ROUGH MAGIC by Phillip Psutka (Theatre Arcturus). At Randolph Theatre. July 11 at 1 pm, July 13 at noon, July 14 at 5:45, July 15 at 8 pm. See listing. Rating: NNN
What was life like for Ariel and Caliban on the island of Shakespeares The Tempest before Prospero arrived?
Phillip Psutkas two-hander aims to tell us in a show that combines spoken word and the circus art of aerial silks. Psutka writes credible Shakespearean verse but his delivery as Caliban is overemphatic and Lindsay Bellaires as Ariel under-projected.
The productions most exciting aspect is Bellaires performance on aerial silks. where her choreography of climbs, wraps, poses, rolls and drops expresses the spirits ethereal and playful nature. The plays best scene is a wordless duet for Ariel on her silks and Caliban on an aerial rope depicting their friendship before Calibans mother, Sycorax, separated them.
As a play, Rough Magic has two problems. First, all we really need to know about Ariel and Caliban is already in Shakespeares play. Psutkas revelation about how the two became friends and then fell out is unnecessary, improbable and clarifies nothing in The Tempest. Second, the two-hander form forces Psutka to rely almost exclusively on telling rather than showing to convey his story since the plots movers, Sycorax and Prospero, remain offstage.