There is always a danger that productions of "The Tempest," the play Shakespeare set on an enchanted island, will indulge in too many theatrical effects and, thus, destroy its magic. Yet in the latest production to arrive in Tokyo, no spirits fly through the air nor is anyone soaked or tossed about in the opening storm. Instead, less perpetually hints of more.
Celebrating 21 years of mobile theater from Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company and directed by James Macdonald, this is a fresh treatment of Shakespeare's well-loved play.
Instead of flying, the spirit Ariel simply runs up a steep ramp and perches against a film of clouds. Prospero's shipwrecked enemies slide down the same ramp through projected waves and rise through billowing silk in dreamy slow motion.