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Lindsey Marlin (right) stars as Prospero and Maria
Kelly as her daughter Miranda
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If you think you know Shakespeare's The Tempest, CCM director Michael Burnham wants you to think again. Burnham's non-traditional interpretation of the Bard favorite appears at UC's College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) this weekend.
In The Tempest, Duke Prospero is banished from Milan with his young daughter, Miranda, by Prospero's jealous brother, Antonio. Father and daughter find themselves shipwrecked on a deserted island, shared only by magical fairies and a monstrous beast, Caliban. The action of the play begins when Prospero uses his magical powers to conjure up a storm to bring additional castaways to the island, including Prospero's troublesome brother, Antonio, and Ferdinand, a young man who becomes the object of Miranda's youthful affections.
What may be the most startling twist in this production is that Prospero is played by a woman. But that's not Burnham's only casting surprise. He has also cast the sprite Ariel with two performers (one female, one male), a female Antonio ("Antonia," in this case), and the jester Trinculo is now female, called "Trincula." He's even brought the dead witch Sycorax to ghostly life in an onstage role. Why so many women?
"For starters," Burnham says, "we have a lot of good actresses this year, and I wanted to find roles for them in this production."
This practical-minded attitude drives many of Burnham's directorial decisions, which may shock audiences expecting more traditional fare. "As director, it's up to me to make sure I don't let people look out of place onstage. Any 20 to 25-year-old guy playing Prospero is bound to look out of place. But if you make Prospero a young, single mother, suddenly you have the basis for something new and interesting."
The idea of casting a female Prospero has been catching on in recent years, although it's likely a new concept to Cincinnati audiences. But Michael Burnham is never afraid to take chances. In 1996 he cast women in the leading roles in a Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival production of Doctor Faustus.
CCM senior Lindsey Marlin plays Prospero in Burnham's Tempest. "The primary challenge for me has been to balance the strong characteristics of a man with the maternal instincts of a woman." (Marlin is a Cincinnati Entertainment Awards nominee for her performance in last season's production of Warren Leight's Glimmer, Glimmer & Shine at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati. You'll find the CEA ballot on page 19 or you can vote online at www.citybeat.com.)
Marlin credits Burnham with driving The Tempest's creative force. "It's wonderful working with Michael. He follows a different process." That discovery process is, for Burnham, what theater is all about. With the able help of a dramaturg, UC English professor Jonathan Kamholtz, Burnham uses the same discovery process most directors use when approaching a new script, examining every angle. "Shakespeare was a genius, and you can't lock genius in a box."
Burnham hopes that by experimenting with staging and casting, he'll free the text and bring new meaning to the characters and their relationships. "As director, I owe it to him (Shakespeare) to try to figure out what this play means to audiences now."
But this wasn't necessarily on his mind at the time he first came to these decisions. For instance, the decision to put Sycorax onstage came from a strong desire to find a role suited to Maureen Doherty, a talented young actress. The original suggestion came from a faculty member in the English department. Burnham thought it was worth a shot. And he's glad he did it. "Mo (Doherty) has really created a character for Sycorax."
Not in the least bit pretentious about the basis for his non-traditional casting choices, Burnham at times seems delightfully surprised by the successes he and his cast are discovering in the process of launching the production.
For instance, Burnham says casting two Ariels began as something "purely practical." But, after working with the Ariels -- played by Katie Stuckey and Samuel Stricklen -- it became apparent that the unusual casting decision had more impact than originally anticipated. "Our whole concept of magic has changed."
Time will tell if the magic works on audiences as well as it does on the characters in The Tempest. In any case, CCM's production is likely to be an interesting adventure all its own.
THE TEMPEST, produced by UC's College-Conservatory of Music at the Patricia Corbett Theater, is being presented Thursday-Saturday.
Friday
Rockers HONEY TONGUE pull into Stanley's Pub hailing from Seattle, but they lack any of the Indie Rock pretensions associated with their hometown. HT instead relies on straightforward, strutting Rock & Roll, highlighted by singer/keyboardist Jen Ayers' Joplin-esque croon. Musically (and somewhat vocally), the group possesses a sound similar to the organic, boogie-feel of The Black Crowes, a band HT obviously shares influences with. 513-871-6249. (See Music.) -- Mike Breen
Saturday
This town certainly has its share of saints and sinners, but rarely can they all be found in one place. The Cincinnati Men's Chorus knows how to bring people together with their annual costumed fete, SAINTS AND SINNERS BALL. 513-542-2626. (See Halloween.) -- Brandon Brady
Sunday
David Lynch twists an old-fashioned starlet story into a mind-blowing mystery. Naomi Watts delivers plenty of wide-eyed optimism as Betty, an aspiring actress, and Laura Elena Harring overflows with sensuality as the dark-haired mystery woman befriended by Betty. Still, it's Lynch's artistic vision that makes the film unforgettable. Originally made for broadcast television, MULHOLLAND DRIVE turns out to be one of the year's best films. (See Film.) -- Steve Ramos
Monday
Hail to the king, baby. BRUCE CAMPBELL, star of the horror films Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness and Hercules, signs copies of his new memoir, If Chins Could Kill: Confes-sions of a B Movie Actor, at Books & Co. in Dayton. Groovy! (Go to www.citybeat.com for an interview with Campbell). 800-777-4881. (See Literary.) -- Rebecca Lomax
Tuesday
Avant-garde film in Cincinnati? Sound like an oxymoron? Well, not this week when the Cincinnati Film Society brings acclaimed Japanese film and video artist TAKAHIKO IIMURA to town for a rescheduled presentation and discussion of his rarely seen work. The program will feature six of Iimura's most popular short films from the 1960s. At UC's DAAP building, room 5401. 513-251-6060. (See Events.) -- Jason Gargano
