‘The Tempest,’ Aug. 4-8, 11-15, Wednesday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Sunday, 3:30 p.m., former St. Boniface School Hall, lower level, (221 Blackman St, Wilkes-Barre). Tickets: $10. Info: 570.762.1033.
While chatting about his upcoming production, director Sean McKeown is puttering around the kitchen. He chooses ingredients carefully, but creatively. He keeps an eye on several dishes at once, constantly stirring. He pays attention to the recipe, but throws in a little flair of his own.
With the care he gives to dinner, imagine what he might do on the stage.
Luckily for area theater fans, they won’t have to imagine much longer. McKeown is cooking up quite a treat with a generous helping of a literary classic, a heaping bunch of talented cast members, a dash of pop culture inspiration and a pinch of fantasy. Mix well, simmer for several weeks, dress attractively, and voila — William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” served up by Gaslight Theatre Company.
“The Tempest” opens with a shipwreck in the middle of a violent storm. Alonso, the King of Naples, his son Ferdinand, his brother Sebastian, and Antonio, the Duke of Milan, are tossed into the sea but make it safely to a mysterious island. The island is inhabited by the monstrous Caliban as well as Ariel and a host of fairy spirits. The island’s residents also include Prospero, the displaced Duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda. Left with his library, Prospero honed his wizard-ing skills, taking control of the island’s supernatural inhabitants. Following the shipwreck, Prospero uses his powerful magic to control those from his former home who are trapped in what has become his world. The play is part comedy, part romance, part adventure and part fantasy, full of political intrigue, wizards, fair maidens, spirits, monsters, action, magic and celebration.
Encompassing all that is “The Tempest” is no small task, but it is one the director and Gaslight gladly accept. McKeown has long been a Shakespeare aficionado but hadn’t been at the helm of a Bard production since Gaslight produced “Twelfth Night” nearly four years ago. He had also been tossing around a show using masks, thinking perhaps something in the Greek tradition.
“I wanted to do a mask show for a long time, and I wanted to do Shakespeare,” says McKeown. “I came up with a concept that would make it work.”
While this may all sound very properly theatrical, McKeown and the company were also inspired by a recent pop-culture phenomenon.
“A lot of us are ‘Lost’ fans. We decided to do it when ‘Lost’ was ending,” McKeown says. “I liken ‘The Tempest’ to Shakespeare’s ‘Lost.’ It’s about people on an enchanted, magic island and the crazy things that happen to them.”
Perhaps the thematic ties to the hit series will help Gaslight overcome one of the production’s toughest hurdles. “The biggest challenge is the perception of Shakespeare,” laments McKeown.
Many people have had limited exposure to the Bard — one play in a high school or college lit class. They may have found the language difficult. Or worse, they may have found it boring. With that experience coloring their beliefs, even getting people in the seats can be an uphill battle. For McKeown and company, the best way to combat apathy or dislike when it comes to Shakespeare’s classics is with passion.
“I’ve really loved the show for a long time,” he says. “We all really love doing Shakespeare and telling his stories. That’s the right place to see it, with people who love telling the stories and have experience with it.”
A major part of seeing this production live will be the intense mask work Gaslight has done.
“I like to try to find unique challenges with each show I do. The challenge of the masks was what appealed to me. It’s a unique challenge to the director and an amazing challenge to the actors. Plus, I really like masks,” McKeown says with a laugh.
Gaslight has indeed stepped up to the mask challenge thrown down by the director. The company is using the talents of seven different designers and covering a range of styles from ancient Greek to modern latex.
“We’re using them as a symbol of the magic of the island,” he says. “They’re an outward symbol from the island of the characters’ true selves.”
While the masks aid in the storytelling, they’ve almost taken on a life of their own, paying tribute to their art and giving audiences an opportunity to see something new.
“It’s become an homage to mask making as well,” McKeown says of the production. “From a local theater perspective, it’s something audiences don’t have a lot of access to.”
Just days before opening, McKeown is as intense about the production as he was when the idea first started taking shape. “Every night has been exciting. This is what I love to do and it’s been a long time since I’ve done Shakespeare as a director. Every day is just a pleasure.”
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