Friday, April 5, 2019

Public Mobile's Tempest

I just saw The Public Theater's delightful mobile production of William Shakespeare's The Tempest, which is currently touring all five boroughs.

The Public Mobile Unit is bringing the show to St. Paul's Chapel in lower Manhattan tomorrow, then next week they will be in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Subsequent performances include the Queens Public Library and the Faber Park Recreation Center on Staten Island. You can get the full schedule here.

Myra Lucretia Taylor gives an emotional performance as Prospero, the wronged Duke of Milan. She was particularly able to shine in her scenes with Sam Morales, who plays her daughter Miranda. Because a cast of only nine performs the whole play, there is some creative doubling, which is often quite effective, as when Dan Domingues plays both the usurper Antonio and the would-be usurper Stephano.

Laurie Woolery directs the show with no intermission, providing judicious cuts so that the whole thing comes in at around 90 minutes. If you miss it while it's on the road, you'll get a chance to see it back at the Public beginning April 29th.