The Tempest, written around 1610, is one of William Shakespeare’s last plays, a work of complexity, lyricism, and multiple meanings. Grouped with Shakespeare’s comedies, it is also laced with tragedy. The Tempest takes place on a small island where Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, lives in exile, having been betrayed by his brother, who usurped the throne. In isolation for 12 years—along with his daughter, Miranda, the servant Ariel, and the slave Caliban—he has developed magical powers. When the play begins, Prospero summons a storm to strand a passing ship that carries a father, his two sons, and a courtier. Alex Kingston, a veteran of several Shakespeare productions, stars as Prospero. Elizabeth Freestone, in her Royal Shakespeare Company debut, directs. —Jensen Davis