Oh my gosh, I'm so tired from dyeing all day then going to The Tempest at Pioneer Theatre Co, but I figure I'd better review the show tonight to get it out there.
The Tempest is not my favorite. I think Prospero's an a-hole (pardon my French), Ferdinand's first words to Miranda asking her if she's a virgin are ridiculous and there are just too many stupid groups of people to keep track of that just goes on and on. I saw it in London at the Unicorn and didn't particularly care for it, but looking back I liked it a lot better than this production, well, I liked the acting in London and the design up at PTC. Maybe someday I'll appreciate it if I ever see a production that really gets to me, but this didn't.
The concept was steam punk, which you should look up bc I'm too tired to elaborate. The set design and costumes were spectacular, and although I don't have any brighter ideas I wish Miranda would be in something other than a nightgown tied between her legs. I could go on about how awesome these things were, but again, tired.
The acting was slow and uninspired. It was intelligible, but nothing special. The pacing at the beginning was cumbersome, which is partially due to the fact that Prospero talks for the first 10 minutes to explicate, and partially because the narration was just dull. The tempest at the beginning which has the potential to be the big heralding bang for The Tempest was lethargic. I have other more particular bones to pick, but eh, that'd take effort. I can say that Ferdinand and Miranda's first meeting was delightful and Stefano and Tericulo were worth watching, for their first scene. Am I being too harsh because I was on my feet for 8 hours dyeing over a hot vat all day? Maybe, but there's an issue when the audience starts fantasizing about Wendy's asiago chicken clubs when they just had dinner at Hires Big-H.
On the upside, I got to catch up with my friend Val from USF who took me to the show. Even though I wasn't thrilled by it I love going to theatre! Thanks Val!! Also, her mom told me about ghosts in Ogden, of which there are apparently many.
The Tempest is not my favorite. I think Prospero's an a-hole (pardon my French), Ferdinand's first words to Miranda asking her if she's a virgin are ridiculous and there are just too many stupid groups of people to keep track of that just goes on and on. I saw it in London at the Unicorn and didn't particularly care for it, but looking back I liked it a lot better than this production, well, I liked the acting in London and the design up at PTC. Maybe someday I'll appreciate it if I ever see a production that really gets to me, but this didn't.
The concept was steam punk, which you should look up bc I'm too tired to elaborate. The set design and costumes were spectacular, and although I don't have any brighter ideas I wish Miranda would be in something other than a nightgown tied between her legs. I could go on about how awesome these things were, but again, tired.
On the upside, I got to catch up with my friend Val from USF who took me to the show. Even though I wasn't thrilled by it I love going to theatre! Thanks Val!! Also, her mom told me about ghosts in Ogden, of which there are apparently many.
Expand on the ghosts, please; sounds interesting.
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