Choosing The Tempest as their first show to break the enforced theatrical silence of the past 16 months makes a lot of sense for Oak Park Festival Theatre. Shakespeare’s late romance celebrates the “rough magic” of finding redemption, love, and freedom after storms both literal and metaphorical have knocked the characters on their asses. We can relate, certainly.
It’s here where he summons the title storm (which also could fit with the implied climate-change sub-theme) to bring ashore his treacherous sister Antonia (Jeannie Affelder, handling the gender-reversed role with icy aplomb), Alonsa, the queen of Naples (Noelle Klyce, bringing mournful maternal warmth to another role originally envisioned as a man), and the latter’s son, Ferdinand (Austyn Williamson), who woos and wins the forthright-if-flummoxed Miranda (Deanalis Resto). There’s also loyal Gonzalo (Belinda Bremner), who managed to slip Prospero’s book of spells to him before his banishment.
