Off the Wall's Redemptive 'Tempest'

Off the Wall Theatre has conjured up a perfect storm of a production with its season finale, Shakespeare's <em>The Tempest</em>. The bard's classic tale of revenge and redemption marks a high point for director Dale Gutzman's company, due in large part to the overall solid cast and Gutzman's own center-stage performance as the exiled duke turned vengeful sorcerer, Prospero. Add in the sumptuous costumes set against a bare stage and this <em>Tempest</em> is in full regaliaand rage.<br /><br />“Hell is empty and all the devils are here,” yells a sailor prophetically as Prospero's magician-made storm crashes the ship near his island to complete a long-planned journey of revenge. On board is the brother, Antonio, who usurped Prospero's dukedom 12 years earlier, along with Antonio's henchmen and a few of Prospero's loyal friends.<br /><br />Despite the looming cloud of malevolence bolstered by the half-man, half-beast creature Caliban and the magic sprite Ariel, we see innocence poke through the vengeful dark clouds through the eyes of Miranda, Prospero's beloved daughter.<br /><br />Shakespeare's tale of vengeance and redemption through forgiveness completes its journey as we watch Gutzman's Prospero struggle with his inner demons between hell-bent fury and the virtues of mercy and absolution. Gutzman walks a fine line in the transformation, and it is fascinating to watch it unfold step by step. There are a number of additionally fine performances: Marilyn White as the island sprite Ariel; Jeremy C. Welter as the foppish Trinculo; Robert Hirschi's drunken, bawdy Stephano; and Tairre Christopherson as the scheming Sebastian, among others.<br /><br />But it is Karl Miller's portrayal of the monstrous Caliban that fully captures the true essence of a complex character, from enslaved, pitiable creature to “this thing of darkness.”<br /><br />And in the calm following the storm of this <em>Tempest</em>, it is virtue, rather than vengeance, that redeems the human soul from the inner beasts writhing within us all. <em>The Tempest </em>runs through April 7 at Off the Wall Theatre, 127 E. Wells St. For more information, call 414-327-3552 or visit <a href="http://www.offthewalltheatre.com" target="_blank">www.offthewalltheatre.com</a>.