"The Tempest" by William Shakespeare, at the Shakespeare Theater in D.C.

Went to see the (D.C.) Shakespeare Theater production of "The Tempest" last night. Up front, my complaints. The actor playing Prospero was hard to hear in Row N, and it seemed like he spoke many of his lines to the back of the stage. (This seemed like bad direction to me.) This production cast Caliban as a Taliban (I know Talib is the singular form). This was timely, but did little for me, in the context of the play. I was not overly bothered by this, but . . . not crazy about it.

Now, what I liked. The production design and costumes were wonderful--especially the Mardi Gras-style heads on sticks for skulls, creatures, and geese (?). The pinwheels for the waves. The masque was amazing, especially the spinning wheels. The actor playing Ariel was great, and I also like the actors playing Miranda, Antonio, and Gonzalo. The comic relief actors, especially those playing Stephano and Trinculo, were fantastic. Nothing hits the spot on the desert island like a bottle of sack.

"The Tempest" is one of those plays that is best viewed. Many things do not come across in the reading, at least for me. The reconciliation, forgiveness, the wonder of love. The mystery of the production and the play itself--really, the magic, not the mystery. This play is always moving, in production, if not in the reading. The masque, especially--reading cannot do that justice.

BTW, in the row in front of us (Row M, Orch R), there was a father and daughter. The daughter could not have been more than eight, and possibly younger. I was thinking the little girl was too young to get anything out of the play. But she clearly enjoyed the production. On the way out, she asked her dad, "What was your favorite part?" I didn't hear the answer. How does one explain to a small child what one gets out of THIS play?