Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Forgiving Spirit

As the last play Shakespeare wrote, The Tempest stands as a thrilling commentary on the nature of pursuing a creative art — and knowing when to give it up. The powerful magician Prospero, exiled from a cozy dukedom a dozen years before by his jealous brother, engineers his usurper’s shipwreck with aid from an ethereal assistant. His daughter Miranda, long marooned with him, falls for one of the shore-stranded noblemen. What follows transforms a typical revenge plot into a graceful meditation on reconciliation, as all ends well with a marriage and merriment. The prodigious Acting Company — a New York City-based, perpetually touring troupe whose list of famous alums includes actor Kevin Kline — offers a version of the play that underscores various characters’ power-grabs with puppetry and evocative props.