By Joseph Szalinski
Unlike Millvale, West View, PA, is typically considered a pretty dry part of the Greater Pittsburgh Area. It’s been a little over a century since the town was swampy, and about half that amount of time since people could paddle around a glorified puddle. Residents and visitors are being offered the chance to embark on an aquatic odyssey—and no, it’s not my plan to flood the plaza, revive Lake Placid (with alligators), and bring the Gateway Clipper to the North Hills—but rather Steel City Shakespeare’s latest production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, directed and designed by Cat Aceto, now running at the Hubworks in West View, PA.
Shakespeare’s calamitous comedy kicks off with a dash of sibling rivalry. Sorcerer Prospero has been usurped by his brother Antonio. Who hasn’t been there? After giving his brother the Edmund Fitzgerald treatment, the story splinters into various humorous narratives. They eventually reconnect over the course of the play, culminating in hilarity, forgiveness, and applause.
Brimming with memorable characters, the cast does a commendable job bringing them to life, many times with just their voices. Jeffrey Chips mystifies as the sorcerer Prospero, one of the few performers to appear in the flesh. Bob Colbert goes all in as the creature Caliban, balanced by a comedic turn as the jester Trinculo, among other roles. Alexandra Hellinger and Lauren Scheller-Wolf both do double duty as Ariel and Boatswain, and Miranda and Alonso, respectively, and do so expertly. Music director Michael Kirk provides an acoustic soundtrack when not entertaining as Ferdinand, Stephano, or Sebastian. Anna Bop, Siena Forschein, and Sydney Forschein round out the cast as Spirits of the Island and Puppeteers.
This production boasts outstanding technical elements in addition to a terrific cast. For starters, the program is as incredible as it is invaluable. Inside, there is a ton of stuff, but most importantly, breakdowns of the plot, who each character is, and how each character figures into the story. Beyond this, music, lighting, and sound effects make the onstage action much more immersive, transporting audiences into a world where magic reigns.
Shadow puppetry is the cornerstone of this show. It’s really cool to see an ancient art still so relevant in our modern age. Cat Aceto and the cast do a marvelous job manipulating the puppets, providing animation to a play typically relegated to flesh-and-blood performers. This allows the cast and crew to indulge in the script’s more fantastical elements without the limitations of special effects and the like.
Steel City Shakespeare Center is a talented gaggle of creatives determined to put on incredible live theatre. Finding exciting ways to breathe life into the works of Shakespeare, they can always be counted on to deliver memorable productions. Whether they’re staging a play or providing a workshop, they manage to inspire future generations of thespians, which is the best way to honor the Bard’s legacy.
-JS
The Tempest continues its run on November 21st, 22nd, and 23rd at Hubworks in West View, PA.
