Are you looking for some enchantment,
some romance and some magic?
All that and more is happening on stage
at the Roundhouse Theater in Bethesda.
It's the highly anticipated magical staging
of William Shakespeare's The Tempest,
and it just opened this week to rave reviews,
and it's already in high demand.
So here to tell us all about it is Co
director and adapter Aaron Poser and
Nate Dendy, who plays Ariel and is
also the Magic consultant on the show.
Gentlemen, so good to have you.
Thanks for having me here. All right.
Opening week. How's it been going?
Great. Good. Happy that it's here.
Happy that it's open and it's in high demand.
I mean, you guys have already
extended before you even started.
Yeah, it's a big production
that has a lot of gifts in it.
So people, I think, are excited because
it's not just a Shakespeare play,
it's Shakespeare, but it's also the
magic of teller from Penn and Teller.
And so there's a ton of magic
woven through the whole thing.
And then there's a wonderful musical world
to it, which is to all Tom Waits music.
If you know Tom Waits stuff,
there's a live band on stage
that we call rough magic.
And so that there's.
Music woven through it and then the
amazing dance company Pilobolus is great.
They've choreographed the, the monster,
Caliban and some other moments.
So it is not a typical production of
like ohh, there's a Shakespeare play,
sit back and watch it.
It is much more musical and magical and
movement oriented than your typical.
I love this and Nate.
This has been going around the country,
but what is different?
Even more so with that.
It's coming here. Well, this is
our fifth time doing this
and we started in 2013.
We started workshopping this in Vegas.
And then went into art in Boston and
then we went to South Coast Rep yeah.
And then we went to Chicago.
And now here there's some
wonderful new magic that we've
reinterpreted in the show.
We have an exceptional
cast that has brought a lot
of local cast really, really good.
Some of the best actors around having
the having also musicians and magicians
and really amazing actors just
makes create so many opportunities.
So, you know and. What?
Shakespeare, I think,
would have landed on his team if he had had
people like Nate able to do this stuff.
Like so Nate, can I get a card?
We have a lot of card magic in the show here.
So can I just get a card?
There you go. Thank you.
Great. Can I get another card?
And maybe maybe a few more cards early.
Black back. Earth.
Actually, I'll leave.
There's just there.
Everything about this story is
illustrated through the magic,
through the movement,
through the music of it.
So it's Shakespeare.
Shakespeare plays are super simple
and sort of straightforward,
and it's really just the story.
This one is more it's got it's just,
it's all, it's a lot of
stuff all weaving together
and it's just for the whole family.
Absolutely. You have more magic for us.
Ohh. If you'd like to see one like yes can,
I'm gonna approach you. OK.
OK I'm putting this down alright.
Where is it? Yeah, right here.
Josh. Right here. OK,
watch this for me. Ohh. Now I
normally do this silently in the show.
Ohh, I'm following you.
OK, I'm now. How is your day going?
It's wonderful now that you guys are here.
OK. Did you have breakfast?
Coffee. Ohh. Very very good.
That's about all I have. Ohh.
Whoa. How did
you do that?
Keep this in my hand the whole time.
Just check that every five years. Yeah.
It's OK. This is my lucky
card now. Nate, thank you.
Very welcome. It's my pleasure.
How much fun is it for you to
incorporate all this magic?
Ohh, my gosh. Every single we have.
We have about 30 moments in
the show that are magic. Wow.
Which is more than you're going
to see on any Vegas Strip,
which is more than you going to see
in any Broadway show that's currently,
you know, come come to date.
And what we're doing is every single moment.
We have in the show is just
so exciting and surprising.
And once that happens,
I can't wait for the next thing.
The thing is that the magic,
rather than just doing magic tricks,
which is what most magic shows are, right?
Just like you do the trick and it's like,
oh, that was awesome.
This is the magic in this show has
meaning because every part of the magic
is woven into the narrative of the story.
So when things happen magically,
it carries weight and emotion and complexity.
So it's a very different kind of experience.
I can't wait to see this.
Thank you guys for being here.
I know you had a show last night,
so getting up. Us this morning.
The Tempest is playing now
through January 15th at the
Roundhouse Theater in Bethesda.
Just go to roundhousetheater.org for
your tickets and your lucky card.
Thank you guys.