A musician friend once referred to The Tempest, The Foodbank Players [1] 17th and latest production, as coming from Shakespeare’s B-side, lesser known and admired and unlikely to be found on his greatest hits album. It was possibly his last play and in it the main character, Prospero, the wronged duke, closes the story by giving up his magical powers and books, representing the playwright himself. It’s Will dropping the mic, so to speak.
[2]The Tempest has a simple plot with a hodgepodge of characters. Prospero, usurped and forced to flee Milan, lands on an island and right away enslaves the spirit Ariel and native Caliban because one needs servants, of course. Years later a ship is intentionally capsized, bringing to shore Prospero’s enemies who are then tormented until forgiven. Along the way a mate is found for daughter Miranda, titles are restored, and the two forced servants are freed. For a peculiar play with troubling themes, The Foodbank Players’ version is a fun and thoughtful 90-minute production.
[3]Martie Muldoon plays Prospero with a grace and presence that holds together the other somewhat awkward elements. The magic this actor employs is totally believable. Maya Cornwall plays her daughter Miranda and shows the innocence and joy inherent to a child raised by a single mom in an idyllic world. Justin Nilson portrays Ferdinand, son to Alonso (a terrific Don Martin) who helped chase Prospero away, and along with Cornwall they enact a Romeo and Juliet kind of story, minus the tragic ending. The villains, Antonio, sister to Prospero, and Sebastian, brother to Alonso, are played respectively by Foodbank Players veterans Sally Geary and Luis Araquistain. They are wonderful together, malevolent without being creepy. Rounding out the royals is Bill Brobeck’s Gonzalo, an original friend to Prospero who helped her escape. His dignity shines through in each of his scenes.
[4]Shakespeare loved his drunk characters, from Falstaff to Sir Toby Belch, to Stefano and Trinculo, two who survived the storm (shout-out to the use of the boat) along with a good supply of hooch. Caitlin Kenney is the butler and Kate Rockwell the jester; their camaraderie onstage makes for a joyful watch. But they are troublesome characters, or rather they link up with a troublesome character, Caliban, played by Gene Kahane. In an original prologue to the play we see the arrival of Prospero with toddler Miranda, the freeing of Ariel (see below) and the violent enslavement of Caliban. He claims the island is his, has receipts, and represents the theme of colonialism in the story. But Stefano and Trinculo get him drunk and his edge is blurred as he joins them in song and cartoonish behavior.
While Muldoon is outstanding as Prospero, it is relative newcomer Maggie Deagon (Horatio in last year’s Hamlet [5]) who most brightly glows in this show. She is the spirit Ariel — her movements, her voice, and her energy as chief mischief-maker lift every part of the play in which she is involved. Supporting her are the three “shapes,” played with energy by Frida Schiesser, Joy Morrill (they double as Boatswain and Master) and Asher Silveira. They are magical as servers and terrifying as cats. Equally worthy of praise is another Foodbank Players veteran, Jennifer Morrill, last seen as Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing [6], who comprises the full orchestra, playing flute and piccolo. Her son Colin is the percussionist in a sense, wonderfully working the thunder box for the storm.
[7]A unique quality of this Tempest [8] is that it’s presented in the round, with seating on four sides of the intimate stage. It pulls the audience in and makes them almost inhabitants of the grassy island. Director Gene Kahane makes it all work because he enlists the talents of his cast, gives them permission to confound and cavort, and makes us believe that “we are such stuff as dreams are made on.” The Tempest continues on June 13, 14, 20, and 21 at 4 p.m. at Webster Park. Admission is free, donations to the Alameda Food Bank are encouraged.