One of the most popular and semi-annually anticipated programs of the FTT season returns this weekend, as the Actors from the London Stage return with a rendition of William Shakespeare's "The Tempest," the comedic tale of a group of voyagers shipwrecked and the magical wonderings that occur as a result.

The story focuses around the magician Prospero, the former duke of Milan who was betrayed by his brother Antonio and Antonio's partner in crime, Alonso. Having been stranded on an island for 12 years with his daughter Miranda and his fellow "spirit," Ariel, he takes advantage of the shipwreck in which Antonio and Alonso were trapped and goes about regaining his nobility and gaining a measure of revenge on his adversaries — albeit in a merciful and amusing way.

The touring aspect of London Stage gives it uniqueness in production. As with many other London Stage shows, "The Tempest" relies upon a mostly barren stage, with chairs set up along the upstage area for actors to rest when they are not in character. Actors Guy Burgess, Caroline Devlin, Paul Moriarty, Edward Pell and Terence Wilton still play an active role, however, using different props and musical instruments to create sound effects necessary for scenes, such as the roaring thunder during the shipwreck at the beginning of the play. Another recurring theme of the London Stage productions is the demand for the five actors to take on multiple roles. Each actor must exhibit varied expressions, movement, and clothing.

At first glance it seems like a daring thing to create a Shakespearean atmosphere with so few stage assets — not only for the actors, but for the audience as well. The London actors, however, enjoy the task because it focuses upon one of their primary goals in performing Shakespeare for younger adults. Their mode of presentation shows audiences how to approach Shakespeare from an articulate verbal standpoint, showing that there is much more to do with Shakespeare's language than just reading from a book.

"We're trusting in the audience's imagination, allowing them to create their own scenes and illusions," said Devlin.

"We set out to entertain audiences," said Wilton. "It's not academic. There are essentially hundreds of thousands of things that can be done with Shakespeare."

With this in mind, the London actors set out to create a version of "The Tempest" that would be compatible with their needs. For five weeks they rehearsed in London in a building known as the Drill Hall, a place they describe as "echo-y" where people will peer through windows and shout at you if they think you're making too much noise. This is where the fundamental groundwork is laid out, such as assigning parts and the majority of the stage blocking. From there the actors take their strategies to the United States and work out the technical aspects of the show such as the lighting in one to two rehearsals before opening night.

The entire operation is notably difficult thing. The cooperation of the London actors is incredible, as they have no director to lead them. The actors must compromise and create blocking and characterization that satisfies both the actors and the needs of the play.

"No one to mess us up," joked Wilton.

The opening shipwreck scene is a supreme example of how effective the actors can be at working together. Throughout the course of the scene more than five characters are on stage at one time, which results in several of the actors scrambling from one side to the other and taking on new personalities within mere minutes of each other. Not only does the scene come effectively to the audience, but it is quite a lot of fun as well.

On going to "The Tempest" audience members can expect many of the things that made London Stage earlier fall production of Much Ado About Nothing enjoyable, including the various sight gags throughout the course of the evening, the use of audience imagination to create what the London actors and the stage have purposely left vague, and the sheer principle that it is the acting and the language, not the setting and aesthetic quality of the production, that has made Shakespeare persevere for as long as it has. Try not to be blown away by the performance.

The Tempest runs today through Saturday at Washington Hall at 7:30 p.m. for all evenings. Admission is $16 for the general public, $14 for senior citizens and $12 for students.

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• `The Tempest'