Comedy Quells Squall of ‘Tempest’

If Shakespeare’s plays can be divided into tragedies, histories, and comedies, then which category should “The Tempest” be placed in? According to the Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s production at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center (CMAC) that runs through April 13, the latter is very much the answer. But in its efforts to constantly amuse its audience, the production bypasses many of the more serious and deep elements of the play, creating an entertaining but somewhat hollow experience.

The story of Prospero (Alvin Epstein), the deposed Duke of Milan who now inhabits a mysterious island, his daughter Miranda (Mara Sidmore), and his servants Ariel (Marianna Bassham) and Calaban (Benjamin Evett) is one of Shakespeare’s most challenging. The play begins with the eponymous storm that causes the shipwreck of Prospero’s old enemies, including his usurping brother Antonio (Richard Snee) and Alonso (David Gullette), the King of Naples. Over the course of the play, Prospero uses the magical powers he has acquired to torment these men and also bring about the marriage of his daughter to Ferdinand (Jason Bowen), the noble son of Alonso.

The production at the CMAC is mostly faithful to the original version of the play. The director, Patrick Swanson, lets his actors and the script go to work. The play revels in its stripped-down production; the small stage is adorned only with light bulbs placed around the edge of the performance area, which convey the magical nature of the island. Most of the actors do an excellent job of portraying their characters’ feelings and development. Mara Sidmore is particularly convincing as Miranda, progressing from spoiled brat at the opening to young woman in love by the end.

Unfortunately, Swanson fails to reign in some of his actors’ more wild inclinations. John Kuntz’s Trinculo, dressed in what appears to be a cross between a patchwork quilt and an argyle sweater, is especially over the top. When, on encountering the sleeping Calaban, he says to the audience, “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows,” his raised eyebrow is not remotely necessary. This is simply one example where the play tries too hard to be funny and ends up failing to portray the subtle themes present in the original text.

Benjamin Evett’s superb and intricate performance as Calaban is particularly wasted, as the deeper issues behind his character are not explored. When the savage licks the drunken Stephano’s boots as a mark of his devotion to his new master, it should be a slightly revolting scene, but here it is simply made to seem comical. The production does the name of the Multicultural Arts Center a disservice by ignoring the issues of colonialism and its abuses present in both Caliban’s character and the play as a whole.

The interpretation of some characters differs from what would have been presented at the play’s inception. Prospero and Ariel are imagined as a Victorian magician and his assistant. One suspects that Ariel’s costume, which includes leather boots, fishnet stockings, turquoise eye shadow, and a top hat, was not the go-to outfit of most 17th-century fairies. Yet this change from the original version of the play effectively exposes the more ridiculous side of Prospero’s power. He relies on tricks and illusions to fool his enemies, while harboring for 12 years the bitterness toward those who stole his throne. Alvin Epstein’s resigned performance successfully furthers the image of the weary ruler approaching the end of his power. This portrayal of the character makes the play’s ending much more palatable than it can be in less experienced hands.

Admirable attention to detail and mostly impressive acting make “The Tempest” a thoroughly enjoyable viewing experience, though a mostly superfluous one. At the end of the play, Prosporo tells Antonio that he will “forgive thy rankest fault.” The performers must hope that their comic talent will lead the audience to take the same attitude toward the play.