A Lively ‘Tempest’ Makes Charming Return to Its Roots

Without recourse to fanciful resettings, liberties with character motivation or startling surprises, “The Tempest” at the rustic, outdoor Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum proves not so much a brave new world of innovation as an accomplished and thoroughly delightful return to familiar territory.

Director Ellen Geer and her engaging cast set out to make the work accessible and fun while honoring Shakespeare’s text, and they succeed admirably. Particularly impressive is the clarity they bring even to minor characters. As a result, the production would also make a fine introduction for anyone who’s never seen the play. Brisk pacing and colorful action make it suitable for even the most discriminating young attention spans.

With the production dual-cast in the principal roles, Geer’s staging emphasizes ensemble cohesion and plot rather than stellar turns. Even during some of the most intimate exchanges, other characters keep appearing in the periphery--if not the unhappy shipwrecked castaways on the sorcerer Prospero’s enchanted island, then the sizable contingent of sprites under his command. The steep, wooded canyon backdrop is an ideal, multilayered setting for eavesdroppers, schemers and even benevolent parents to advance their interests.

Still, the approach is not without its double edge. Some of Prospero’s sharper edges are blunted in the diffuse focus, especially his conflict between bitterness and forgiveness over the past wrongs he’s suffered.

Even at his most vengeful, Harry Frazier’s ample, full-bearded Prospero in the reviewed performance had a barely suppressed twinkle that came across like Kriss Kringle with an attitude. His ultimate largess of spirit comes through loud and clear--by implication framing the aging Shakespeare’s farewell to his art in poignant but upbeat tones.

Balancing the generosity reclaimed in Prospero and its natural, uncorrupted eruption in the idealistic lovers--his daughter Miranda (feisty Dawnnie Mercado) and shipwrecked Prince Ferdinand (Carl A. Magruder)--are the murderous schemers (Thad Greer and Glen Alan Gardner).

For good reason, Melora Marshall exclusively owns the role of Prospero’s helper sprite Ariel--she’s a whirlwind of acrobatic energy and impish charm. Earnestine Phillips strikes a whimsically forbidding figure as a ragged, dreadlocked Caliban, and Brendan Averett and Jim LeFave as the clown servants provide excellent comic relief.

Where interpretive latitude permits, the production consistently steers toward the play’s lighter, humorous elements. A good choice, given the show’s matinee time slot--emphasizing the darker, brooding aspects would seem pretty incongruous in this sun-dappled setting.

* “The Tempest,” Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. Sundays, 3 p.m. Ends Sept. 15. $15. (310) 455-3723. Running time: 2 hours, 5 minutes.