The Tempest at Capital Fringe

Yesterday, I went and saw The Tempest, presented by the Rude Mechanicals of Laurel, MD at the Warehouse Theatre. Billed as a Celtic musical, it remains 100% true to the language and storyline. While it's not technically a musical, the songs were absolutely beautiful and did not take away from the story at all; in fact, they enhanced it. The drunken butler, Stefano (Tom McGrath) along with his friend Trinculo (Andy Hall) and Caliban (Sean Butler), who is under the impression that these two ordinary people are gods, performed some excellent Irish drinking songs. Prospero, a rather challenging part, what with all he has to do through the show, is played by the wonderful Mike Galizia, who lends his outstanding bass voice to some truly lovely songs. He and Ariel (Maureen Shanahan) share a beautiful twist at the end of the show, which totally broke my heart. While I enjoyed the scenes with Miranda and Ferdinand (Morrigan Condo and Donald Cook, respectively), I didn't entirely believe them. Perhaps it was Condo's over-exaggeration of her feelings, or the way she held herself (Miranda is 15, not 6), but I just couldn't get into it. Rebecca Proch and Jaki Demarest (Alonsa and Gonzala) round out the cast. Alonsa is greiving because she believes she has lost her son in the tempest (he is actually with Prospero and Miranda), and Proch has a few lovely moments during her time onstage. Demarest affects a rather strange, high-pitched voice for her character, which is, at times, distracting and confusing. The final member of the cast, Sean Eustis, plays the boatswain, and though he is only in a couple of scenes, got one of the biggest laughs of the afternoon.

All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.

Remaining performances:
July 17, 515pm
July 19, 12pm
July 25, 6pm
at The Warehouse Theatre Mainstage, 1021 7th St NW
Tickets $15 (plus $5 Fringe button)

4 stars