Duo Gives Tempest a Twist

Shakespeare wrote The Tempest for a cast of 12. The Knighthorse Theatre Company does it with only two.

Tyrus Lemerande and Amy McLaughlin Lemerande put their own humorous twist on the tale by interacting with audience members and playing all 12 characters themselves.

At first glance, it seems a little schizophrenic. Tyrus plays the powerful Prospero one minute and a drunken Stefano the next. Amy is both the naive Miranda and the mysterious Ariel.

Fortunately, it is easy to decipher between characters because of the versatility of the pair‘s acting abilities. Amy can easily switch from Trinculo the jester to whimsy Ariel. Tyrus plays a dumb-founded slave Caliban and a hilarious drunk Stefano.

The set is bare and the two use very few props. Their costumes are also very simple. Instead of expensive special effects, the actors use exaggerated movements and loud voices. They run through the aisles and use the entire theater as their stage.  Audiences feel like they are part of the show instead of just spectators.  The show is packed with action and enthusiasm and audience members will never find themselves looking down at their watches.