Blown away by Tempest

A play by Shakespeare, music by Waits and Brennan, choreography by Pilobolus, magic (magic!) by Teller ... how can all this hold together? The magic is that it does in American Repertory Theater's production of The Tempest. A paper hat in a water bowl becomes the shipwreck that sets the play in motion. Caliban is a pair of conjoined Barnum geeks. The orchestra is a junkyard quartet. Yet beneath this seedy sideshow is a tale of love and forgiveness.

Director Aaron Posner cuts right to the heart of the matter and makes the blossoming romance between Miranda and Ferdinand shimmer with timid awkwardness. I have never been more invested in a love story. Prospero's monologue around "We are such stuff as dreams are made on" and – O wept! – his absolution of his brother's betrayal were heartbreaking.

Tom Waits typically champions misfits and the specific world they inhabit, so I was concerned how his songs would translate out of context. No worries – his craggy exterior belies a heart of gold, which blends perfectly with this production's concept. The set list billows with imagery of water and dreams:

Everything You Can Think
The Ocean Doesn't Want Me
Lullaby
Dirt In The Ground
Rains On Me
A Little Drop Of Poison
I'll Shoot The Moon
God's Away On Business

Clap Hands
Shiny Things
No One Knows I'm Gone
Innocent When You Dream
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