An Electric Tempest at Marin Shakes

The sprite Ariel stands guard at one of Duke Prospero's devices in the Marin Shakespeare Company production of The Tempest

Photo by Eric Chazankin

Jon Tracy adds electricity to Shakespeare’s antique storm. The new production of The Tempest, now at Marin Shakes, updates Duke Prospero of Medieval Italy to a post-Tesla world, where electrical devices and a flock of enchanted spirits dominate the stage. Tracy has inserted sparks in the storm with his choreographed concept of the fairy spirit Ariel.

Wave sounds seep through the outdoor space in the two-act, hour-and-20 play. Three blue traveling boxes face US, not yet revealing their contents. Stage center holds the “Ariel Coil,” a reference to the father of modern electricity, Nikola Tesla, famous for his dramatic Tesla coil display. In his time he was considered a mad scientist.

In his leather apron, in a lab on an unnamed island, Robert Parsons as Prospero seems bewildered or perhaps in awe of the power of the array of electric devices revealed when the Qualities turn around the blue units. The rotations reveal racks of wires and electric equipment (Electronics was a few years down the road in the Victorian era.)

The Qualities are the enchanted spirits left behind by the witch Sycorax who once ruled the island. She left behind Caliban, a slave in chains, and the sprite Ariel trapped in a pine tree. Tracy has split open the pine to unleash a flurry of six Ariels who follow Prospero’s instructions. Shakespeare’s original text identified Ariel only as a single character. The six Qualities here (Silvia Girardi, Maro Guevara, Kimberly Miller, Nesbyth Rieman, Erica Salazar, and Jeremy Vik), in their frock coats, hats and dark goggles all, speak Ariel’s lines in unison. With tight choreography and surprising grace, they make entrances and exits through trap doors in the stage deck.

The set design by Nina Ball draws directly from the 1950s sci-fi genre. The mad scientist rules still, but he has doubts and misgivings here. By using a hundred-fifty year old setting for the ancient story, Director Tracy has opened a new perspective. The Victorian punk style oddly slants the view.

This production adds dimensions to the original while remaining true to the inspired story of a man consumed by the power of intellect, a Victorian fetish. By bringing the story nearly up-to-date – compared to the original – Director Jon Tracy has made the timeless tale more immediate.

The Tempest plays to Sept. 25, 2011 at Forest Meadows Amphitheatre of Dominican University, 1475 Grand Avenue, San Rafael. Tickets ($20 to $35) are available online at www.marinshakespeare.org or by phone at 415.499.4488.