Lights Up! Theatre Company will open its sixth season Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 14-15 at Center Stage Theater.
Actors in Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ get in character as they pose beside a white building covered in green ivy.
Andrew Cooper, left, as Caliban, Noah Olorin as Ferdinand, Eva Clark as Prospera, Ada Green as Miranda and Oliver Bargiel as Ariel in ‘The Tempest.’ Courtesy photo
“The Tempest” will be performed at 7 p.m. both evenings with a pre-show reception, 5-7 p.m. Friday.
For tickets, visit Center Stage Theatre. Ticket prices: general admission $33, students/seniors $23, VIP $51 (includes free performance video link, preferred seating and a swag bag).
In the tale of “The Tempest,” aided by her magical powers, Prospera and her daughter Miranda have survived for 12 long years on an abandoned island, after being set adrift to die at sea by Prospera’s own noble family.
When a stormy shipwreck strands the same royal entourage on the shores of their island home, is it coincidence, fate, or something more sinister?
As Prospera grows closer to getting the justice she craves for this cruel exile, she witnesses her daughter fall in love, listens to the wisdom of spirits, and discovers that sometimes forgiveness is the only way forward.
Shakespeare’s classic tale is one of betrayal, love, magic, family and revenge that takes audiences on a high-seas adventure of human discovery.
“What I love about ‘The Tempest’ is that while it’s arguably one of his best plays, it’s also one of his most meta — in a magical and mischievous way,” said director Amy Love. “The play we’re watching is itself a construct created by the title character, often believed to be representative of Shakespeare himself.
“Prospera/Shakespeare spins up this tempest of a plot and throws all of the best devices in; we are treated to a theatrical flotsam of high emotion and dramatic situation on a storm tossed sea.
“If you look, there are little Easter eggs of self awareness everywhere, from the very act of creating the ‘Tempest’ to the magical devices employed to conveniently put characters right where they are needed, to the direct address to the audience by Prospera herself at play’s end.
“One of the many ways that Shakespeare’s genius expresses itself is that he can embed some of the most beautiful, dramatic moments ever written into a play that gently pokes fun at itself, all the while delivering a universal, meaningful message of the perils of attachment and the relief in letting go.”
During the rehearsal process, the advanced company set out to conquer the complex language and interpret it in emotional terms so the actors could relate to it, and in turn, make it relatable to the audience, Love said.
The company is adding some new ideas while keeping with the original text, as well as adding some musical elements — Sea Shanties to bring in “The Tempest” and original music by Lights Up! Musical director Jay Real.
Coming up in February is the Lights Up! production of Cole Porter’s Tony Award-winning musical “Anything Goes” at The Marjorie Luke Theatre. The final musical of the season will be “Footloose” at the Lobero Theater in May.
