Spirits to Enforce
by Mickle Maher
Directed by Lucy Cashion
The Midnight Company
May 3, 2024
Cast of Spirits to Enforce
Photo by Joey Rumpell
The Midnight Company
Do you like Shakespeare and superheroes? Do you also like offbeat comedy with memorable character? Well, if you answered “yes” to all of those questions, The Midnight Company has the show for you. Mickle Maher’s Spirits to Enforce is a hilarious, characterful mashup of Shakespeare’s The Tempest and a host of comic book tropes all put together in a cleverly staged, terrifically cast, and thoroughly entertaining production that packs a lot of energy and laughs into its relatively short running time.
The basic premise here is that a superhero group is raising money to put on a play. The Fathom Town Enforcers have just vanquished their arch enemy, Professor Cannibal, who has been jailed, and the town is, at last, at peace. At least, that’s what the Enforcers think. Now, in their underwater submarine base, they sit at a long table at old school landline phones, complete with long, tangly cords, calling up potential donors to fund their production of The Tempest. Their appeals seem to fall on skeptical ears, and they resort to tactics such as revealing their secret identities as an incentive to contribute. They also start rehearsals and the tensions and struggles among the group become obvious, as Emory Lawson/Ariel (Will Bonfiglio)–who may actually be the “real” Ariel of Tempest fame–struggles to figure out how to successfully play himself, Randall James/The Tune (Cassidy Flynn) becomes frustrated that his crush and romantic interest in the play (she’s Miranda to his Ferdinand), Susan Tanner/Memory Lass (Rachel Tibbetts) has memory powers but can’t seem to remember his real name. Meanwhile, Donna Blake/The Bad Map (Kayla Bush) keeps getting lost, Donna Adams/The Silhouette (Miranda Jagels Felix) deals with her living hand shadows getting out of hand, while the rest of cast all have their own unique problems contributing to difficulty in mounting the production, as well as continued trouble with the phone calls and their callers’ concern that Professor Cannibal may be on the loose once again.
The cast also features Joe Hanrahan as Wayne Simon/The Untangler, Celeste Gardner as Oliver Kendall/Fragrance Fellow, Spencer Lawton as Dale Clark/the Intoxicator, Ross Rubright as Craig Cale/The Pleaser, Ash Arora as Rebecca Lloyd/The Ocean, Joey Taylor as Brad Allen/The Snow Heavy Branch (who is also the show’s musician), and Alicen Moser as Cecily Gray/The Page, who plays Prospero in The Tempest. The whole cast is cohesive and energetic, with strong comic timing and appropriately quirky characters and angsty moments as the story builds to a fun conclusion. It’s difficult to single out individual cast members, because everyone is strong, lending much character and enthusiasm to the proceedings that can get a little overly talky at times, but still hold the audience’s attention and provide for a witty, goofy, and literate production full of memorable performances and moments.
The staging is inventive and engaging despite the fact that the cast members spend most of their time seated at a long table. There’s enough “business” for them to do, as well as some creative staging that highlights their tight quarters and those ever-present tangly phone cords that keeps the interest going. The costume design by Liz Henning and Eric Widner is marvelous, as well, suiting the offbeat superhero characters with the right amount of style and quirky charm. Jayson Lawshee’s lighting also contributes well to the overall atmosphere and growing air of urgency as the story unfolds, and Taylor’s music adds a memorable soundtrack to the proceedings.
If you like offbeat superhero stories (think Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, among others) and Shakespeare, Spirits to Enforce should be right up your alley. It’s a fun, character-driven piece highlighted by excellent performances and fun visuals. It’s another quirky success from The Midnight Company.
The Midnight Company is presenting Spirits to Enforce at the Kranzberg Arts Center until May 18, 2024
