‘The Tempest’ by Torn Out Theater is not
your ordinary “Shakespeare in the open air” production. Like some of the similar
projects around the city, from Public’s Shakespeare in Central Park to
Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, the Torn Out Theater’s shows are free
(donations are accepted in the end) and take place outside. What sets them
apart from everybody else is the fact that the all-female cast performs nude.
Well, to be specific, the islanders – humans and spirits are fully nude or
painted with the body paint. The arrived royals are fully dressed in the beginning;
some of them end up fully nude in the end.
Photo by Charles Ardai, May 2016
Set
on a remote Island, ‘The Tempest’
tells the story of the magician Prospero and his young, beautiful daughter
Miranda. Twelve years ago, Antonio, Prospero’s’ brother, exiled his sibling
from Naples. Supplied by some food and books by his counselor Gonsalo, Prospero
was preparing for revenge. When the ship with Antonio, his friend Alonso, and Alonso’s
brother and son (Sebastian
and Ferdinand, respectively) sails nearby, Prospero raises a tempest, which
brings everybody ashore. Ferdinand gets separated from the rest of the men. He falls
in love with Miranda, who hasn’t seen other men in her life. The spirit Ariel,
who serves Prospero, messes with the stranded while they wander in the woods.
The
comedic drunk duo, Stephano and Trinculo, and the monstrous Caliban aren’t in
this shortened version of the play. The play features eight actresses, three
dancers and two musicians. It was first produced last May in Central Park and
had its second run in the beginning of September in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. The
audience was seated inside the Music Pagoda with the action unfolding in the
clearing beneath. Four massive tree trunks, growing in the corners like a
symmetrical trapeze, were cleverly used as set design with spirits hiding
behind them.
The
vast park landscape behind the “stage” is utilized as well. A few minutes
before the show starts, the audience can spot Miranda (Elisabeth Gilbert)
collecting wood with Amazon-like strength. This graceful and unobtrusive
introduction to the nude production of ‘The Tempest’, as well as the pastoral
scene of three spirits running in the woods in the distance lit by the golden
hour sun, sets the harmonious tone of the unity of person and nature. Establishing
a non-sexualized and non-violent image of the naked body is the company’s goal.
The directors, Pitr Strait and Alice Mottola, deserve praise for both concept
and execution.
Soon
enough, the nudity of Prospero (Gina Marie Russell) and Miranda starts to be
perceived for their costumes. Small realistic details helped to create
separation between nudity and sexuality: Miranda is covered in dust and mud,
like a child who was playing outside all day, and Prospero has tattoos of
occult symbols all over her body. The body paint from head to toe (by Ish
Paralta) on the spirits makes them creatures from a different reality where any
standards of human sexuality don’t apply. I whish the group choreography was
thought through better because otherwise they are one step from a hippy musical
festival crowd. That needs to be distinguished from the movement of Ariel
(Reanna Roane), who practically danced the Shakespearian lines, enriching the
words with inhumanly beautiful body language.
The
costumes by Enee Olsen were eye catching, stylish and ridiculous. Layered
skirts and multiple accessories on the aristocrats, paired with high tight buns
and strong make up, make fun of the very idea of clothing. This mad
interpretation of Renaissance costumes comments on how foolish clothing
etiquette is, and how the standards of beauty and fashion strangle the body and
the mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment