Prospero said it best: “We are such stuff as dreams are made on.”
Perhaps that line from William Shakespeare’s last play, written around 1610, best describes the playwright’s philosophy.
The Camden Shakespeare Festival vividly and lovingly brings “The Tempest,” a tale of revenge and redemption, to life through Aug. 9 at the Camden Amphitheater next to the library. The show runs about 90 minutes without an intermission.
Prospero (Stephen Legawiec), a magician and conjurer, and his daughter Miranda (Arise Rock) are the only humans on a remote island. They arrived there years earlier after Prospero’s brother Antonio (Andrew Elijah Edwards) usurped Prospero’s title as Duke of Milan. Prospero has enslaved two creatures living there — the magical spirit Ariel (Riley K. Webster) and the monster Caliban (Elise Voigt), who claims the island belongs to him.
As the play opens, the magician creates a storm that causes the ship his brother — who is traveling with the King of Naples (Carole Florman), his son Ferdinand (Connor Hall) and two mischief-making clowns, Trinculo (Olivia Manning) and Stephano (Jonas Maines), from the king’s court — is traveling in to crash on the island. Love, forgiveness and high jinks ensue.
In addition to starring in “The Tempest,” Legawiec, the festival’s artistic director, directed the show. His Prospero is cerebral rather than an angry despot out only for revenge. Legawiec portrays Prospero as a loving father and a mostly kind overseer. He eventually sets Ariel and Caliban free.
His greatest strength as a director is his ability to build tight ensembles made up of actors who perfectly convey his vision of the production to audiences. Legawiec keeps the characters moving so the action is never static and Shakespeare’s language is easily understood. “The Tempest” is a fine example of his directorial style.
Voigt, a nurse at the Maine Arts Academy in Augusta, gives Caliban a humanity Shakespeare might not think that he deserves. Dressed in a costume that looks like rags and wearing a fascinating handmade Balinese wooden mask made by Nyoman Setiawan, Voigt gives a layered and fascinating performance. Her hunched and lumbering movement are what show Caliban is a grotesque monster. Yet, her portrayal of him is highly sympathetic and despite his lust for Miranda, Voigt makes him not just likable but lovable. Quite an accomplishment.
If Caliban is in many ways the dark side of the island, then Webster as the spirit Ariel is its light. She is a literary sister to Tatania, queen of the fairies in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Webster joyfully captures Ariel’s playful side but also shows how she is chafing at being enslaved to Prospero and longs for freedom.
Much of the comedy in the play is provided by Manning and Maines as the duo Truncolo and Stephano. Like adolescent boys, they argue, fight, make up and plot with Caliban to kill Prospero. The actors bring an Abbott and Costello vibe to the pair that works wonderfully.
This show is full of fine performances but it is what they do as a finely tuned ensemble that makes this “Tempest” so enjoyable.
The Camden Amphitheater is a magical setting and an ideal place for this story to unfold.
“The Camden Amphitheatre is not huge, but it is the most beautiful outdoor performance space that I have ever seen,” Legawiec said two years ago. “It is an honor and a joy to perform there. Many of our shows use the landscape of the space, which seems the point of being there, rather than cover it up with set pieces.”
And the harbor in the background is a perfect backdrop for Shakespeare’s final play.
Judy Harrison saw “The Tempest” Sunday afternoon on the lawn of Monson Arts in Monson. The Camden Shakespeare Festival will perform “The Tempest” through Aug. 9 at the Camden Amphitheater overlooking Camden harbor. For more information, visit camdenshakespeare.org.