Discuss “La Tempête”

Last weekend, the Byham Theater hosted La Tempête, an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the performance was put on by 4D Art, a theater company based in Montreal. Sung entirely in French with English supertitles, La Tempête follows Shakespeare’s original work very closely.

The story begins with Prospero (Richard Theriault), the deposed duke of Milan and student of the occult. Prospero’s works are carried out through his servant, the spirit Ariel (Manon Brunelle). Antonio, Prospero’s duplicitous brother, exiles Ariel and Miranda (Prospero’s daughter, played by Maude Campeau) to a deserted island. Seeking revenge, Prospero summons a powerful storm, which shipwrecks his brother,...