The Tempest Presented by the Utah Shakespeare Festival, in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, UT (review)

Reviewed by: The Tempest Presented by the Utah Shakespeare Festival, in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, UT Keolanani Kinghorn The Tempest Presented by the Utah Shakespeare Festival, in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, UT. 12 July–8 October 2022. Directed by Cameron Knight. Set and projections design by Yee Eun Nam. Costume design by Raquel Adorno. Lighting design by Jaymi Lee Smith. Music and sound by Lindsay Jones. Dramaturgy by Isabel Smith-Bernstein. Voice and text instruction by Philip Thompson. Fight and intimacy choreography directed by Caitlyn Herzlinger. Stage managed by Carolyn Fast. With René Thornton, Jr. (Alonso), John Bixler (Sebastian), Arizsia Staton (Antonio), Freedom Martin (Ferdinand), Jasmine Bracey (Prospero), Amara Webb (Miranda), Sophia K. Metcalf (Ariel), Aidan O’Reilly (Caliban), Kevin Kantor (Trinculo), Anatasha Blakely (Stephano), Steven Jensen (Gonzalo), Kevin Kanto (Iris), Arizsia Staton (Juno), John Bixler (Ceres), and others. Last season, the Utah Shakespeare Festival featured Black actress Jas-mine Bracey as Belarius in Cymbeline. This year she returned to the same theater, front and center, as Prospero in an adaptation of The Tempest set in the 1990s, which came complete with a Boyz II Men song, original alt-rock music, a VHS tape, and—yes, even Walkman headphones. In this production, Prospero (Bracey) and Ariel (Sophia K. Metcalf) had a relationship that was different from any other portrayal of The Tempest I had seen before, and that was partly because, according to the production’s dramaturg Isabel Smith-Bernstein in a Q&A session, the words “slave” and “master” were removed from the text. The changes and their effect were especially apparent at the end of this production when Prospero embraced Ariel to bid her goodbye. The sadness they shared was palpable. The leads in this cast were outstanding, but there is no doubt that the success of this particular adaptation owed much to Bracey, who played Prospero as a woman, and who was a less severe and more affectionate parent-like figure. Bracey’s Prospero put up a strong front with Ferdinand and Miranda, but once they parted and Prospero was alone, that tough façade melted into giggles, showing her secret delight that the young couple was falling in love. This showed the audience that Bracey’s Prospero had motivations beyond revenge and that she could be likable; and it showcased Bracey’s range as an actress. Additionally, it highlighted the intensity of Prospero’s character in previous productions of The Tempest, which have often displayed a power-hungry and manipulative Prospero who takes advantage of everyone around him, including his family and the Indigenous islanders. [End Page 153] Instead, this production flipped the dynamics of a usually white cast and a Black Caliban (the word “Black” in conjunction with Caliban was also removed from the play according to Smith-Bernstein) and proudly featured Black leads: Freedom Martin as Ferdinand and Amara Webb as Miranda. These two actors were delightful to watch in their interactions. Webb pulled off Miranda as the perfectly innocent and naïve—yet bold when she needed to be—daughter. I found myself continually drawn to the unique choices made by the director, Cameron Knight, including the production’s atypical leading men and newfound comical moments. Ferdinand, played by Martin, had a voice that was soft but clear, and not overbearing; his mannerisms were toned down and intimate. These were refreshing choices for the leading man in a Shakespearean play and befitting of his character in many ways. On the other end, Caliban (Aidan O’Reilly) was covered in faux tattoos and piercings which stood out on his white skin, and he moved around in an animalistic manner and intensely stared straight into audience member’s faces. He often jumped at surprising moments as he walked next to the audience, who sat just a few feet away from the stage. Scenes between Prospero and Caliban were tense, as their eyes never left each other, and their body language expressed their previous mutual distrust. Caliban acted somewhat like a wounded dog towards Prospero, until he was cast out and found by the drunken lost travelers Stephano (Anatasha Blakely...