A sudden tempest rages. A ship carrying Italian royalty and others is shipwrecked on an island. Miraculously all survive. But this isn't just any island. No, this mysterious plot of land has been the home of Prospero, the usurped Duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda for the past 12 years. The two were sent to sea by Prospero's power hungry brother Antonio, one of the passengers aboard the ship along with the King Alonso. Is this coincidence or have they been brought here by design?

Heartwood's production of Shakespeare's “The Tempest” is as exceptional a piece of theater as we have come to expect from this company. The sets, music, special effects, costuming and superlative acting blend together to create a magical experience.

And for those who find the length of The Bard's plays daunting, fear thee not! Director Griff Braley has cut down The Bard's comedy to just 98 minutes, focusing on the comedy's main plots and themes flawlessly. The play, presumed to have been written in 1601, focuses on life, love, betrayal, revenge, justice, power, forgiveness and … magic.

Once on the island, Prospero, now a powerful sorcerer aided by an enslaved elemental or fairy, Ariel, plans to avenge his brother's actions. Since landing on the island, Prospero has pulled “an Antonio” on Caliban, the son of a witch, then ruler there and enslaved Caliban to do his bidding. When Caliban swears, Prospero has the island spirits, his island spirits pinch him.

The other guests on board the now broken ship are the King's butler Stephano  (Jahmeel Powers), and his jester, Trinculo (Jason Osorio), and brother, Sebastian (Sebastian LaPointe), Alonso, the King (Vincent Hannam) of Naples, Gonzala (Diana Jurand) and Ferdinand (Jay Pastucha), Prince of Naples. All these passengers are astounded by the fact that their clothes are as fresh as the day they put them on when they should be soaked. Such is life on a magical island. None of them know that Prospero and his daughter survived, let alone live where they have landed.

Love comes to town (so to speak) when Ariel arranges a “chance” meeting between Prince Ferdinand, separated from the others after the crash, and Miranda. The two are smitten at first sight. Ferdinand is the only other man Miranda has ever seen up to this point and marvels at his beauty.

Prospero uses Ariel to weave a sleeping spell through music to knock out four of the lords — except for Antonio and Sebastian. Antonio uses their wakefulness to convince Sebastian to kill his brother, the King. Ah, the lust for power is just too strong in some of us. Just as they are about to do the deed, Ariel wakes up the others musically and tells one of them the King is in danger. Sebastian makes up a story about hearing a strange noise — the reason their swords are raised.

And there are plenty of “strange sounds” and music wafting about on this island. Ariel isn't the only elemental or fairy there — not to mention the gods and goddesses …

As Prospero continues moving forward with his plan he tells Ariel that if she is successful in helping him with his revenge he will set her free after all these many years. Prospero also plans to disconnect with magic by breaking his staff in half.

In what form does Prospero's revenge eventually take? Is Ariel freed from her captivity? And, what of Caliban?

Caliban is in many memorable scenes. He is discovered by the jester Trinculo, later joined by butler Stephano. These three end up getting quite drunk as Caliban tells them of Prospero's treachery. Caliban goes into gory detail about the many ways he has dreamed of killing off his master. Eventually convincing his two newfound companions that Prospero must die. And off they go … to find the wizard.

Caliban is delightfully portrayed by Patrick Sylvester who possesses great comic timing, a host of facial expressions to die for, and who is quite skilled in physical comedy — his tumbles are impressive. He is an animated scene stealer for sure.

The second scene stealer is, without a doubt, Ariel brought to life by Helena Farhi who lilts and dances about so gracefully, her ballerina form in airy, gossamer costumes. She is mysterious and charming, a spirited sprite. One of my favorite scenes featuring Ariel begins with her appearing on stage within a wafting cloud of colored mist, dressed in feathers and headdress. She is chastising her master's enemies who lie below her on the ground for their crimes against Prospero. While she is an imposing vision to the lords and the King, she will enchant theater goers.

The complex protaganist is played with great skill and warmth by Steve Shema. He fleshes out the magic man, the protective father who learned the art of magic for protection, and the former Duke of Milan, the educated man who was perhaps more fond of learning than governing, keeping his humanity intact.

The union of Braley's set design and direction, Letitia Munson's lighting and projection effects of ocean, sky, thunderstorm, forest; costuming by Heidi Kopishke, sets painted and executed by Mary Boothby, music by M. Mehuman Jonson-Ernst and Max McFarland (guitar, cello, bass, percussion), and Shema on accordion — add to the enchantment that will be cast on audiences.

So, pray get thee to the Poe! “The Tempest” opens Friday, July 15 and runs through July 23. Ticket prices vary. For tickets, show times and dates, visit www.heartwoodtheatre.org, call 207-563-1373 or email: info@heartwoodtheater.org.

 The theater is located at 81 Academy Hill Road in Newcastle.