The Tempest and T&A
Thursday, August 14th by scott malia
A recent review of Shakespeare Orange County’s new production of The Tempest compared it to the reality show Survivor. The reviewer noted the influence of the long-running program on the production, as evidenced by the scantily-clad actors (the one major exception being Prospero, played by middle-aged actor with a stockier physique). The Tempest in particular seems to receive this kind of interpretation frequently. If the director’s note includes words like “elemental” or “primal,” you can expect to see a fair amount of skin. Other justifications include the weather. After all, it’s a tropical island, and people are hot (pun possibly intended). Whether it’s Caliban, Ariel, the young lovers, or the duplicitous castaways, some of the characters doff their clothes.
In past blogs, the issue of sexuality in Shakespeare has come up periodically, but this play presents a different angle on the issue. The Tempest, despite occasionally being labeled a Romance, features only one romantic relationship. Unless Ferdinand and Isabella’s budding love is given a Blue Lagoon twist, the potential for sexing up the proceedings is limited. Still, what is the impact of ripped actors reciting the Bard’s poetry? Does it add to or detract from the play?
It could be argued that such an approach places a greater focus on the actor. Depending on how scenery is or isn’t used, limited costuming simplifies the play. In essence, it is merely bodies, space and words. Still, what does it say about a production when the heavyset actor is one of the only ones covered up? If a production is truly primal, shouldn’t bodies of all types merit equal exposure?
August 28th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
I would like to comment on your last two sentences. You ask “what does it say about a production when the heavyset actor is one of the only ones covered up?” I see the point that you are trying to make but I would like to note that in the production the only characters that were in more revealing garb were Miranda, Caliban and the nymphs, more than half of the cast in full dress.
In the program for the production I did not note the director mentioning anything about “primal”. I think that your point would be best supported by a different production of this play because unlike a lot of staged performances of Shakespeare in other companies that find it hard not to make Shakespeare relevant or intriguing without gimmicks such as inexplicable nudity or changes of setting (ex. R&J in Nazi Germany), Shakespeare Orange County runs against those trends in not doing anything that does drive the point of view of the production.