-headed Caliban.
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This article, and the show that is its subject, raises a lot of interesting questions about the necessity to adapt Shakespeare into something 'more enjoyable.' The production here is praised for its magic, and is noted for its lack of societal implications and its emphasis is on spectacle. This pleases audiences, particularly audience of Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, mostly because its subscription base is almost entirely over the age of 60. It stands the question, would the production be more enjoyable if the actors were simply actors on a bare stage performing Shakespeare? This is not a rhetorical question, nor does it seek to denounce the nature of design, but it does raise, particularly for Shakespeare, the question of the text's ability to stand on its own. My bet is that, as it would have been taught, the production would have been exceedingly boring to most audiences. That being said, if the true emphasis were placed on the words and how they were used to connect with others, I would seek to believe that there would be something beautiful and enthralling about it. Ultimately, all I am talking about is Aristotle's notion that spectacle need support, not replace, the meat, heart, and necessity of the text and its elements.
Like stated in a previous comment this week I thoroughly enjoy Shakespeare. I always look forward to a good production of any of his shows so this article held my interest. A Tempest that deals with real magic is very interesting and rings true with the story. I think the magic bit could only be fully believable in just this show. I love that they took two entertainment mediums and blended them together while still telling this story. I’m sure those actors must have gone through a lot of training and rehearsals just for the magic alone but I would love to see it played out live. This is why I love Shakespeare so much because we get to decide how the parameters of the show in every way. Not many plays can be done that way so I love when we get the chance to really use our creative side and make this new world where anything is possible.
I actually got to see this show when it was at the ART, and it is truly an incredible show. I went to see it because I had just finished a design project based on the tempest and because passing up a chance to see Penn and Teller magic is practically a crime in my house. Now while Penn and Teller themselves are not actually part of the show the magic aspect is still incredible. Ariel really does seem to have an infinite amount of playing cards and then there’s levitating crowns and levitating people. Much like the article says, Caliban is another stand out part of the show. Instead of making some elaborate costume for an actor to wear and having them lumber around stage to be a monster they take a minimalist approach. Caliban is two guys in body paint and loincloths, they’re able to move in this quick fluid manor that’s both reminiscent of a predatory animal and just human enough to be vaguely menacing and stick in your mind. You want to dismiss him as an animal but you can’t, and yet at the same time you can’t bring your self to consider him completely human.
After reading this article, there is part of me that is actually considering trying to find a way to go to Chicago and see this show. First of all, I love magic, especially Penn and Teller, so the idea of illusions being put into a show is really cool to me. Magic is such a huge part of the tempest, so the idea of using stage magic to achieve the magically feel makes a lot of sense, provided that they tricks aren’t cheesy or poorly done, and I highly doubt Teller would have put in low quality illusions. However, the thing that I really want to see is the way they are portraying Caliban. It really sounds unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. For all I know, it will just be distracting, but it sounds really cool and like a very interesting way to make it clear that Caliban is not human. On top of all that, I really like The Tempest, so put together, this sounds like maybe the most interesting production I’ve heard about of one of my favorite plays.
What a peculiar idea and notion to incorporate actual magic (versus that theatre magic) into a Shakespeare play. I will readily admit that I’m not usually all that excited or even ready to see something by good ole Shakespeare. I think the stories are great, but they are long and drawn out, and very often poorly acted by small theatre groups and troupes. When something like this show occurs, I get intrigued and mildly excited by Shakespeare again. However, there does seem to be this debate of whether Shakespeare’s works should be manipulated into different time periods and scenarios outside of the classic Elizabethan era. I honestly do not know how I really feel about this debate. I can see both sides of the argument when done in moderation and with considerable respect to the actual story of the play in question. Yet, this production seems to focus more on the spectacle of it all, rather than the text. According to the article anyway. So I ask myself; At what point have your surpassed the original script and ventured into an adaptation? Furthermore, if you keep all of the original dialogue intact, but make drastic changes in every other aspect of the show, is it an adaptation? Nonetheless, this show seems like it is being set up for a NYC run at some point. The commercial-ness of this production seems inescapable.
I’ve always appreciated how much freedom companies feel they have when producing a Shakespeare show, because amazing things like this are able to happen. I read an article about this “magic” version of the Tempest a while ago, and I’m glad to see that it is doing well. I think that this dynamic between theatrical and magical performance is very intriguing, because I think in general, magic performance has a reputation to be gimmicky and too set on “tricking” people to be artistically viable. But, I mean, how entranced were we all when we were watching the Mentalist performance? Isn’t that the kind of investment we all strive for in the theater we work on? For how often we talk of “theater magic”, I think it’s interesting that the combination of the two species of performance haven’t intersected more often. However, I feel like it’s important to note what the author said about the magic elements sometimes being distracting from the story itself, because I think when a show involves impressive technical elements/ feats, if it’s not completely a part of the world, the audience may spend more time wondering “”How did they do that?!” as opposed to being invested in the story itself.
First of all, I'm a huge Penn and Teller fan. I'm not sure what it is about them, that really draws me in, since usually I don't enjoy "magic". But I think it's the fact that they don't sell themselves as "Yes, we truly are magic". They highlight that they are skilled illusionists who work out ingenius and innovative ways to create "magic". And for Teller, to for a second, take his talents away from Vegas, and to apply them to a work of Shakespeare, is amazing. I think the show itself sounds truly beautiful, with the addition of the magic. Yes, the magic seems a little gimmicky, but for the Tempest it is fitting. I love that artists and directors, are pushing to farther and farther heights with Shakespeare.
I saw the recent touring production of Pippin, and, like I said, I'm not a huge "magic" fan, but when they incorporated magic into the show, I was absolutley amazed. it added a lot to the show, and really allowed me, as a n audience goer to truly believe for a second that I was viewing something out of this world, which is an element I think would go very well in the Tempest.
I love would to see this production! It seems funny that, given the seemingly infinite number of Shakespeare interpretations, that I hadn't thought of the idea of incorporating actual illusions into this story that is so grounded in the supernatural and whose main character is a magician.
That being said, The Tempest, to me, is one of the most fascinating Shakespeare plays from a design standpoint. I am very disappointed that this article didn't have a video, or at least a picture of the two performers who played Caliban. I would love to design The Tempest and the different interpretations of Caliban and Ariel have always been particularly interesting to me. Despite the author's complaints about the show I hope I get a chance to see it because the element of illusion would add an awe-inspiring, yet ever so slightly unsettling feeling to the show that, in my opinion, would work perfectly for The Tempest.
This production brings up an important discussion of re imagining Shakespeare with the aid of a "spectacle" factor which sometimes interferes with the performance more than it helps. It is always refreshing to hear about a new perspective on the Bard's work, and the circus theme in combination with Teller's magic really adds another dimension, but one can't help bring up the point that the show may lose its initial focus. That being said, the nature of The Tempest would lend itself quite well to the "supernatural" elements described, and one can sympathize with the loose boundary between the message and the effects. While the end of the review paints the performance in a more negative light, we should applaud this attempt at incorporating this extra element which has the possibility to compliment main themes in a way Shakespeare would never have imagined.
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