The Tempest

Through Dec. 12, $12-$33, Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Pike, Ambler, 215-654-0200, act2.org.

by Mark Cofta

[ theater ]

Nearly 400 years before Lost, William Shakespeare envisioned a magical (but less confounding) island where shipwrecked Prospero and daughter Miranda survive with sprite Ariel and half-monster Caliban. The Tempest , at tiny Act II Playhouse, promises unusual intimacy for a Shakespeare play, with just seven actors (Act II's largest cast ever) creating all the roles in director Harriet Power's version. Dirk Durossette's scenic design promises to take everyone in the 130-seat theater into Prospero's head — which, for many appreciators of Shakespeare's final and most personal play, means into the Bard's brain. Let's go!