Review: 'The Tempest' by Sacred Heart University Theatre

Fairfield, CT - The theatre department at Sacred Heart University launches a large production of ‘The Tempest,’ thought to be Shakespeare's final play, this weekend on their mainstage, The Edgerton Center for Performing Arts. The theatre students and their director John Flaherty have decided to set the classic piece in the roaring twenties and the result is a well-rehearsed production that is visually beautiful.

SHU student Patrick Robinson leads the cast in the role of Prospero, the Duke of Milan who has been banished to an island with his beautiful daughter Miranda. With magical powers, he and his spirit slave Ariel pull many a string to avenge the wrongs that have been done to him, beginning with a fierce thunderstorm that is convincingly created on the stage. The incidental music has a twenties flair and the costumes designed by Nicole Jablonski (‘Tick, Tick...Boom!’) suggest the era as well. The students in the theatre department worked together to design the impressive set which features video projections (by Nick Patino) that surround the static pieces of rock.

The actors with various levels of theatrical experience all performed well as they recited their challenging Shakespearian lines. “Art isn’t easy” and tackling Shakespeare is a challenge that is most appropriate for university students studying theatre.

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‘The Tempest’ runs November 17th - 20th at the Edgerton Center for Performing arts. Tickets are just $5 for the general public when you donate a can of food or a toy at the box office. Tickets are $1 for SHU students who donate. Call the box office Monday - Friday from 12 PM - 4 PM for more information, or to purchase tickets.