This is not a suggestion, this is
an order: go see CT Free Shakespeare’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s
Dream.” You won’t regret it, for this is Shakespearean comedy as it should be
played, broad and farcical, with the actors (and what a cast!) enjoying
themselves almost as much as the audience members.
As directed by artistic director
Ellen Lieberman, who also guided last year’s marvelous production of “Romeo and
Juliet,” “Dream” is a non-stop delight from start to finish. The plot is
classic Shakespeare: Lysander (Mark Friedlander – last year’s Romeo) loves
Hermia (Caitlyn Chuckta), Helena (Rebekah Dunn) loves Demetrius (Brian
Vaughan), but the course of true love is never smooth, for Hermia’s father,
Egeus (Matthew Catalano) would rather see his daughter marry Demetrius. To make
this happen, he calls upon Theseus, Duke of Athens (Andrew Spieker), who offers
the rebellious lass three options: marry Demetrius, spend her life in a nunnery
or death. Hermia and Lysander flee into the forest, a big mistake, followed
swiftly by Helena and Demetrius, an even bigger mistake.
In the forest, Oberon (Jonathan
Holtzman) and Titania (Saluda Camp), King and Queen of the fairies, are having
a bit of a marital spat over a boy Titania has adopted. As husbands will,
Oberon seeks to influence his wife by having her fall in love with the first
creature she sets eyes upon. To accomplish this, Oberon instructs his servant,
Puck (Eric Nyquist) to pick up some magic love drops. Yes, the drops will be
used…a bit too liberally.
To complicate matters, a group of
craftsmen under the direction of Peter Quince (an absolutely marvelous Uma
Incrocci) are rehearsing a play, “Pyramus and Thisbe,” to be presented for the
Duke at his wedding. The craftsman who is to have the starring role is one Nick
Bottom (Ian Eaton), but alas, he runs afoul of Puck, who thinks it’s a
great idea if Bottom should be graced with the head of a donkey. Once
transformed, Bottom is, of course, the first person Titania sets eyes upon when
she wakes.
Jonathan Holtzman as Oberon. Photo by Judy Barbosa
What follows is controlled, riotous
confusion as lovers fall in and out of love with each other and the craftsman
continue to rehearse. Of course, everything works out in the end, but not
before the craftsmen get to present their play, one of the funniest set-pieces
you will see this year.
Lieberman is also responsible for
the adaptation, and she has nipped and tucked the five-act play so that it
moves along handily – the whole shooting match, including the group’s signature
intermission (which involves singing, dancing and audience participation) runs
just slightly over two hours, concluding with the cast members, after the
curtain call, coming out and joining the audience. If nothing else (and it is
so much else) the show is extremely viewer-friendly.
As for the cast, well, you just
couldn’t ask for a better ensemble, so much so that it is difficult – and
possibly unfair – to praise any one cast member. Yet, among the many fine
performances several deserve mention, the first being that of Eaton, whose
Bottom is brash, pretentious and completely taken with himself. Once
transformed by Puck, Eaton, now sporting donkey ears, simply owns just about
every scene he is in. He plays to the crowd (fortunately not threatened by cutpurses
or distracted by pie sellers) and the crowd eats it up. But there’s
competition, especially from Incrocci, who is blessed with great timing and a
knack for physical comedy (especially when it involves balloons – yes,
balloons). Then there’s Stephen Humes, who plays Francis Flute and, in the play
within a play, has the role of Thisbe, a role he artfully and hilariously
struggles with (along with the aforementioned balloons), much to the delight of
the audience.
All in all, CFS’s “Dream” is a
wonderful piece of theater, one that will appeal to all age groups. The cast members
give the impression that they are having a ball as they weave the magic of
Shakespeare’s tale, and their enthusiasm and enjoyment is infectious, so much
so that you can’t but walk away from the evening with a large, satisfied grin
on your face.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” plays
through August 4 on the grounds of the Shakespeare Festival Theater in
Stratford (how sad to see what’s become of that once marvelous venue), and then
moves to the McLevy Green in Bridgeport for performances running from August 7
through August 11. Admission is free but donations are accepted.
For more information go to
www.ctfreeshakespeare.org.
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