This performance of a midsummer night’s dream was very special. With minimal backdrop and music, the attention was really focused on the acting. The actors really took this opportunity to showcase their range of voice and such. I especially loved the performance of Helena and Oberon (the fairy king). Their performances especially commanded everyone’s attention and their stage presence was powerful.
The outfits of the fairies were very cool. That brings me to the topic of costumes! This play had an interesting fusion of modern costumes in a Shakespearean play. Seeing people in modern school uniforms talk Shakespeare and the human King and queen wearing modern formal outfits like tuxedoes was special. I think it was a good choice and made the show really different from traditional Shakespearean performances. This choice of costumes like t shirts, heels, tartan skirts, Winx Club like outfits on the fairies made the play experimental and I liked how displaced it made the play seem! It was a nice clash of time periods.
The dream-like quality and confusion of the plot suited this clashing outfit choice and put the audience also in an air of amazement and confusion like the characters being played with by the fairy cohort.
The sound effects and lighting added a nice hint of magic and surrealness to the play. The parts involving the fairies singing and magic were probably my favorite parts because of how elusive they were. The play’s highest moment, leaving the audience in shrieks of laughter, was definitely when Helene, Hermia, and their lovers meet after the men have been given love potions. The energy of the characters and the comic timing of the situation was very well suited.
This play was a lovely treat of magic, love, and playfulness. It did not try to be more serious than it should be and the jokes were funny. It was a perfect show to see to have a fun evening!
