by Jess Hoffman
I have said previously in writing for Berkshire On Stage that A Midsummer Night’s Dream is my all-time favorite play. Whenever I see it produced I go into the show with high hopes and high expectations. I’ll admit I had some trepidation going into The Rooted Voyageurs‘ 90-minute abridged and “bare-bones” version of Shakespeare’s great comedy. After all, who would ever want to abridge the best play ever written? (I asked myself, knowing even as I did that I was being a bit of a Shakespeare snob.)
For those unfamiliar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is about four lovers who steal away into the woods in pursuit of love. Demetrius loves Hermia and her father wishes for them to elope, but Hermia plans to run away with Lysander, whom she loves. Another young woman named Helena pursues her love Demetrius, who is pursuing Hermia and Lysander, into the woods where the king and queen of the fairies are having a lovers’ spat which results in the king enchanting the fairy queen into falling in love with a tradesman-turned-actor who has been transformed into a donkey by the king’s mischievous henchman. The play is every bit as ridiculous and fantastical as it sounds.
As much as I love the complete and unedited Midsummer, I can of course understand that Shakespeare uncut can be quite wordy for many. The Rooted Voyageurs, with their focus on art without boundaries and community building, seem committed to making Shakespeare accessible to everyone. Even a Renaissance theater aficionado like me can see the wisdom in making Shakespeare more friendly to a modern audience. And I was very pleased by the fact that The Rooted Voyageurs’ abridgement was a very careful edit which hit all the important beats and didn’t cut any lines that I was devastated to lose. It kept just enough Shakespearean bombast and comedic fluff to make it recognizably a Shakespeare comedy, while keeping the runtime down to something that could be performed outdoors by sunlight on a Friday evening and wrap up before it got dark. I certainly cannot argue with the practicality there.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to see The Rooted Voyageurs perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Hilldale Hamlet Park, where I saw them, because this troupe of ten players presents each of their performances at different locations from Poughkeepsie to Averill Park. The players make a stage out of wherever they go with a few sparse set items. The transient nature and small scale of this particular troupe harkens back to the traveling troupes of players that dominated entertainment for much of the Medieval and Renaissance eras. But it also means that the actors have their work cut out for them, with nearly all the players playing two major roles.
Thankfully, this production has an extremely talented cast overall. I was shocked and delighted to find that Lysander, who I usually find to be the least interesting of the four Athenian youths, became my favorite character in this production thanks to a superb performance by Taylor Slonaker. (Slonaker also plays Mustardseed the fairy and Flute the bellows-mender, showing off an impressive range.) Meanwhile Helena, always a favorite character of mine, remained a favorite thanks to the talents of Francesca Hansen-DiBello. The chemistry between all four of the main lovers was excellent, as is crucial in any production. As Bottom, the amateur actor with delusions of grandeur, Dana M. Harrison brings no shortage of laughs with her unabashed antics. And in a more subdued role, Bernardo Brandt commands the stage with unparalleled stage presence as the human king Theseus and fairy king Oberon. Tanya Gorlow plays an excellent foil to Brandt as both the Amazon queen Hippolyta and the fairy queen Titania. The only weaknesses worth noting was a bit of overplaying from Lori Evans in the role of Puck, as well as a few varied instances of some of the actors forcibly rhyming words that no longer rhyme in the modern vernacular (a cardinal sin of any Shakespearean performer). But these issues just caused a few minor hiccups in an otherwise excellent production. It bears noting that all the actors have an energy that is infectiously high from the onset of the play which they maintain without faltering until the final bow.
Perhaps The Rooted Voyageur’s Midsummer is not the highly polished sort of professional Shakespeare production that one might get at Capital Repertory Theater or Williamstown Theatre Festival. But it never claims to be. And frankly I find it hard to care. The actors’ genuine enthusiasm, clear love of the material, and dedication to their craft make up for any lack of professional polish. Plus, the cast’s raw talent is undeniable. This is a production that will delight Shakespeare enthusiasts and newbies alike, provided they are able to let go of any snobbery they may feel and just come for the fun of the theater.
The Rooted Voyageurs present A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, directed by Devante Owens. View the performance schedule at https://therootedvoyageurs.com/shows-events-1. Featuring Abigail St. John as Hermia and Snout, Bernardo Brandt as Theseus and Oberon, Dana M. Harrison as Bottom and Egeus, Francesca Anne Maurino as Cobweb and Starveling, Francesca Hansen-DiBello as Helena and Snug, Joslyn Eaddy Meléndez as Demetrius and Quince, Kate Nourse as Philostrate, Lori Evans as Puck, Tanya Gorlow as Titania and Hippolyta, and Taylor Slonaker as Lysander, Mustardseed and Flute.
Admission is free. Runs approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Contains sexual innuendo. Recommended for ages 8+. Visit https://therootedvoyageurs.com for more information.
2025 Touring Schedule
Hillsdale Hamlet Park in Hillsdale: Friday, June 13 at 7pm
Marist University in Poughkeepsie: Saturday, June 14 at 2pm
Sand Lake Center for the Arts in Averill Park: Sunday, June 22 at 2pm
The Spencertown Town Park in Spencertown: Friday, June 27 at 7pm
Les Trois Emme Winery in New Marlborough, Massachusetts: Sunday, June 29 and Saturday, July 12 at 3pm
Little Apple Cidery in Hillsdale: Saturday, July 5 at 3pm
Millbrook Winery in Millbrook: Sunday, July 6 at 3pm
Stable Gate Winery in Castleton-on-Hudson: Sunday, July 13 at 2pm
Copake-Hillsdale Farmers’ Market: Saturday, July 19 at 11am