NEWS & PRESS

REVIEWS FROM RESONANCE ENSEMBLE'S 2005 SEASON

Rarely, a play captures a historical moment with profound acuity; such a play is Larry Loebell's La Tempestad… the grand strength of La Tempestad is that the diverse inhabitants of this play offer unique perspectives on the immediate catastrophe and its broader implications in their own specific worlds. Loebell lets us listen to all that these people have to say… whose words resonated very strongly with me… La Tempestad emerges as an achingly honest time capsule… Resonance Ensemble has produced this world premiere with great care and skill. Eric Parness's staging is fluid and illuminating, making use of a simple, elegant design (sets are by Martin T. Lopez, lighting by Aaron Copp, costumes by Sidney Shannon, and sound by Nick Moore). The eleven-person ensemble is uniformly fine… La Tempestad is, I think, an important play: I hope it will have a significant life after this limited engagement. It's valuable for us to look at ourselves, and rare for a work to provide an opportunity for such reflection, so soon, and with such intensity and objectivity…

Resonance Ensemble is presenting an interesting, streamlined production of William Shakespeare's The Tempest, adapted and directed by Victor Maog… On its terms, the piece nevertheless works, and even allows some sharp insights into some of the aspects of the play.
-Martin Denton, NYTheatre.com

Larry Loebell thoughtfully tackles the rich subject of Vieques, Puerto Rico… and demands to know what happens to native culture and American souls when someone's home becomes a minefield. Along the way, he also makes sharp observations about everything from racism to homophobia…Director Eric Parness guides everyone to physical perfs that crackle with life… a gripping drama of ideas.
-Mark Blankenship, Variety

Larry Loebell starts with an intriguing idea and gets a fair amount out of it in La Tempestad… The notion is to explore some of the themes Shakespeare's play does, but in an entirely different context. The results could easily feel contrived, but Mr. Loebell's effort doesn't, especially in the energetic hands of the Resonance Ensemble, which makes good use of the Ohio Theater's deep, plain space… disastrous accident raises the stakes considerably, and, under the direction of Eric Parness, the resulting exchanges between Mr. Jewett and Mr. Ware crackle… with La Tempestad running in repertory with a three-actor version of The Tempest, Resonance is providing plenty of food for thought.
-Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times

View the 2005 Season Announcement press release