In Carlos Gimenez's Spanish-language version of "The Tempest," Prospero's island is a white sandy beach in the Caribbean. It is a land detached from specific time, but linked to a mythic past. The most impressive aspect of the set in the Rajatabla theater's production at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park is a huge carved head toppled in the sand. Looking like an ancient god, it splits apart to reveal Prospero's laboratory in its interior: a brain within a brain. At moments, spirits moving across the beach simulate the stance of pre-Columbian sculptural figures.
In contrast, there is a multi-level assemblage of platforms in the background, a modern construction site or launching pad, lined with workmen shooting sparks into the air. This double-edge "isla" is full of noises: a roaring storm, animal cries and a score by Juan Carlos Nunez that freely interprets Shakespeare's suggestion of "solemn and strange music." The scenic, sound and lighting design merge to give an imaginative grounding to what is otherwise an elusive "Tempest."
Neither "The Tempest" nor the Brazilian version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," recently performed in Portuguese at the Delacorte, has simultaneous translation, for technical reasons having to do with this outdoor theater. Both productions are part of the Festival Latino of the New York Shakespeare Festival. The fanciful "Dream" transcended the language barrier by being more freely allusive in its imagery. "The Tempest," in this adaptation by the Venezuelan company, presents greater obstacles, beginning with the dense, textual nature of the play.
With his low, rumbling voice and sorcerer's manner, Jose Tejera would seem to be a persuasive Prospero (though he is somewhat young for the role). But without his soliloquies, Prospero is unrealized. Watching Mr. Tejera but not understanding most of his words, one vividly recalls other actors in the role, including John Wood who recently delivered a magisterial Prospero for the Royal Shakespeare Company. In the circumstances, it is a relief to hear Ferdinand address Miranda for the first time. Unsure what the language of this strange creature might be, he speaks with such slowness and deliberation as to be comprehended by a theatergoer with basic Spanish at his command.
Nathalia Martinez's Miranda and Jesus Araujo's Ferdinand are among the evening's dramatic assets, particularly in the case of Miss Martinez, whose bright-eyed ingenuousness seems ideally suited to her role and to the vastness of the Delacorte.
The drunken sailors, with their scenes of low comic horseplay, necessarily take precedence. Cosme Cortazar's amusing Trinculo wears a chef's hat and a deadpan Stan Laurel look, while Anibal Grunn's Stephano (Estefano in the Spanish version) is a boisterous clown, regaling in the momentary glory bestowed upon him by Caliban (given a rather subdued performance).
In collaboration with Ugo Ulive as adapter, Mr. Gimenez has pared the text to less than two hours, beginning with the exclusion of the shipwreck. Instead of a crew devastated by a tempest, Ariel simply picks up an ivory model ship in his arms and flies up to the sky with the help of a mechanical rigging. Ariel's flights add a needed airiness to the production.
A synopsis of the adaptation inserted in the program gives the audience a clearer indication of the director's concept. His "Tempest" is conceived as a play within a play. When Prospero puts down his book, it is not intended to be a book of magical spells, but the text of the play itself. In other words, Prospero is actually Shakespeare, an interesting interpretation that is not evidenced in the events seen on stage. There are intriguing moments in the Rajatabla's "Tempest," but when a character asks, "Que pasa?," a theatergoer may want to echo the question.
La Tempestad (The Tempest) By William Shakespeare
Directed by Carlos Gimenez
Adapted by Ugo Ulive; set by Marcelo Pont-Verges and Augusto Gonzalez
Costumes, Hugo Marquez, Mr. Pont-Verges and Mr. Gonzalez;
Lighting, Trevor Brown and Mr. Gimenez; original music, Juan Carlos Nunez.
Sound: Eduardo Bolivar Mendible
Artistic production: Jorge Borges, Andres Vazquez and Gabriel Flores
Technical director,:Freddy Belisario
Festival Latino Directors, Oscar Ciccone and Cecilia Vega.
Executive producer, William Lopez; associate producer, Jason Steven Cohen. Presented by Joseph Papp, in association with New York Telephone and with the cooperation of the City of New York. At the Delacorte Theater, Central Park, enter at 81st Street and Central Park West or 79th Street and Fifth Avenue. Ariel . . . Erich Wildpret Prospero . . . Jose Tejera Miranda . . . Nathalia Martinez Caliban . . . Daniel Lopez Fernando . . . Jesus Araujo Captain/Old Spirit . . . Rodolfo Villafranca Boatswain/Spirit . . . Norman Santana Alonso . . . German Mendieta Antonio . . . Francisco Alfaro Gonzalo . . . Hugo Marquez Sebastian . . . Aitor Gaviria Adrian . . . Ramon Goliz Black Spirit . . . William Cuao Trinculo . . . Cosme Cortazar Estefano . . . Anibal Grunn Old Spirits/Sailors Ricardo Martinez and Hector Becerra Young Spirits/Sailors Ismael Monagas and Gregorio Milano Godesses/Nymphs . . . Ivezku Celis Sailor . . . Alejandro Faillace
Transcripción y Fuente: Gabriel Flores
"Que se diga siempre la verdad. Si triunfamos que se diga. Si pusimos la cagada y nos pitaron, que se diga", Carlos Giménez, entrevista de Hugo Colmenares
Esta crítica es malísima y la publicamos para que la gente conozca las adversidades contra las cuales tuvo que luchar Carlos toda su vida: la incomprensión fue una de ellas (la envidia y el odio, otras). Pero él nunca desistió de su creación, de arriesgarse e innovar, y cuando tuvo éxitos resonantes y con críticas maravillosas, que fueron muchísimos, Carlos no se aferró a esa fórmula y en su siguiente montaje proponía una creación completamente diferente, audaz, novedosa.