By Dan Marois,Special to the Sun Journal

The first-ever production at the Theater at Monmouth was Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” in 1970. The Monmouth landmark opened its 37th season last week with a production of the same Shakespearean offering, but it’s not up to the usual quality expected from Maine’s Shakespearean theater.

One problem can be blamed on the Bard, himself. The play has some humorous scenes and characters, but not enough to be a full-fledged comedy. Yet, it’s clearly not a tragedy, either, as it doesn’t have any scenes of death, heroes or battles. (Heck, there’s not even a good sword fight!) The resulting challenge for any theater troupe is a script that’s an awkward mix of occasional comedy, a bit of fantasy and somewhat of a story of betrayal and revenge. Even the talented directing of Jeri Pitcher couldn’t make sense of this confusion.

The story is pretty straightforward. Once the duke of Milan, Prospero (Bill Van Horn) has his power stolen by his brother, Antonio (Mark S. Cartier), and he and his daughter, Miranda (Tracie Merrill), were banished to the sea. There he takes residence on a deserted island where he forges his own kingdom through spirits, nymphs and odd creatures. Now, 12 years later, Antonio and other noblemen have been shipwrecked on the island Prospero inhabits.

Prospero crafts a fury of revenge through his two slaves – Ariel (Victoria Caciopoli) a fairy servant looking much like Peter Pan’s Tinkerbell, and Caliban (Adam Pena), a half man-half beast. Prospero’s plan also includes matching the young Prince Ferdinand (Jacob Troy) with his daughter, Miranda. To ensure no glitches in his scheme, he promises to free Ariel from her servitude should all things go according to plan.

From the start of his plan to an anti-climactic conclusion, there’s not much to relish in between. Troy and Merrill as the prince and daughter simply recite their lines with no chemistry between them and even the villains – one portrayed by Cartier and the other, Sebastian, by Charles Waters, offer no depth or danger in their character. Even TAM favorite Janis Stevens as the queen seems to be going through the motions in her role. There is simply no emotional connection between the characters, which leads to no connection with the audience.

Seemingly out of place in the show are the antics of Trinculo, the jester (Dustin Tucker), and Stephano, the butler (Mike Anthony), who try to employ the trust of Caliban. There are numerous scenes plastered with overdone sight gags, forced slapstick and monologues slurred by intoxication. You want it to be funny but it barely approaches silly and becomes uninteresting very fast.

To his credit, Van Horn provides a powerful Prospero who brings some nice dramatic elements and monologues to the show while Caciopoli’s imp is delightful. Pena seems stifled in the role of Caliban, a part that only offers him a scant loincloth as a costume and the chance to crawl “ape-like” about the theater.

The Theater at Monmouth stands to be its own best critic and far more demanding than this humble reviewer. In comparing this production to TAM’s outstanding work in previous Shakespeare works such as “Romeo and Juliet,” “Macbeth,” “Merry Wives of Windsor” and “Merchant of Venice,” this show is disappointing and falls short of what Maine audiences expect from this fine troupe.

“The Tempest” runs in a rotating schedule through the end of August with productions of “The Fantasticks,” “Charley’s Aunt,” and “Othello.” The theater will also host performances of “Rumpelstiltskin” and “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.”

Dan Marois is a producer, director and actor who has written more than 100 theater reviews for the Sun Journal. He can be reached at dmarois@fairpoint.net.

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