THE TEMPEST

BY ED BRUCE edbrucvegas@yahoo.com


RANDOM REACTIONS TO TONIGHTS SHOW....


IN 1962 I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL....I AM SURE I NEVER HEARD THE WORD SHAKESPEARE !


13 YEARS IN COLLEGE I MAY HAVE COME ACROSS THE NAME ONCE OR TWICE...NOT SURE !


1984 I BEGAN GOING TO THE UTAH SHAKESPEARE THEATRE PRODUCTIONS TO INCLUDE SEEING THE TOTAL CANON...37 PLAYS...


TONIGHT I AM SURE I HAVE SEEN MY LAST SHAKESPEARE PLAY AND I  AM GLAD I DID.


I HAVE ALWAYS HAD TROUBLE WITH THE LANGUAGE AND AFTER TWO HOURS AND 23 MINUTES TONIGHT I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THE BAD GUYS WERE OR WHO THE GOOD GUYS WERE OR WHAT THE HELL THE STORY WAS....BUT IT WAS GREAT.


MAYBE THATS THE SECRET...THE PRODUCTION AND THE CATCHY SCRIPT PRODUCING THIS OFF THE WALL BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE.


TONIGHTS PRODUCTION IN A "TENT" ON THE GROUNDS OF THE SMITH CENTER DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS.


SOME DOWNERS....FIRST IMPRESSION....THE SEATS AND PATH TO THE THEATRE WERE ON DIRT...THEY EITHER KILLED THE GRASS AND OR FAILED TO PUT DOWN A PLATFORM....OK FOR US IN THE BLEACHERS.....UNGOOD FOR THOSE IN THE FRONT ROW EXPENSIVE SEATS KICKING UP DUST !


IN 1966 I WAS STATIONED AT TAN SAN NHUT AIR BASE SAIGON....THE HELICOPTERS RAN NON STOP....SAME THING TONIGHT....AS WELL AS THE TRAINS....WHEN WE TOURED THE SMITH CENTER THEY PROMISED PERFECT SOUND (NOT YET DELIVERED) WITH SOUND PROOF MULTI WALLS...NOT IN THIS TENT......THE AIR CONDITIONING WENT 15 MINUTES INTO THE SHOW ...SO SORRY TO SEE IT GO.......MORE UNGOOD.


THE REST SIMPLY SPECTACULAR....I AM BIG ON LATE AND AT 1958 AN ACTOR WITH CARDS APPEARED....TWO MINUTES EARLY....LIGHTS OUT AT 2002....WE WILL CALL IT A WASH ..RIGHT ON TIME...20 MINUTE INTERMISSION 23 MINUTES....THERE WAS LOTS OF EITHER OUTSIDE TALK...VALETS...USHERS...SOMEBODY...?    AWFUL ! ! !


THE PLAY ITSELT RECOMMENDED TO THE WORLD...BEAUTIFULLY PRODUCED.....WITH EVERYTHING FIRST CLASS.....TELLER FROM THE WORLD FAMOUS MAGIC TEAM (PENN AND TELLER) REALLY THE  FATHER TO THIS AND SOME SUPER EXCELLENT MAGIC PERFORMED DURING THE DIALOUGE..WELL DONE BY LOTS OF ACTORS....LEVITATION INCLUDED....THE SHOWS PRODUCTION AND MAGIC IN ITSELF ENOUGH TO PLEASE ANYONE....I REMAIN POSITIVELY PARTIAL TO ALL THIS.


I ESPECIALLY LIKED THE SET AND MUSIC...THREE TIERS IN A TENT AND LIVE MUSICIANS SECOND LEVEL WITH KNOW...UNKNOWN AND YET TO BE KNOW PIECES OF SOUND PERFECTLY TIMED TO THE MAGIC AND PRODUCTION.....OF ALL THINGS ...WATER IN GLASSES AND BOWLS CIRCLED BY FINGERS AROUND THE TOPS.....WE DID THIS IN HIGH SCHOOL.....IT WAS OUTSTANDING    PERFECT TIMING...AGAIN IN ITSELF ELIVATING THE PRODUCTION TO A GREAT LEVEL.


WORLD CLASS ACTING ESPCIALLY THE MONSTER CALIBAN PLAYED BY ZACHARY EISENSTAT AND MANELICH MINNIEFEE....MELDED TOGETHER IN BODY AND DIALOGUE....ATHLETIC...VISUAL...EFFECTIVE IN MOOD.


16 ACTORS....ALL MEMBERS OF THE ACTORS EQUITY ASSOCIATION....WHAT DOES THIS TELL YOU....I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOW THIS ...THOUGH ASSUMED .....YOU COULD TELL BY THE TALENT AND FOCUS THIS PERFECTLY CAST SHOW DELIVERED.


BEEN NICE TO COVER THE DIRT AND KILL THE TRAINS AND HELICOPTERS AND NOISY SIDE CONVERSATIONS...I .DID MANAGE TO FIND THE USUAL IDIOT BEHIND ME...TALKING AND KICKING MY CHAIR BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO.


THIS STILL TIME TO RUN....I SUGGEST YOU RUN TO BUY TICKETS SOON...702 749 2000


THIS AN A+ A+  104 PRODUCTION