William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, which is believed to be written either in 1610 or 1611, is one of the Bard’s most well-known and most enduring plays. It has been often retold, reimagined, and reworked in many forms through the centuries, both on the stage and on the TV and movie screens.  For several reasons, it was also known to be one of William’s most controversial plays as well. As part of Frigid New York’s Little Shakespeare Festival, now playing at New York City’s Under St. Marks Theatre, Mark Sage’s distinctly American tragedy Tempestuous is inspired by the classic play, but also creates some distinctly original characters and situations.  Sage’s three-actor adaption brings some of the original themes of The Tempest into the modern era, telling the story of a country music star named Chance Farmer (played by Luke Sage), who is now suffering with some form of dementia– although that word is never actually used. (As the character says about himself, “I can’t keep nothing in my head anymore.” (Is it just me who actually thinks that would make a GREAT title for a country music song?)  He is haunted by a seemingly ever-present, guitar-playing apparition, played by Blane Sage.  (In case you haven’t figured it out by now, this production was indeed a “family affair”.)  The frustrated Chance recognizes these songs as his own: He often shouts out, “I wrote that song!”. But just WHO is this mysterious ghost-like figure? Chance also occasionally forgets to take his medication and forgets that his wife Iris has been dearly departed for 10 years. The references to Tempestuous‘ Shakespearian inspirations come in several forms. Whereas Prospero, the main character of The Tempest, lives on an isolated island, the setting of Tempestuous is also isolated.  The play takes place in a presumably small house in rural America– specifically, Southwest Virginia, the heart of the Appalachian region. The outside world, which tempts the main character constantly, is alluded to but never seen.  There are also references to some of the characters from Shakespeare’s iconic play, including “Miranda” (played excellently by Katie Smith), Chance’s long-suffering daughter.  Another character who is talked about but not seen, is named “Tony”, likely a reference to “Antonio” in The Tempest.

But before the story even began, the audience at Under St. Marks Theatre was treated to live music by Luke and Blane Sage.  As the audience made their way to their seats, the pair of brothers gave the audience a wide variety of crowd-pleasers ranging from The Rascals’ Good Loving to The Violent Femmes’ Blister in the Sun.  The two of them are both impressive guitar players, and Luke even threw in some harmonica for good measure. This high-energy jam session actually served two purposes.  The first was to excite the crowd.  But the second reason was to set up the backstory of the play: the lost memories of the younger, joyful country music star before he started to mentally decline.  It actually took THIS audience member the play’s entire running time before I picked up the meaning of this smart creative choice…

With a relatively simple story and setting, Tempestuous is driven almost entirely by the strength of the three actors. Luke Sage is extremely charismatic in the role of the country music star.  At face value, the actor may not seem like the most instinctual choice to play an older man suffering from dementia.  But he actually does the role very well, making the skilled transition between the hard-rocking younger man in the show’s musical introduction to the older character in the main play without the benefit of aging makeup or costume.  In other words, he can play a wide range of age with sheer acting ability. His “Chance” is indeed a challenging character to watch.  Sage’s Chance is forgetful, frustrated, and yes, occasionally “tempestuous”.  His frustration can be felt when he makes such statements as, “I know I’m not well and that I never be well again”!  Luke is also a fine singer too, by the way.   If Luke Sage’s character can be challenging to watch,  Katie Smith’s Miranda can often be heartbreaking, especially when the audience hears about how she wants to be a singer herself but knows that her role as caregiver won’t allow that.  When she shows her quietly tearful distress as she declares, “Jesus take the wheel!” in sheer frustration, we really feel it.  And when Luke Sage and Katie Smith briefly sing together, it’s genuinely wonderful– until, of course, the reality of the situation sets in to disrupt their memories of a better time. Rounding out the cast is Blane Sage in a largely wordless but pivotal role.  Blane also wrote the music for the show.  

Celebrity culture has always been a very fertile source of material for entertainment, both in the cinema and on the stage. Tempestuous tells yet another very important and very believable story about the “other side” of fame– an important message about what happens when we learn that our biggest competition in life may just be our younger selves.

Tempestuous continues on Sunday, August 17th at 4PM as part of Frigid NY’s Little Shakespeare Festival at Under St. Mark’s Theatre, 94 St. Mark’s Place, NYC. Visit Frigid New YorkLittle Shakespeare – FRIGID NY for tickets and more information on Tempestuous and other productions during the Festival.