The Tempest

Any lurking doubts about the feasibility of a new theatrical group were pleasantly and vigorously demolished by the Eliot Drama Group last night. For although the new organization's production of The Tempest often lacked the desirable finish, it easily compensated for this by its overall imaginativeness and a number of highly creditable individual performances.

The successful use of arena staging in a House dining hall was the major achievement of the evening, and credit for this must go to theatre designer Llewellyn Bigelow and director Roger Graef. It appeared from last night's performance that there are certain problems of access to the stage and blocking still to be solved, but Graef's originality of handling has exploited all the advantages of the arena, even if it has not escaped all its pitfalls.

Dominating the cast--and perhaps unfortunately so for the play as a whole--were Patricia Leatham and D. J. Sullivan as Ariel and Caliban. Miss Leatham presented not only a remarkable appearance, but the correct mixture of piquancy, wisdom, and authority for her part. Sullivan's passionate interpretation of the monster was so gripping in itself, that it sometimes displaced the attention of the audience from the more important roles.

Glen Bowersock, as Prospero, gives a smooth performance, but fails to convey the full significance of the magician's own transformation. Nancy Curtis is a perfect innocent as Miranda, and carries off some of the finest lines in the play with irreproachable style. Competence prevails among the other members of the cast, and Jay Shuchter and Harry Bingham rise well above this level as Antonio and Sebastian.

Stephen Addiss' original musical score for the production sets a mood of charm and fantasy, and contributes greatly to the success of the entire production. Elizabeth Kalkhurst does the songs with nice finesse.

The Tempest is a play of delicate gradations in feeling and expression; ideally performed it can have a sublimity of balance Shared by few other dramatic works. For this reason it is a tempting challenge to any theatrical group, and for this reason to ask that the play be fully exploited is to ask a performance of unusual brilliance. It is in no sense to the discredit of The Eliot Drama Group that they have been unable to provide this. What they have done is combine talent and gusto in all aspects of a production, which--though it falls short of its potential lustre--is a credit to their labors, and most worthy of an audience.