Berkshire on Stage

Summer in the Berkshires is chocked full of delights and Shakespeare and Company is offering a super-duper production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. The play, with multiple love stories, magical fairies, and gorgeous poetry, is always entertaining. This version, under the masterful direction of artistic Director Allyn Burrows is especially engaging as it is set in the 1970s and it interpolates modern jargon and sensibilities with the well-known classical text.

If you like your Shakespeare “Elizabethan,” this production may be a bit jarring. Starting out with an invented prologue by the players – Bottom, the Weaver and his motley crew singing “I Heard It through the Grapevine” – we know we are not in the Athens of Shakespeare’s imagination, but rather have been transported to a new “Athens.” But have no fear – the jumble of iconic images (from Wonder Woman to aging rock stars to cartoon adventure heroes) is brought to life by an amazingly talented cast and creative ensemble.

The result is a totally charming, often hilarious escapade through both the poetic and literal forest outside of Athens/ Lenox. Burrows’ new take on an old story unearths new insights and comic treasures withing the 425-year-old text. The outdoor setting in the lovely New Spruce Theatre is particularly fitting and captivating as the real and fantastical come together to make great theatre.

The familiar plot involves preparations for the wedding of the Amazon Warrior woman Hippolyta and the Greek warrior Theseus. The war between them has ended and the peace is to be secured by their union. But the times are uneasy. Two young Athenian couples are at odds in their affections, which drives them to escape to a magical forest where mischievous fairies dazzle them and further disrupt the relations. Of course, all is sorted out at the end, as you would expect in a good comedy. Within this enchanted world, we meet the root cause of the dissension – Oberon, the King of the Fairies, is estranged from his Queen, Titania. Their argument has thrown the universe into disarray. The struggles of the four couples to resolve their affections are highlighted by the comical troupe of actors that Shakespeare also brings to the forest. That group of “rude mechanicals” includes Bottom, the Weaver, and several other laborers who hope to have their play selected to be performed for the wedding and so to make their fortunes. The plot is considerably thickened by the mischievous machinations of Oberon’s helper, Robin Goodfellow – known as Puck – who transforms Bottom into an ass, so Titania, under the influence of Oberon’s magical trick, can fall in love with a silly creature.

The cast of this MIDSUMMER is top notch, and under Burrows’ direction, the production offers many sterling performances that transcend and augment the fanciful entertainment of Shakespeare’s play. The script has captivated audiences for hundreds of years, and yet this MIDSUMMER finds new and intriguing humor, themes, and surprises. This is most evident in the hilarious and insightful performance of Jacob Ming-Trent as Bottom. Played with the braggadocio you would expect, Ming-Trent also finds the softer, poetic side of this silly and overweening character. He commands each scene, but graciously blends with his fellow players, which makes for excellent ensemble work.

Sheila Bandyopadhyay is another standout in the role of Puck, the trickster and aide-de-camp of Oberon. Bandyopadhyay, who is also the Director of Shakespeare & Co.’s Center of Actor Training, is a most gifted performer. She seems to relish every moment and every word of her impish character. Puck can often come off as mean and spiteful, but Bandyopadhyay’s approach is much more in keeping with the more quixotic and playful aspects of the role. Bandyopadhyay’s performance of the text – for clarity, intent, and amusement – is quite wonderful and it is backed up with remarkable agility and inventive, graceful movement.

It should be noted here that the clarity of speech in this production of MIDSUMMER is uniformly excellent – especially in light of the outdoor setting. It is by far the clearest and most precise language I have heard on this theatre’s main stages. Kudos to Voice and Text Coach Ariel Bock. 

The four young Athenian lovers are deftly played with enthusiasm and nerve. The characters are by nature annoying, being in the throes of young love. Sara Linares combines beauty and petulance as the beleaguered Helena. Naire Poole is Helena’s excellent foil as Hermia, as adorable as she is fierce. Blake Hamilton Currie (Demetrius) and Carlos Olmeda (Lysander) are effective in maintaining the angst and travails of the complicated relationships. The diversity of this quartet (two African-American and two Hispanic actors) and the occasional use of Spanish and modern jargon broadens the appeal of the lovers and makes the play more accessible to an audience of varied ages and ethnicities.

Elizabeth Aspenlieder (Titania) and Nigel Gore (Oberon) both turn in proficient performances, but their presence seemed rather small for these magical, larger-than-life characters. Perhaps that magnitude and mystery is difficult to carry off in the bright light of day. Aspenlieder’s rendition of the Fairy Queen could be less earth-bound and more graceful. Gore is to be credited with marvelous vocal clarity and projection. The younger members of the cast should note that you don’t need to shout in that space to be heard perfectly. 

Madeleine Rose Maggio is lovely and compelling as Hippolyta. She doesn’t forget the underlying mistrust of the conquered warrior queen who must evolve to embrace wedded bliss by the end of the play. She gives a nuanced and believable Hippolyta throughout. Like nearly half of the cast, Maggio plays two roles in this production. She is an absolute delight as the character, Snout, who portrays the wall in “Pyramus and Thisbe” (the play-within-a-play given by the lowly troupe of actors). Burrows’ staging and Maggio’s portrayal of the well-known scene was the most imaginative I have ever seen.

Javier David plays the dual roles of Theseus and Flute. This will come as a surprise to those who know the play but the convention adds sparkle and a bit of wonder to what can be an overly-long dénouement. David brings athleticism and whimsy to both his characters which illuminates the possibilities of the text.
With so many truly excellent performances, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Michael F. Toomey and Gina Fonseca. Toomey’s depiction of Egeus, the outraged father to Hermia, and that of Peter Quince, the director of “Pyramus and Thisbe,” is unforgettable. Quince, as delineated by Toomey, is a bundle of insecurity, terrified of failure and achingly diplomatic in managing the disparate band of players. It is a part that is easily overlooked, but Toomey mines it for all its gold. Another standout is Gina Fonseca, playing three roles. First, as the painfully shy Snug, the Joiner, who must find her voice in the roar of the deadly lion of the playlet. Fonseca fully embraces her lowly would-be actor and then switches to the “first fairie” and later to Philostrate with marvelous invention and gusto. Philostrate is a tiny role near the end of the play but Fonseca transforms a dull functionary into an amusing and highly imaginative bureaucrat that adds oomph to the final act.

The design team for MIDSUMMER clearly had a great deal of fun on this show. The actual tall pine trees and simple plan stage that define the New Spruce were practically all that was needed for this show. Scenic Designer Jim Youngerman introduced a few elements that helped the staging, plus some magical touches that come to life after the sun goes down. Costume Designer Stella Giulietta Schwartz went all in on the Seventies iconic looks – from the David Bowie shock of hair for Oberon to the sparkly leotard a la The Flash and Wonder Woman for Theseus and Hippolyta. My personal favorites were the candy-colored blazers and dresses the four young lovers wear to the wedding that closes the play. Schwartz was also clever in devising costumes for the doubled characters so the quick action was never interrupted. Schwartz’s costume design was fresh, fanciful, and amusing.

This delightful production is so well-paced that time seemed to fly by. Allyn Burrows’ direction is incomparable – fantastical, ingenious, and just plain fun. His use of modern music (sometimes incorporating the Shakespeare text as the lyrics), the interpolation of modern language (both English and Spanish) and the framework of the Seventies are inspired choices that illuminate the play more than redefining it. It is worth including his notes in the season program about this choice:

I’ve set this dream in the Seventies, because the soundtrack of that time was one full of possibilities, mystery and promise. The fall of Saigon, Watergate, the arrival of Jimmy Carter, long lines at the gas pumps, a time of darkness and light in the same breath, a whirling dervish of a decade that felt edgy and innocent all at once.

One can easily see how “a time of darkness and light” relates more than a little to our present day. However, the parallels are not what make this choice work. MIDSUMMER, in Burrows’ hands, is a joyful, fast-paced romp through the forest where love prevails. This journey buoys our spirits and warms our hearts – as a fine midsummer evening should do. 

Credits Playwright: William Shakespeare Director: Allyn Burrows Associate Director: Nicole Ricciardi Movement: Sheila Bandyopadhyay Fight Director: Allyn Burrows Set Design: Jim Youngerman Costume Design: Stella Giulietta Schwartz Sound Design: Brendan F. Doyle Voice & Text: Ariel Bock
Cast: Titania – Elizabeth Aspenlieder Puck — Sheila Bandyopadhyay Demetrius – Blake Hamilton Currie Theseus / Flute – Javier David First Fairie / Philostrate / Snug – Gina Fonseca Oberon – Nigel Gore Helena – Sara Linares Hippolyta / Snout – Madeleine Rose Maggio Bottom – Jacob Ming-Trent Lysander – Carlos Olmedo Hermia – Naire Poole Peter Quince / Egeus – Michael F. Toomey

Information A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM runs outdoors at The New Spruce Theatre at Shakespeare & Company from August 1^st through September 10^th. Tickets range from $22 to $72. Student tickets are $22. To purchase tickets, visit Shakespeare.org or call the Box Office at (413) 637-3353.
Running time: 2 hours and 5 minutes with one intermission The New Spruce Theatre at Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, Massachusetts