THE TEMPESTUOUS

Sicily’s beloved King Enzo is dead. Now Princess Rosa, a stroppy spinster, must navigate the tempestuous waters of belching Step-Fathers, lusty suitors, popping cod pieces and menopausal witches, to face her destiny.

Award Winning Comedian Penny Ashton (Promise and Promiscuity, Olive Copperbottom) presents her latest literary solo musical with this Shakespearean frolic.  She’ll spark 11 characters into life in an Elizabethan tale of magic, meddling and puffed bull’s pizzles.

Reviews:

“Replete with cross-dressing, disguises, bawdy jokes, puns, wordplay, and musical numbers, it is an excellently written script that Shakespeare himself would be proud of. There’s no need to be intimidated by the use of Shakespeare’s language for Ashton is clearly a master of it. She cleverly weaves modern phrases into the style of Elizabethan speech with precise comic timing, and hides lines ripped straight from Shakespeare throughout this new text. Every line is clear and each character is distinct – which is saying something, considering Ashton brings to life no less than thirteen over the course of the story. ” Theatrescenes

“Phenomenal energy, vivacity, versatility, inventiveness and humour. Theatreview

“Incredibly clever, the script is just so smart.” Radio NZ

“”Masterful ‘shrewd comedy’ a tempestuous triumph…a phenomenal play.” The Post

“Surely at some point we get to call Penny Ashton a national treasure? Her terrific new one-woman musical comedy The Tempestuous, co-written with one W. Shakespeare, certainly reiterates that she’s one of the most consistently excellent live performers in the country. This is really a masterclass in adaptation.” Flat City Field Notes

“It is a perfect example of literary comedy gold.” Broadway World

Workshop Director – Ben Crowder

Musical Arrangement and Composition – Robbie Ellis

Costume – Elizabeth Whiting and Katie McGettigan

PG: 14

Music Recorded in the Fay and Daniel Levin Performance Studio at WFMT Chicago with:

Suzanne Hannau – Flute
Nora Shaffer – Clarinet
Victoria Moreira – Violin
Hope Shepherd DeCelle – Cello
Dan Linsenmann – Piano
Eric Arunas – Recording Engineer
Jake Dewar – Assistant Producer

Thanks to Matthew Harvey, Esta Hutchins, Rita Stone Berridge, Ruth Spencer, Allan Roberts and Niall Spooner Harvey for general enthusiasm.

All Musical References

(Compiled by the musical encyclopedia inside Robbie Ellis’ head)