A Midsummer Night in Early Spring at Seaver
By Jacqueline Wong-Hernandez
Editor-in-Chief

With a gorgeous set, a talented cast, and a creative take on classic work, A Midsummer Night's Dream opened for an eager audience on Thursday April 3, at Seaver Theatre. While opening night did not sell out, the Friday and Saturday evening shows both did.

I must admit that I have never read the play A Midsummer Night's Dream. In fact, I rented the film version starring Michelle Pfieffer and Calista Flockhart a few weeks ago, to ensure that when the 5-C production came around, I would be able to follow the story line. My video-renting excursion proved unnecessary as the cast brought the play to life in a way that was both easy to follow and that put those Hollywood actors to shame.

The play contains a few different plots. The primary plot is of a love story gone awry in a world that has gone awry. Lysander (Tim Harvey '04) and Hermia (Maia Newell-Large SC '03) are in love, but Hermia's father Egeus (Zack Schenkkan '06) insists that she marry Demetrius (Daniel Rosenholtz '05). According to Athenian law, if Hermia does not marry the suitor of her father's choice, she must either choose to become a nun or to be executed. She and Lysander decide to flee Athens together, and Demetrius (who loves Hermia) follows them after being tipped off by Helena (Joanna Edie '03) who is in love with him.

Simultaneously, the fairy king Oberon (Will Shipley HMC '05) and fairy queen Titania (Aja Houston PI '05) are quarreling, which has caused the seasons to change and the unseen forces to be off kilter. Also, there is a light hearted acting troupe preparing to perform at the Duke of Athens Thesseus's wedding. Nick Bottom (Dale Andrews '03) gave a brilliant performance as the far from humble common man seeking the glory of the stage. He brought charm and humor to the role, far surpassing the poor attempts in the Hollywood version. The endearing humanity of Bottom, provided a contrast to the surreal scenery of the play. A dark, twisted tree dominated the set and was laced with stars, moonshine and magic throughout the play.

The creative liberties taken by the director with regard to scene blocking were effective. For example, the actors delivered their lines - even those typically performed as speeches to the audience, to one another at close quarters, often while sitting down. Additionally Moth, a fairy in a playful combination of lighting, choreography and sound effects added to the mysterious atmosphere of the forest by appearing to create the visual and auditory delights with her wand when the forest scenes first open. I did, however, have difficulty with the costume choices. The costumes were erratic; some were true to the time period (or completely timeless), and others were very modern. For example, in her first scene, Hermia wears a modern era black pea coat. By the end of the play, she is wearing an orange tank top. While I can appreciate the symbolism in the actors shedding articles of clothing throughout the production, most of the costumes seemed like afterthoughts.

Fortunately the costumes were overshadowed entirely by the superios acting and the set. The stage lighting's oranges, pinks, misty grays, and purples of the stage lighting heightened the emotional tensions as the play rushed towards its climax of conflict. It ends, of course, with happy weddings for all, in the typical Shakespeare comedic fashion, and the viewing of the play done by the poor actors.