The A.R.T.'s The Tempest

The Tempest is perhaps my most favorite of Shakepeare's plays! I look forward to seeing this.

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This is the production that Tom Waits and Teller were working on, correct? Can anyone speak to their contributions and how they mesh with each other and/or the production as a whole? Two of my all-time favorite artists in their respective fields.

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Any pictures? I'd imagine this is aiming for NYC? Maybe New York Theatre Workshop?

dramamama wrote:
"There was a talk back session at today's matinee. The only thing said about the music, was that Waits was never at rehearsals. A comment was made about the music already being written. However, I don't really know if that means written before they commenced rehearsals or written without the show in mind and just prepared for production."

The Tom Waits' songs already existed before this production ever came about. Tom Waits gave this production access to his entire canon. Songs were chosen to be used for this production. So, the songs were NOT written with this show in mind. They were existing songs. That said, this production has its own music arranger and so the arrangements themselves could be said to be new.

Updated On: 5/18/14 at 03:29 PM

Thanks for that tidbit, Soozie. Now I'm interested in which songs have been selected, and I definitely hope to hear the new arrangements. His music is so evocative, and those who can't hear past his voice should hopefully get to hear others sing his work.

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Updated On: 5/18/14 at 03:56 PM

The women's voices are so unique individually, but together they are mind blowing.

The program does not list the songs, so I cannot post them for you.

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In an earlier post, I mentioned that the show includes the following songs (but these are not all of them):
Dirt in the Ground
Everything You Can Think Of Is True
Clap Hands
Shiny Things
Innocent When You Dream
God's Away on Business

But based on another review of the show, I noticed it also includes the following song:
Singapore

Some great songs in there! Weirdly, some of them WERE written for theatrical pieces. "God's Away on Business" for a WOYZECK musical and "Everything You Can Think..." for one about Lewis Carroll.

That's right!

And "Little Drop of Poison" is used in SHREK 2...

Updated On: 5/22/14 at 11:16 AM

Oh, that is all very interesting to learn!

In The Tempest, Tom Waits' music sounds a lot different hearing females sing his songs compared to his voice!

I agree it was lovely to look at and always surprising, with nice integration of most of the magic and the music. I thought Miranda's levitation was particularly egregious and the only bit of magic that didn't seem to come from anyplace organic in the play. I also thought the show desperately needs a Prospero upgrade. Tom Nelis is just an actor I can not connect with, I couldn't when he was in Darko Tresnjak's woebegone Merchant of Venice a few seasons back. His opening speech was barely comprehensible. Basically, I thought he was good enough.

Because he doesn't have much of a presence the show is kind of lopsided. His final speech, one which has left me blubbering in the past, isn't half as powerful as it could be with an actor with more presence and connection to the language and the audience.

For my money, Eric Hissom all but walks off with the show as that drunken lout Stephano. He steals every scene he is in.

I thought I knew just how Caliban would be played when I saw some stills, but I could never have imagined all that the good folks from Pilobus managed to make happen. Totally terrific.

I'm really glad I saw this production, if you have a ticket, you'll be glad you did too. If you don't, the show's sold out but don't feel all that bad, as if you're missing a must-see event. I wouldn't whole heartedly recommend the show to one and all like I did the Rylance "Twelfth Night."

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Updated On: 5/25/14 at 12:53 AM

That's interesting. I don't think it's weak, I always think of it as Shakespeare's retirement declaration. The emotions in it resonate more with me as I age.

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