A faultless, energetic production of 'The Tempest' kicked off the opening of the Bermuda Festival last night.

The five-act performance from the Aquila Theatre Company included stellar performances from both American and British cast members, under the direction of Peter Meineck.

Playing before a full house, Aquila effectively interpreted and put an entertaining, slightly modern spin on Shakespeare's 17th Century play, which is a tale of shipwreck, betrayal, power plays, love and finally, forgiveness - with plenty of comic elements too.

It is an intricate tale, but Aquila mounts 'The Tempest' against a minimal stage of shadow, with darkness interspersed with bright patches of light, netting and billowing fabric.

The actors, who shift between roles, appear in both period and modern costume. And Shakespeare's prose, is flawlessly married with modern choreography and a contemporary musical score.

Indeed Aquila's director Meineck has been quoted as saying: "People come with preconceived ideas about what a classical play should be. They will not get that from us."

'The Tempest', which was written between 1610 and 1611 and was one of the last plays that Shakespeare wrote, is widely thought to be based on Sir George Somer's 1609 shipwreck of the Sea Venture off Bermuda.

As such the play's opening act - which is told through music, facial expression and choreography, rather than words - takes place on the stormy high seas as Alonso, King of Naples, his son, Ferdinand, his brother, Sebastian, a councillor, and the Duke of Milan, Antonio, who has wrested the dukedom from his brother Prospero, travel from Tunis.

There, Alonso's daughter Claribel was married to the King of Tunis. But the voyage back to Naples turns desperate when the wedding party finds itself in the midst of a fierce storm, and is shipwrecked on an Island. The wedding party is dispersed over the Island, and Alonso fears his heir, Ferdinand is drowned.

What the seafarers do not know is that the duped Duke Prospero and his daughter Miranda were shipwrecked there 12 years before, where their only company has been a spirit and a deformed native, Caliban, who Prospero has taken as his slave.

Prospero still carries a bitter grudge against his brother who has "wakened an evil nature". And it turns out that Prospero, who now has magical powers and is served by the dynamic spirit Ariel, invoked the storm.

Under Prospero's spells, the island is frequently wracked with storm. In an especially comic scene, a storm approaches, and the ship's cook runs for shelter. But the only spot to hide is under cover with Caliban.

Meanwhile Alonso's drunken butler Stephano stumbles upon the two, who under cover appear as one. He is sure that he has discovered a four-legged monster and dreams of selling it for great fortune. When Stephano discovers it is actually Alonso and a native, he offers them wine and in a drunken stupor the trio, prompted by Caliban, plot to kill Prospero in his sleep.

But an ever-watchful Ariel is looking out for Prospero and casts a spell on the trio. She puts a mad curse on the noblemen as well. Ferdinand, who has not drowned as feared, falls in love with Miranda, but Prospero demands hard labour as a test of his love.

Finally, Prospero, who has offered Ariel her freedom if he is successful in winning back the dukedom, orders her to lift any spell she has cast.

He confronts the plotting butler and cook, and King Alonso and Antonio. They agree to reinstate Prospero as the Duke of Milan.

Excellent acting from the entire cast capitulates in a moving monologue from Richard Sheridan Willis, in his role as Prospero, as he sheds the bitterness that has bound him for more than a decade, and as he plans to leave the island for Milan.

Aquilla's faultless performance of 'The Tempest' received a rousing and richly deserved round of applause from last night's audience.