In the Island’s latest production of The Tempest, director MJ Bruder Munafo focuses on themes of reconciliation and familial love, as opposed to the revenge for which the play is known.

“There’s too much revenge going on in the world,” she said. “Obviously, [Prospero] has been terribly wronged, but he’s come to a point in his life where he realized that revenge and resentment is like a poison, and he is willing to forgive everybody.”

The outdoor Shakespeare production opened at the Tisbury Amphitheater on July 16 and continues Wednesdays through Saturdays until August 9.

Prospero is played by Victor Talmadge, who wears a peace sign necklace and presides over bean bags and beaded curtains. Prospero was once the rightful Duke of Milan before being usurped by his brother Antonio. He then escaped from Italy with his young daughter Miranda to a remote island, where he enslaves Caliban and Ariel.

Ariel is played by Anna Yukevich. She first appears to the audience wrapped in daisies and wearing small cymbals on her hands. The clashing sound punctuates her dialogue as she reports to Prospero that the storm she caused has stranded Antonio’s ship on the island.

Music is the tool of her trade as a spirit. Throughout the show, she uses a variety of instruments to cast magic over those who washed ashore. Ms. Yukevich wrote the music for the show, taking inspiration from 1970s folk.

“The music is so important. There’s more music in The Tempest than any other Shakespeare show,” Ms. Bruder Munafo said. “[Ms. Yukevich] composed all of the music that she’s singing…that’s a huge component of the production.”

Ms. Bruder Munafo wanted to do a version of The Tempest that was, first and foremost, fun. The shenanigans of other shipwreck survivors Stephano (Haley Hewson) and Trinculo (Valerie Whiteneck), which include getting the frenetic Caliban (Paul Padua) drunk for the first time, keep the show light.

Ms. Bruder Munafo’s production also focuses on Prospero as a father. He watches Miranda (Sadie Moore) and Ferdinand (Ralph Bologna) fall in love, at first giving Miranda a dubious look when she describes Ferdinand as “a thing divine,” before eventually giving them his blessing.

Prospero’s interactions with Caliban and Ariel are also paternalistic, petting Caliban’s head like a son’s when he frees him, as if Prospero views himself more as a caretaker than a master over the enslaved.

“For him, his prime motivation is to make sure that Miranda is going to be okay,” Ms. Bruder Munafo said. “The play is also about getting older and coming to different realizations about the future for your loved ones.”