Theater News

Chicago Shakespeare Theatre Reinvents The Tempest

Aaron Posner and Teller’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s work begins tonight.

Eva Louise Balistreiri as Miranda and Larry Yando as Prospero in Chicago Shakespeare Theater's production of Shakespeare's The Tempest, directed by Aaron Posner and Teller, in the Courtyard Theater.
Eva Louise Balistreiri as Miranda and Larry Yando as Prospero in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, directed by Aaron Posner and Teller, in the Courtyard Theater.
(courtesy of the production)

The Tempest, Shakespeare’s spectacular tale of love and revenge, begins tonight at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

This new version of the play transforms Prospero’s island into a traveling tent show full of trickery and magic. In a world full of spirits and spells and only the most tenuous connection to reality, Prospero and his daughter, Miranda, live out their exile. The two have been marooned for 12 years, and still Prospero’s desire for revenge is insatiable. He is confronted with the choice to forgive, thereby freeing himself of the past, or to continue on his relentless pursuit of his own brand of justice.

William Shakespeare’s classic tale is directed and adapted by Aaron Posner and Teller, of Pen and Teller. With songs by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan and choreography by Matt Kent of Pilobolus, the show comes to life with a cast comprising Eva Louise Balistrieri as Miranda, Adam Wesley Brown as Trinculo, Nate Dendy as Ariel, Ethan Deppe as Rough Magic, Zach Einstat as Caliban, Liz Filios as Rough Magic, Lawrence Grimm as Antonio, Michael Aaron Lindner as Sebastian, John Lister as Alonso, Manelich Minniefee as Caliban, Ron E. Rains as Stephano, Barbara Robertson as Gonzala, Jake Saleh as Rough Magic, Luigi Sottile as Ferdinand, Bethany Thomas as Singer and Ensemble, and Larry Yando as Prospero.

The creative team includes Dan Conway (set design), Paloma Young (costume design), Thom Weaver (lighting design), Ray Nardelli (sound design), Melissa Veal (wig and make up designer), and Ethan Deppe and Liz Filios (musical direction).

Performances will run through November 8.

For tickets and more information, click here.

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The Tempest

Closed: November 8, 2015